Crust In Carlsbad Means Great Pizza

We are always looking for the elusive "best" pizza in North County. A few weeks ago Alan told us about a place in Carlsbad that he ranks very high. I trust his opinion. He's a real foodie, and as a native New Yorker, Alan knows pizza. So Ron and I gave it a try recently, and within a week, we were back for more. We loved it. It's a small neighborhood restaurant with a nice bar, lots of wine by the glass, and lots of good food. Owner and chef Charlie will even make one of his own creations if you ask.

We began our meal with a delicious Caesar salad. Nice and tangy, with a good taste of anchovy, but not too much. Next, we had Ana, a red pizza with Wisconsin mozzarella, artichokes, baby spinach, sundried tomatoes, and ricotta. The crust was the star of the dish. It was crispy, thin, and puffed around the edges. The pizzas come in either 10 inch or 14 inch sizes. We had a wonderful wine by the glass at a very moderate price. Our waiter was Mikey, and I highly recommend you ask for him. He knows what's good, and is attentive and friendly. The next time we went we tried the fried calamari. I was a bit disappointed when it arrived at the table, as it wasn't heavily breaded and golden brown like most calamaris I've had. That turned out to be a good thing. This calamari was lightly breaded and fried and served with 3 dipping sauces. Our favorite was the curry aioli. Just delicious. Next, I had spaghetti and meatballs. This might have been the first time in 42 years of marriage that I have ordered that dish, and I don't know why I did, but I loved it. It was such a big portion that I took half home for dinner the following night. It was even better the second night, as the sauce had thickened. Ron had another pizza, this time with sausage, sweet red onions and mozzarella.

Other things to try include white pizzas, like Emily. Emily consists of olive oil, soprafina ricotta, mozzarella, portobella mushrooms, sweet red onion and heirloom tomatoes. Don't forget their delicious salads. One I want to try is the Carlsbad, with baby spinach, grapes, apples, raisins, glazed pecans, goat cheese and a citrus vinegrette. The children's menu is really a bargain if you have kids or grandkids to feed. For $6 they can get a bowl of mac and cheese and a drink.

I have to go back again to try dessert. Desserts serve 2-4 persons, and from what I saw you better have 4 people with you or you'll never finish. They offer a beautiful lava cake, but what I really want to try is Road Rash. This consists of vanilla bean ice cream topped with almond praline, candied nuts, fresh apple wedges, whipped cream, warm carmel sauce and peppered sugar bignet. The celulite is going to my thighs just thinking about it.

Try Crust in Carlsbad next time you're in the mood for excellent pizza, a great salad, a good glass of wine and an awesome dessert. Prices are moderate, nice ambience and great waitstaff. I loved it.