Urban Pi Review (Del Mar/Solana Beach)

In the place where Pasta Pronto used to be on Via de la Valle, comes Urban Pi - from the same folks who brought us Urban Plates (and before that, who owned Pasta Pronto - this is their new and improved 21st century concept). I think they're planning to franchise both, and these are the pilot restaurants.  Urban Pi's concept is "customized artisan pizza - while you watch, ready in less than 5 minutes" with tons of organic things.

THE GOOD
--beautiful design, airy, nice lighting and decor

--fast and simple service, especially compared to the hot mess that ordering is at Urban Plates. Here they got the concept right. One line. You order your ingredients added to your pizza Subway-style or order a pre-designed one from the menu board. It comes quickly.

--I loved the salads: I got a $4 half-house salad; was very large and exceptionally tasty. Ate every morsel of mixed greens, candied cranberry walnuts, blue cheese, honey ginger-blood orange dressing (I left over only the ripe pears, which were not for me)

--SuperBoy was willing to eat his caesar salad - also a very generous portion for a half salad $4; like a typical caesar but with chopped greek olives on top and shaved asiago. Both salads come with some respectable focaccia

--I loved my pizza. I decided to cutomize one. Luckily I skipped the tomato sauce (because it's nasty!).  Had fresh mozzarella, roasted garlic, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, ricotta cheese, EVOO. I could have added many more veggies for the same price.  Loved the crust - loved the whole taste.  This is not NY pizza at all, but the crust was charred and seasoned well.  Scrumptious and very generous size. $7.50!!  as is every pizza there unless you add something really fancy, like burrata.

THE BAD
--The boys ordered cheese pizza and thus were subjected to the nasty tomato sauce they have there.  Too much oregano. Standard cheese pizza comes with a "cheese mix," not the fresh mozzarella. Their pizzas were orangey and not appetizing looking, with too much oregano on top (have I mentioned the oregano)? I did enjoy eating their crusts, but whenever I hit the tomato sauce: yuk! SB wouldn't eat his at all; Cute Husband ate his because he was hungry, but wouldn't return.

--Desserts: They look delicious - a huge variety of reasonably priced yummy looking things, just like at Urban Plates (even cheaper than urban plates - $2 per cookie or brownie)! But we ordered a few to take home and they are not as good as they looked.  Chai Chocolate Cookie: blech, chalky (it looked so scrumptious).  Jam-centered shortbread cookie:  not the best cookie ever, but at $2, it was tasty enough so I can't complain.  We still have CH's flourless chocolate cake (one of the more expensive at $5) - we'll try it later.

In short, I loved my meal....but my boys did not like theirs.  Next to us someone had ordered the special pom-agave-hibiscus drink and they were making faces. I asked them about it, and they said it had a very "particular" taste. I don't think they meant it in a good way.

SO....if you want to try it, go for it!!! Just, if you're a pizza snob, do not get the tomato sauce. You can make lots of beautiful and yummy combos for yourself with EVOO, fresh mozz, and whatever want.  The salads are delicious - I bet some of the desserts must be good. Unfortunately, my boys will not be returning there with me (I suggested CH try the pizza next time with no tomato sauce. He resopnded, "You've gone too California on me. What's pizza without sauce?" And the tomato sauce is, let me say again, gross).