In the 'Calzone'

Doughshack
Cuisine: Calzones
Average Cost: $5-7
Location: 301 3rd st.
Rating: Clean your Plate Anyone who has been in Bloomington longer than a week has probably seen plenty of delivery restaurants. There has recently been another addition to this group, Doughshack. While pizza and Chinese food seem to dominate the delivery market, Doughshack is promoting a different menu altogether with their Calzones. Doughshack's focus is primarily aimed at students, but anyone can enjoy their creative flavors. The chain's other locations are at Purdue University and University of Illinois, and they advertise by sending mass emails to students. They offer 20 different specialty 'zones, many named to grab the attention of your average party-oriented student. The ingredients range from hemp seed and pesto to beef and potato. They also offer other items such as large slices of pizza, soft drinks and a variety of sauces. When my guest and I arrived at Doughshack, formerly Cappuccinos, we were greeted by someone in a duck costume standing by the road handing out menus to people in cars along 3rd Street. The restaurant was clean and has a colorful mural on the blue wall. Although mainly a carry out and delivery restaurant, there are also a few tables in the rather small space. The deli style-pizzas are laid out behind a plastic shield and look very appetizing. They have the standard cheese and pepperoni for $2.25 for a giant slice and other gourmet flavors with potatoes, peapods and artichokes for $2.75. My guest had two of the pepperoni slices, which were quickly reheated in the oven and served. The little pepperonis were good, but a bit skimpy and the crust a bit hard from sitting out. The slices were large and quickly fill a big appetite. I had one of the healthy calzones, which are priced at $6.00 for any variety. Many of the calzone choices stray far from their traditional Italian origins. For example, the "Cajun zOn" offers crawfish, chicken, cajun spice, onions and peppers and the "Rocky Mt. High" is filled with breaded chicken, hot sauce, blue cheese and mozzarella. Patrons can also chose from marina, salsa and ranch dipping sauces for their calzones. I had the "Green Peace" calzone, which is listed on the menu as having pesto, spinach, broccoli and mozzarella with the marinara dipping sauce. It came out of the oven piping hot in about ten minutes. It was dark brown on the top and a little burnt on the bottom, but still quite edible after it cooled off. When I got it, I found that it had no pesto in it and included veggie crumbles. The dough was good and the cheese and crumbles were generous, but I would have liked more broccoli and spinach. The pesto would have added more flavor than the veggie crumble. The marina sauce was good, but I would have liked to have a bit more of it. Doughshack offers a great atmosphere, and creative, if not always perfect food. Both my guest and I said we would return next time we need a quick meal on the go.