Pizza in Plano

Spezzo in Plano comes to the table with Italian menu designed by Dallas chef

Amy Havins, Katie Cassidy

Photo courtesy of Spezzo

The Italian is here: Spezzo, a new fast-casual Italian restaurant in Plano that took over the old Uno Dué Go space, opens on May 7, with a user-friendly menu designed by consulting chef Tom Fleming, of Crossroads Diner fame.

Owner Rob Goldblatt says this is a soft opening "without much fanfare," but the full menu is available, including pizzas, salads, sandwiches, casseroles and entree-type meals.

There are two appetizers: calamari and a white bean soup. Among the salads, there's a Caesar, a chopped salad and an arugula with grape tomatoes. A "3.14 salad" consists of a pizza for $8.99 topped with baby greens that you can eat like a pizza or a salad.

Pizza toppings include meatballs, sausage and pepperoni. One pizza has arugula with prosciutto and fried sage. A veggie pizza has zucchini, eggplant, mushroom and bell pepper.

There's a unique vegetarian entree called zucchini cakes, with crisp zucchini that's layered like a casserole. You can add one of four sauces: marinara, spicy puttanesca, lemon butter or marsala porcini cream.

Sandwiches include chicken Parm, meatball Parm, and even a salmon Parm with salmon, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. The Gina Panini is a cold-cut sandwich with cappicola, pepperoni and proscuitto. They all come on Empire Baking Co. semolina rolls, so that puts them in good bread stead.

"We also have a full bar featuring several Italian selections and six beers on draft, including Peroni," Goldblatt says. That lineup includes several local craft beers as well.

The renovation is by Plan B design, with booths, banquettes, high boy tables and a number of large communal tables for larger parties.

Spezzo

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Milkshake News

Irving dessert shop Milkshakes & More is exactly as advertised

Milkshakes & More

A family-owned sweet shop in Irving is true to its name: Called Milkshakes & More, it's a dessert shop at 925 W. John Carpenter Fwy. #101 in Las Colinas Village in Irving, where it has a focus, though not exclusive, on ice cream and milkshakes.

The restaurant, located in a former vape shop, also offers smoothies, slushes, coffee, boba tea, and a range of desserts.

The shop is from Bill Grundun, a former chemist with a refined palate and a strong sense of hospitality.

"I was looking to open a franchise, but nothing jumped at me," Grundun says. "Then I thought about chemistry, blending ingredients, and in a family-oriented environment — something my kids could get into, that we could bond over."

He also hoped to serve the diverse population in Irving, including Muslims. His gummy bears are made from halal beef-derived gelatin, instead of pork, which is more commonly used. And their marshmallows are vegan.

Their menu is vast, and the combination options are endless. But shakes are their most popular item, in combinations such as salted caramel, Oreo cookies, peanut butter brownie, and matcha madness made with organic Japanese matcha.

Smoothie options incorporate a variety of fruit plus boosters such as bee pollen, chia, hemp, flax, mushroom powder, and spirulina.

The shop also serves boba tea in options such as brown sugar, Thai, taro, ube, and matcha. A coffee program caters to the community of workers who work in the many office buildings nearby; there's coffee, iced espresso, cold brew, affogato, and specialty drinks such as:

Asian Elephant: Creamy spiced Thai tea latte with espresso
Japanese pika: Matcha latte with espresso
Irish sea turtle: Salted caramel, toffee nut and Irish cream blend over coffee

They use or sell products from local small businesses, including Henry’s Homemade ice Cream from Plano, Nikki’s Popcorn Company from Dallas, and cookies and brownies from next-door neighbor, The Irving Bakery.

"I wanted to source locally as much as I can, be a part of the community," Grundun says.

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