Cranston's Pub and Bent Ladder Cider and Wine worth the trip to Doylestown | Local Flavor
He warned me.
He warned me twice.
Did I listen?
Absolutely not.
Mark Cranston told me his pizza is good.
Real good.
But there's a secret ingredient beyond the blend of spices in the house made sauce and the generous toppings.
There's something a little extra served up with the pies at Cranston's Pub in Doylestown.
Mark calls it "the spice;" others call it "pizza dust" or "magic dust" that you can sprinkle on the pizza.
It's a secret blend of spices that gives the pizza a little extra kick.
"I always say, 'If you ain't sneezing − it ain't seasoned,'" Mark said with a laugh.
Well... I didn't sneeze but I did I cough.
Not a bad cough.
More like the cough that comes when you breathe in while eating an elephant ear covered in powdered sugar.
And like the powdered sugar on the elephant ear, you definitely want to add the dust to your Cranston's pizza.
What's on the menu at Cranston's Pub?
The menu at Cranston's Pub on Portage Street is pretty simple.
And that's not a bad thing.
Mark said before he and his late cousin Jim purchased the place back in 2013 it was known as Erika's Pizza and had a more extensive menu.
They decided to focus solely on the pizza that still uses the same recipe that they inherited from the previous owner.
The dough is made fresh daily so when it runs out there's no more pizza for the night.
Mark said they could make more dough but that would impact the quality of the pies. Unlike most "cookie cutter" pizza places that use a conveyor oven, Cranston's cooks have to move each pizza around to ensure they are cooked just right.
The eatery is open from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. We called on a Friday night for a to-go order.
We planned to grab a couple of pies and then make the two-mile trek over to the Bent Ladder to try out their ciders and wines.
The folks at the Bent Ladder welcome you to bring outside food in as long as you eat on the grounds outside. They do offer a number of picnic tables.
Our date night plan was going great until we went to order the pizza while on our way to Doylestown.
Right now they are offering two specialty pizzas including a BBQ pie and a chicken, bacon and ranch pizza.
We wanted to try the chicken pizza ($25.25 for a large) after hearing that it comes with a house-made ranch sauce.
It did not disappoint.
As for the regular pies, the prices range from $9 for a cheese pizza, $11 for a 12-inch pie and $15 for a 16-inch one.
They offer a variety of toppings − some common and others not so much − that range in price from $1.50 each to $2.50 depending on the size of the pie.
The toppings include: garlic, onion, pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushroom, green peppers, banana pepper, jalapeno pepper, black olive, green olive and fresh tomato and zucchini when available.
The first pizza was an easy decision.
The second not so much.
I'm a vanilla milkshake kind of guy while Jennifer is a chocolate, chocolatey, dipped in chocolate kind of gal.
After three decades of marriage we have perfected the art of negotiation and compromise.
And thankfully Mark was able to save our marriage and allowed us to order a his-and-her pizza.
One half had pepperoni and sausage while the other half had fresh tomato and zucchini.
I'm not going to say whose side was whose.
But let's just say I believe zucchini is best left in the garden for the rabbits and deer to enjoy.
Jennifer disagrees and is a firm believer in all things zucchini and fresh tomatoes.
When we went to place our order over the phone, Mark, the owner, was having trouble hearing our order over the laughter from the pub's bar.
Jennifer had a bit of apprehension as she comically had to repeat our order several times.
I saw this as a good sign.
How bad can the pizza be if there's that many people there having a good time?
With the order finally in, Mark asked us to hold on as he checked on how backed up the kitchen was.
Thankfully, they were able to squeeze our pies in the oven with just a 45-minute wait.
We got there a bit early so we had a chance to check the place out.
The bar was very inviting and so was the large dining area.
The servers were inviting too.
It seemed as if they knew everyone who came through the door.
Several were greeted with a "ordering the usual?" and more often than not the answer was "yes" without anyone missing a step.
The bar's offerings were interesting too.
Back when it was Erika's, the owner was German so there's still a variety of those heritage beers still served up cold.
Mark said they added a variety of Scottish brews to honor his own family's heritage.
They try to locally source as many ingredients as possible in the kitchen and that includes Beaver Meats out of Smithville.
Mark said the not-so-secret ingredient to the pub's pies is that everything is as fresh as possible and that includes slicing the pizza cheese and shredding in the kitchen.
The end result is a perfect-looking pizza that is hard to resist eating in the car on the short drive to the winery.
Bent Ladder Cider and Wine
We've heard about the Bent Ladder in Doylestown from friends who go there often but life always seemed to get in the way from us visiting.
What a big mistake.
The winery sits right behind Rittman Orchards on Mount Eaton Road.
The tasting room building is very inviting and has a nice inside sitting area.
But the hillside overlooking the pond and the countryside is simply breathtaking.
It is the perfect spot to bring a picnic or order a cheese and cracker or a bread board along with a glass or two of wine or cider to enjoy an afternoon or watch the sunset.
Our visit was particularly special and enjoyable because local musician Jim Ballard was performing that evening.
The fresh pizza along with a flight or two or three of the Bent Ladder's excellent ciders and wines paired nicely with the enchanting music by Ballard.
It almost, almost, made me forget that there was zucchini on half of one of the pizzas.
Details
Restaurant: Cranston's Pub
Location: 13108 Portage St., Doylestown
Hours: 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
Information: 330-658-4706 or www.cranstonspub.com
Winery: Bent Ladder Cider and Wine
Location: 13550 Mount Eaton Road (at Rittman Orchards), Doylestown
Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Friday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday
Information: 330-485-1089 or bentladder.com
Craig Webb, who wants to note that there were leftovers of the zucchini side of the pizza, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cranston's Pub and Bent Ladder worth the trip to Doylestown
