Adventure 11: D.P. Dough

D.P. Dough (website)
244 W. Gilman St.
3 Adjectives: Filling, awkward, bland.
Price: 'zone (6.5)
Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
Overall:
Veganness:
Other Opinions: madisonatoz, yelp, badgerherald ...
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One of the one-shot wonders that recently opened up close to State Street, D.P. Dough feels like anything but that. I couldn't help but go to the restaurant a couple of weeks ago after debating with a friend the merits of Luvshack versus D.P. Dough, two rivals that make pretty much the same thing. To settle this, I decided I might as well try one out, and later, the other.

Upon entering the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the odd arrangement of dining space (my hunch was later verified upon reading the same in the Badger Herald's review). The location of the tables and chairs looked awkward and large open spaces were left in various parts of the restaurant. It did not help that only three other customers were there - something I see quite often when I pass the place. The strange placement of chairs also added to the disorganization of the place and the dining area was adorned with two incongruous flashy flat screen TVs- two flat screen TVs that weren't really being watched and only contributed to background noise. Although I was not optimistic about the seating arrangement, I figured the food might be worth it.

The restaurant sells around fifty varieties of calzones, or 'zones, as they like to call them. Each calzone is at a fixed price of $6.5 and you are also able to design your own. One inconvenience I found was an extra charge of $0.5 for using credit card. Upon first glance the menu can seem a little daunting and it took quite awhile before I was able to settle on a classic: mangus zone - pepperoni, pesto, tomato, mozzarella, spinach. I figured, if they can make a traditional, they can make anything.

Our calzones arrived at our table hot and were fairly large. However, we soon discovered they did not have much flavor and the only way to assuage the problem was to consume large amounts of dipping sauce. In addition the crust was not particularly remarkable probably because it was advertised as "fat free." However, we were not sure how much that really mattered considering the inside was stuffed with cheese and was incredibly greasy. After eating 3/4 of my 'zone and feeling rather greased out, I concluded that D.P. Dough is not really worth the money. Ed's Express makes better calzones for cheaper if you have dorm connections.

Honestly, I would not really recommend D.P. Dough to anyone. Then again, maybe I got the bad end of the fare and I should give the place another go - going carryout, that is.


DP dough is another franchise I only went to because vegans seem to be google-searching it. My advice, whether you are vegan or not, is to avoid it. Yes, you can get a vegan calzone at DP dough (you can make your own in the "construction zone"). Yes, the dough is vegan, mainly because it does not contain any ingredients. It is advertised as fat free, and is consequently taste free as well. The breadsticks use the same dough, and are consequently also fat free, barring anything cheesy topping. I ordered a calzone with mushrooms, spinach, potatoes, and olives, which came with marinara dipping sauce. A few times I was squirted with ultra hot veggie juice. Mmm...fat free, salt free, flavor free veggie calzone. Sounds healthy. Too healthy. Stay home for lunch.