Review: Doughboyz Bistro
Doughboyz Bistro, Lincoln’s new Italian-inspired restaurant, has only been open for a month, but it already feels like it has been around for a while. After all, its sign went up last year. Why the delay in opening? A kitchen expansion at neighboring Scrumpy Jacks forced a Doughboyz remodel. (Doughboyz and Scrumpy Jacks share the same owners.) Then, some kitchen supplies that are legal just about everywhere turned out not to be legal in Lincoln, requiring a re-order.
But Doughboyz is here now, and that’s what matters. The restaurant opened on February 15 and word-of-mouth has gradually expanded its clientele. Early week traffic has been moderate, but the weekends, in the words of our server, “have been crazy”. In other words, if you don’t like big crowds, try stopping by on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
My wife and I visited Doughboyz twice. We first visited on opening night. We expected the typical first week hiccups, but were pleasantly surprised to find that almost everything went quite smoothly. We followed up with another visit three weeks later.
Doughboyz makes itself known with a bright awning and a distinctive logo, including the inviting tag line “fun Italian food”. It needs to be bold, especially with the much bigger bully Ruby Tuesday’s mere footsteps away. The large, arched, wood doors help the front of the restaurant stand out even more. The interior is lively, decorated in red, green, and cream. The theme is lightly sassy, and it continues on the walls, menus, and even the servers’ shirts. The sass gets a little thick on the menus; it’s cute at first, but I wonder how it will wear. The restaurant is smallish, but ample. A large bar and high-top tables dominate the main room, while the back room has a cozier feel. You might not want to sit in line with the doors on a cold day; even if you don’t see the door open, you feel it. Around the corner is a mini-bar of sorts. (More on that in a minute.) The music is upbeat jazz and big band. I’m not sure why big band works in an Italian-themed restaurant, but it does. The only thing that seems oddly out-of-place are the small televisions scattered about. They were playing muted black-and-white movies the two times we were there. Neither my wife nor I could discern the connection to the overall theme. As-is, the televisions seem to do nothing more than pander to our modern multi-stimulus culture. As a package the atmosphere holds together pretty well. Doughboyz has dared to be a little different, and I think it (mostly) works.
The servers are young, energetic and friendly. Of course, it’s easy to be energetic and friendly when the restaurant is relatively quiet like it was when we were there. My wife and I were greeted quickly at the door on both of our visits. On our second visit, the staff even recognized us ("You sat over there, right?") and welcomed us back. By chance we happened to have the same server on both trips. He was helpful and friendly. The same goes for all the servers I was able to observe. The servers seemed to do a good job of checking in with their tables regularly, and not just to offer drink refills. It was nice to see servers check in “just because” or to chat with their customers if the customers were so inclined. The same goes for the management, who seem genuinely interested in receiving feedback from customers.
On our first trip to Doughboyz my wife and I decided to run the gamut: we opted for an appetizer, pizza, and dessert. We started the meal with the Artie Spin spinach and artichoke dip, served warm with crunchy bruschetta. It was good stuff with a little zing. It seemed a bit pricey at $7.85, but there was plenty to share. Other appetizers include seasoned onion rings ($5.69), guacamole with pizza chips ($7.85), and waffle fries ($4.45).
The menu at Doughboyz is one large sheet, printed front and back. It’s clear from the menu that their pizzas are their bread and butter (so to speak), since the pizzas dominate the front page. Pizzas come in three sizes, 14”, 16”, and 18”. They are labeled as feeding 1-2, 2-3, and 3-4 people, respectively. The 14” pizza should feed two people relatively easily. (Well, two non-teenagers, anyway.) With appetizers, drinks, and desserts, you might even fit three people on a 14 incher, depending on your appetite. My wife and I ordered a 14” DBQ chicken pizza ($15.50). It was a floppy thin crust pizza topped with a homemade zippy barbeque sauce, onions, chicken, and feta and mozzarella cheeses. It was very tasty, and it had a little spiciness to it that separates it from some of the sweeter bbq chicken pizzas in town. We would have liked a few more pieces of chicken on our pie. Most of the pizzas are relatively unique, featuring ingredients like pesto in Da Pesto de Resistance ($11.95/$13.95/$15.95), and orange chipotle sauce, shallots, oranges, and goat cheese in The Chipotle Orange Shrimp Xperience ($18.25/$20.25/$22.25). There’s also the option of building your own pie ($7.50/$8.50/$9.50) from a large list of ingredients ($1.50/$1.70/$1.90 apiece).
We finished off that first meal with a Piezookie ($5.25). The Piezookie is a large, warm chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream. It’s hard to go wrong with that combination.
On our second visit we dove straight into the entrees. My wife went with The Portobello ($7.25), a large sandwich filled with portobello mushrooms, fresh spinach, carmelized onions, and goat cheese. Unlike many portobello sandwiches in town this sandwich didn’t just taste like fungus on bread. Instead, it was very flavorful with a distinct Italian character. My wife said she probably could have stopped after eating half of the sandwich, but she instead she finished it and ended the meal very full. The sandwich was served with waffle fries which, although a bit too crunchy for my wife’s preferences, were nicely portioned and lightly seasoned. Some of the other sandwiches include the meaty Gibronni ($7.95) and the classic meatball ($7.50).
I tried the creatively-named Darth Fredo ($7.95), a twist on fettuccini alfredo with poblano chiles, roma tomatoes, and a blend of cheeses. The dish was supposed to be spicy, but I didn’t think it had enough of a kick to warrant a name like Darth Fredo. (Maybe Anakin Fredo?) Next time I would ask them to hit my sinuses a little harder. I added chicken for an extra $2.00; it isn’t listed on the menu, but I think shrimp would be a tasty optional add-on to this dish. The pasta was served with a delicious bread stick that was good eaten plain, or with sauce mopped up from the bowl. Among the other pastas on the menu are the all-you-can-eat Mansta Pasta ($6.95) and the baked penne with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and cheeses ($7.95).
In addition to pizzas, sandwiches, and pastas, Doughboyz also features six salads. They include options like the Da Casesar ($6.95), with sun dried tomatoes, peppers, red onions, kalamata olives, pine nuts, and dried currants; Spinach Yer Salad ($8.95), with candied pecans, roasted red peppers, bacon, mandarin oranges, and gorgonzola; and El Picasso ($8.95), with fajita chicken, tortilla strips, and chipotle dressing. The kids menu includes classics like peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, and spaghetti ($3.50 each). But who wants that stuff when there’s a kids pizza bar (the “mini bar” mentioned above) at which kids 12 and under can make their own pizza? At $3.95 it’s a great deal. Most kids will go for the usuals of pepperoni and hamburger, of course, but I heard a server say that one brave young child went wild with spinach and anchovies.
I was pleased to see that at some point between our first and second visits Doughboyz added lunch specials to their repertoire. The specials include a daily personal pizza (toppings vary by day) ($4.95), half sandwich and salad ($6.95), pasta marinara and garlic loaf ($6.95), and caesar salad and garlic loaf ($6.95). That list of entrees is very lunch-friendly and should prove popular.
Doughboyz prices are a bit mixed. On the one hand, some of the pizza prices, ranging from $11.95 to $22.25, seem high. Granted, Doughboyz is using high quality ingredients and these are pies you can’t get anywhere else. But one of the problems (or should I say “problems”?) with thin crust pizzas is that they don’t go as far, appetite-wise, making their prices feel inflated. Some of the appetizer prices feel high, too. In contrast, the pastas (most are $7-$8) and sandwiches ($7.50 - $7.95) seem very reasonably priced considering the portion sizes and quality, and the kids meal prices are very family-friendly. I’m not the only one a little bamboozled by the prices. Of the people who have eaten at Doughboyz that I’ve spoken with, the verdict is mixed between “the prices seem fair” and “the prices seem high”. You may have to decide for yourself on this one, and let me know your decision in the comments.
Doughboyz is a welcome addition to the Lincoln dining scene. I’m especially excited since it makes one more solid dining destination in and near Edgewood, which just happens to be about a half mile from my house. Like any brand new restaurant Doughboyz has some maturing and evolving to do, but it is off to a very good start.
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