Week 8: Red House Pizzeria

For this week's pizza review we found ourselves in Austin, TX.  We left the kids at home with Grandma and headed south for the weekend to run the LiveStrong Austin Marathon.  It was a busy two days, but of course we found the time to check out a local pizza favorite.  Needless to say after a lengthy run through our state's capital, we were beyond hungry for our weekly pizza fix.  After considerable research we agreed upon Red House Pizzeria just outside downtown. 

The giant outdoor patio and relaxed atmosphere were just what we needed.  The ambiance alone was enough to get our evening off on the right foot.  The vibe here was unlike anywhere we have been in Dallas, and we appreciated the hospitality.  The place was a true taste of what we have grown to love about our short visits in Austin.  The pizza however had to be put to the test.

Herb Roasted Chicken

We brought a friend along to help with the pizza assessment, which allowed for the sampling of 3 different pizzas on the menu.  The pizza's size was fairly small (12" and 14"), but the flavors were unique and bold.  After long debate, we opted for 3 pizzas: Marghertia, Herb Roasted Chicken, and Artichoke.  The flavor combination on the Herb Roasted Chicken was unique - you could taste several flavors not typically found on your standard pizza.  It was by far our favorite, and reason enough to return.  We all found the  Artichoke pizza to be pretty salty for our taste, but with pesto, kalamata olives, and feta what else did we expect?  Finally the Margherita was delicious, but did not stand out when compared to others we have had.  At less than $9 per pizza we also found the value to be worth mentioning.  The crust was light, yet chewy enough.  

Artichoke

All in all the setting alone is worth the visit, and the pizza was delicious and distinctive.  However, we've got a lot more pizza to eat in Dallas before we'll be visiting the Red House Pizzeria again.

Margherita

The Final Report: 7.5 out of 10

Our legs and stomachs should be recovered before next weekend.  We look forward to being back in our home stomping grounds.

Week 7: Campisi's Restaurant

Campisi's Restaurant has been serving delicious pizza to the fine citizens of Dallas for over 60 years.  Still owned and operated by 3rd and 4th generation family members, their pizza is now cooked at 6 locations in the area.  The original restaurant is located off E Mockingbird, and is still in the same Egyptian Lounge that Jack Ruby dined at the night before he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. Fast forward to Valentines weekend 2011, and we find ourselves across the street from the Ikea in Frisco enjoying our first pizza evening of the year without the kids!

Bruschetta Appetizer 

This week's review may be a little biased due to the fact that we got to relax and soak in the experience without two toddlers distracting us from our highly sophisticated research.  We were once again reminded of the sharp contrast of dining out on Sunday versus Saturday night.  We had our choice of tables in the dimly lit dining area that we shared with only 3 other families.  This place is a full blown restaurant, and the menu offers all the Italian staples.  We started off with an order of Bruschetta and a couple adult beverages.  The bruschetta arrived quickly, and was one of the best I'd had in memory.  The appetizer had two types of dips (olives and a tomato sauce), that when combined on the toast created a significant increase of blood to my penis.  Little did we know that the waiter would also bring a small trough of free bread, and we would exceed our daily carbohydrate allowance before the pizza arrived. 

1/2 Meat Supreme and 1/2 BBQ Specialty

We ordered a large half Meat Supreme and half BBQ Specialty.  It was the first time that a pizzeria agreed to combining two base sauces on one pie this year! The menu clearly states that a large serves 3, but we couldn't stop.  After turning down the waiter's attempt to box up the leftovers, we licked the plate clean and contemplated ordering one to go.  The pizzas are oval shaped, and not your standard 8 slice design.  The toppings were piled on high, but not without care.  The crust had a slight buttery taste that was crispy and chewy at the same time.  The BBQ sauce tasted like it beat up the store bought brand on the playground as a kid.   Now while I am not a culinary expert, and can't identify every spice and ingredient on the pizza, I can tell you this pizza is friggin' tasty.  It was my favorite this year, but Grimaldi's still holds the number 1 spot in my wife's heart.

Now I can  see why Jack Ruby wanted to eat at this place for what could have possibly been his last meal.

The Final Report: 8.5 out of 10

Next time you are off to purchase assemble-by-number furniture from Ikea, pass on the 50 cent hot dogs, and head across the street for one of the top pizzas in Dallas!  

Week 6: Johnny Brusco's Pizza

The 2011 Dallas ice storm could not hold us back from making our pizza trip this week. While the roads were slick and the snow was falling, we bundled up the family and visited an old friend, Johnny Brusco's Pizza in Flower Mound.  In lieu of making the long haul to Ft Worth, we opted to "eat safe" for week 6.  The 3 mile drive almost took 30 minutes, but after being trapped inside for 4 days we had to get out of the house!  Johnny Brusco's has been an old standby for local pizza since it opened a few years back.  Restaurants have had a hard time staying in business up in that area, but the pizza at Johnny Brusco's keeps folks coming back for more.

The restaurant offers a pretty basic set up, booths around the perimeter, and a handful of tables in the middle.  There are also a half dozen tables outside, but being that it was 12 degrees outside we settled for a booth next to the local high school jersey hanging from the wall.  The service is always friendly, and the beer is cold!


I'll get to the pizza in a moment, but first I must bring your attention to an appetizer that is worth the trip alone: The Garlic Knots.  These bite sized pieces of heaven, are so good you might need to order 2 plates.  

After I finished up my 12th garlic knot our pizza arrived.  This week we got one large pizza that was half White Pizza and half Margharita.  The pizza is made in 2 sizes, and for the sake of cost efficiency we split our large.  The list of specialty pizza's is one of the longer lists we have seen, but as always you can make your own with a lengthy list of toppings.  The crust at Johnny Brusco's is always great, it's crispy with a slight touch of sweetness.  I must admit though, the specialty pizzas did not "wow" us like they had in the past.  The Margharita half tasted bland, and the white pizza was way off the mark.  I'm not sure if we caught things on the wrong night, but we weren't thrilled with our choice.  I find that tough to say, because we have enjoyed other pizzas here for quite some time.

The Final Report: 6.5 out of 10

I think next time we visit Johnny Brusco's I'm going to see if they will make me a pizza with garlic knots as a topping? Yeah they're that good...

See you next week!

Week 5: Sal's Pizza

To wrap up our first month of the 2011 Pizza Adventure, we drove east to Sal’s Pizza (www.salspizzadallas.com) in Plano, TX.  We dined at the Shops at Legacy location, but Sal’s Pizza also has it’s original store in Uptown Dallas.  Due to sick kids, we pushed back our regular pizza night from Saturday to Sunday this week.  Fortunately for us that meant there was no wait, and we could sit right down and get to work.

The menu at Sal’s is very extensive and offers much more than pizza, including hot sandwiches, pasta, soups, salads, etc.  Our server claimed that they had the best pizza in the world.  My wife chuckled and after he walked away said “he hasn’t eaten at Grimaldi’s.”  So yes, we were a little biased after two weeks of great pizza, but we were hungry for some more NY style.  The pizza is sold in 5 different sizes, small all the way to Sal’s Giant 20”.  There was also a “sicilian” style that comes only in a 16x16 pan.  After much debate, we went for a small cheese pizza, and 3 slices (Meat, Special, and Margharita).  The  server brought out some free garlic bread to keep our stomachs happy while the pizza was made in the kitchen.  After a short wait of about 10 minutes, the slices came out first, followed by our small cheese.  I will note that the order was incorrect, but Sal did not charge us for the extra slice!

The “pizza by the slice” was average, and we’ll take it as a lesson learned.  The slices were reheated with a sprinkle of mozzarella on top to give the appearance that they were fresh out of the oven.  The Meat Lover was covered in ground sausage, pepperoni, and circles of canadian bacon that looked like they might have been hijacked from my daughter’s “Lunchables” snack box.  My first comparison wass that it tasted a lot like the pizza you get from the mall food court.  After a couple bites, I picked up the Special slice and found similar results.  A very soggy crust towards the middle, and a crust handle that was as thick as a steering wheel.  Things improved slightly when I tried the freshly cooked, small cheese pizza.  The temperature of the pizza was right out of the oven, and it tasted far superior to the pizza by the slice.  With that being said the highlight was probably the Margahrita.  The tomatoes and fresh basil were delicious, and looking back I wish we would have ordered a full pie.  

All in all, the slices were disappointing, and the freshly cooked pizza was alright.  Although it was voted best pizza by the Dallas Observer in 2003, clearly a lot has changed in 8 years.

The Final Report: 5.5 out of 10

I hope my wife is not right and we don’t have 47 more weeks of disappointment.  Thanks a lot Grimaldi’s!