Week 13: Joe's Pizza Pasta Subs

We continued on our adventure to find great pizza in the DFW area this week and stopped in at Joe's Pizza Pasta Subs in Southlake.  Located right off the Carroll exit on 114, it's hidden away in an older strip center.  Considering everything in Southlake seems to be shiny and new, this place had some character.  Immediately when we walked in, it felt like a small town hotspot, where everyone knows everyone.  The walls were decorated with local school sports teams pictures and memorabilia.  I didn't count but I'd say there were about 10 flat screen TVs, so that no matter where you sat you could watch the game.  The place wasn't fancy, but had everything you needed to enjoy a casual dinner with the family.

Garlic Knots & Pinwheels

Joe's has a pizza counter in the back where about 5 young guys stayed busy taking orders and cooking the food.  There was a glass case that displayed everything from calzones to spinach pinwheels.  No bells and whistles just what was needed to serve great Italian food to a steady flow of local customers.  


This week we decided that we would keep our order simple, and got a large pizza - half cheese and half pepperoni.  For $.25 a piece, we threw in a half dozen garlic knots, a spinach pinwheel, and a pepperoni pinwheel.  With two drinks our total was less than 20 bucks! This was hands down the best deal that we've had all year.  The pizza was enormous and the garlic knots and pinwheels alone are reason enough to return.  I was in disbelief with the amount of food that we got for $18 and change.


We filled up our soda cups, sat down at a booth and waited for our pizza.  During the 15 minute wait we were impressed by the number of customers that were arriving for dinner. What was even more impressive, was that the guys behind the counter knew most of the folks by name.  Repeat customers are always a good sign!

1/2 Cheese & 1/2 Pepperoni

Our pizza came out at the same time as our knots/pinwheels, and if there was any criticism it would have been to get those out first since they were already made.  The garlic knots weren't the best we've had, but for $.25, you can't go wrong.  Next were the pinwheels, and these were probably our favorite part of the meal.  Spinach and cheese rolled up with dough, slightly undercooked to perfection.  We could have just ordered those and been satisfied.  The pizza was hot out of the oven, and the table was barely big enough to hold it (read- the pizza was huge).  We were not amazed by the pizza. Yes, it was a tasty and quality cheese and pepperoni pizza.  It was a fantastic deal and it fit the definition of NY style to a T.  When we go back we would probably try the Sicilian style, or possibly some additional toppings - and of course, order more spinach pinwheels.  But I think in a couple weeks from now, we won't be thinking back to Joe's pizza and craving more for any particular reason.  It was good, and if we lived nearby, it would be a great local choice.  However, we wouldn't recommend driving from the other side of Dallas to check it out.


The Final Report: 6.5 out of 10

Joe's: Pizza Counter

Last week we received several suggestions of places to try, so we'll have to draw a name from a hat this week.  Thanks again for reading the reviews, and have enjoyed taking everyone along on this pizza adventure. Three months under our belt in 2011 and we're not tired of eating pizza yet!

Week 12: Palio's Pizza Cafe

Long before this pizza adventure began, our family has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day by eating pizza.  An odd tradition some might say, but a family tradition nonetheless.  This year was the 12th consecutive year that I have enjoyed a cold beer and a slice of pizza on St. Paddy’s Day.  Another family side note before I get into the details of this week’s pizza: when we first moved to DFW 6 years ago, the first place we had pizza was Palio’s Pizza Cafe in Coppell, TX.  Known for their thin crust and unique topping combinations, we thought we’d try the opposite end of the pizza spectrum compared to last week’s Chicago pizza feast.

There are roughly 20 Palio’s Pizza Cafe’s throughout the DFW area.  While I can’t speak for all of them, the 3 that I have been to are essentially the same.  Fortunately, one of the locations is walking distance from our house.  Based on last week’s lesson of calling ahead, we made our selection from the menu ahead of time and placed a phone order before we got into the car.  Palio’s is a BYOB restaurant, and I was prepared with two Stella’s in my pocket!  When we arrived, the place was empty, which was fine with us because our pizza was ready and hot out of the oven. There was a slight misunderstanding with our order, and our two pizza’s were in boxes ready for take out.  No big deal, we just used the empty table next to us to hold the boxes, and we dug right in!

Alright.  Simlply put, Palio’s offers a good quality pizza.  The toppings are unique and its  the only place I’ve been to that has cashews and dried cranberries on their pizza.  But I will say it is also the THINNEST pizza you will find.  You could literally slide the cheese pizza into a manila envelope and send it across the country via US Post for 44 cents.  It was an extremely tasty pizza, but we were able to devour an extra large specialty pizza and a small cheese with room to spare.  On our x-large we got half “Cade & Blake” which was served on a pesto sauce with artichoke hearts, roasted chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms.  The other half was a “Nutty Chicken” which included roasted cashews, chicken, mushrooms, spinach, and parmesan.  One side was as good as the other.  The ingredients were fresh and delicious, and the crust, while very thin, was sprinkled with a special blend of herbs and spices.  The kids enjoyed the simplicity of the cheese pizza, and to give you an idea of the size, our 3 year old finished 4 full slices and wanted more.

Palio’s has never let us down.  In the last 6 years we have been in the area, we have routinely enjoyed picking up a couple extra large specialty pizzas with a “Manager’s Special Coupon.”  Compared to the other “chain” pizza restaurants in the area, we have always been pleased with the results.  Two things that you can be sure of at Palio’s you will never have leftovers, and neither will your wallet.  The price of the pizza is on the high side, $18 for an x-large.  

The Final Report: 7 out of 10

   

We got a late start on the pizza review this week.  All of our favorites have been done.  Time to start getting creative in our restaurant selection.  Please let us know if there is somewhere we need to try!

Week 11: Chicago Street Pizza

Finally after 10 weeks of our pizza adventure we made it to an actual Chicago "deep dish" style restaurant.  Growing up in the Windy City I have had my fare share of the finest!  From Lou Malnati's, Giordano's to Gino's East there aren't many original Chicago pizzas that haven't crossed these lips.  Now living almost 1000 miles from where I grew up, it's hard to find good authentic stuffed pizza in DFW.  Or so I thought...

After a thorough search, we narrowed down our list to a handful of Chicago style pizzerias.  This week we decided that sitting dow for our meal was a requirement, which made our decision even easier.  Chicago Street Pizza (www.chicagostreetpizza.net) is located in a dingy strip mall in Plano squeezed in with an insurance office, donut shop, and a nail salon.  

Having plenty of deep dish pizza experience we made the critical phone ahead to place our order.  With a 30 minute drive from home, a pizza novice might find this to be unnecessary.  However, standard cook time for pizzas of this magnitude runs 30-40 minutes and with the entire family in tow this week, every minute counted.  While the line wasn't out the door, we were greeted immediately upon our arrival with pizzas hot out of the oven.  The seating area served it's purpose, but it wasn't anything worth writing about.

Thin Crust: Cheese

From the car we ordered one small of each: thin crust, deep dish, and stuffed.  We knew that this would be enough to feed the neighborhood, but wanted to check out all the options.  For the thin crust we went with just cheese and it was unmemorable.  Our toddlers loved it, but we couldn't find any reason to order it again.  It was certainly edible and not bad tasting, it just wasn't a life changer at $8 for a 12" cheese pizza.  Next on the list was the deep dish meat lover.  The small consists of 4 slices and will cost you about $16.  Keep in mind that any normal human would be stuffed after 2 slices.  The meat lover was loaded with protein, and exactly what I was hoping for.  At about $4 a slice, it was worth every penny. The crust and sauce were classic, and the flavors took me back 20 years to my youth.  Finally the stuffed pizza.  This one was hands down the best of the three.  I don't know if it is the nostalgia for me, but there is a pizza sliced hole in my heart and it can only be filled with a spinach stuffed pizza.  Sure, I love ALL pizza.  But for me if I was left on a deserted island and could eat only one type of pizza - this would be it.  

Deep Dish: Meat Lovers

Was Chicago Street Pizza's stuffed pizza the best I've ever had?  No.  But it was damn good, and I savored every bite.  If I hadn't put down 2 tasty meat lover slices first, I might have finished this one myself.  The spinach was fresh, and the crust, sauce, and cheese were once again quintessential Chicagoland.

The Final Report: 7.5 out of 10

Stuffed: Spinach

Chicago Street pizza hit a home run with the stuffed and deep dish, while the thin crust was disappointing.  I can't wait to compare other deep dish locations around the DFW area, but we'll need to hold off a couple weeks to recuperate from this feast.


**One final note - when you order stuffed Chicago pizza, expect leftovers... and expect those leftovers to be Delicious!

Week 10: Il Cane Rosso

From what we had heard, Il Cane Rosso started as a wood fire stove hitched to the back of a truck.  Apparently the pizza was so delicious that local foodies would follow the mobile pizza oven around Dallas.  Owner, Jay Jerrier, recently settled down after his two year search for the perfect location at 2612 Commerce Street.  We decided that it was time to see what all the fuss was about, it turned out we weren't the only ones.

Burrata

After a late start on the evening, so by the time we arrived downtown, it was almost 8:30.  While the line wasn't out the door, the place was packed to the gills, and the host informed us the wait would be an hour and a half.  We were fully committed to our pizza escapade, and added our name to the waiting list.  Fortunately we were able to squeeze over to the bar area order some focaccia bread and drinks, to wait it out.  The pizza gods were watching over us this evening, because after only 5 minutes, the host was able to sneak us into 2 seats at the pizza bar.

Focaccia

Our friendly waitress appeared almost immediately from the sea of patrons, and provided us with a wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of the menu.  At about the same time our focaccia hit the table, still steaming and sprinkled with sea salt and rosemary, our mouths were beginning to water. Due to the recent tomato shortage we opted for the Burrata salad, as opposed to the Caprese salad.  Not quite what we had expected, but tasty none the less.  On our next visit we will probably skip the Burrata and go straight for the pizza.  Speaking of pizza, the menu covers all bases with over 20  unique combinations, our decision was tough only picking 2.  Our waitress, Amy steered us in the right direction by suggesting the Luana, which includes mushrooms, sausage, and soppresata.  Not being a meat lover my wife selected the Vegetale, which was covered in seasonal vegetables.  I really don't think you could go wrong with any of the choices, every pizza that Jay pulled from the oven looked scrumptious.

Luana Pizza

The pizza definitely has an authentic Neapolitan flavor.  The crust is light and chewy, and the vegetable toppings tasted like they were picked from a garden behind the restaurant.  Most notably the meat toppings were especially memorable, and unlike anything we have experienced yet.  Overall, both pizzas were some of the best we have tasted in 2011.  Il Cane Rosso is definitely a new hot spot in Deep Ellum.  I'm certain that this pizza haven will be collecting the local awards for many years to come!

Vegetale Pizza

The Final Report: 8.5 out of 10

Don't miss out on an opportunity to enjoy this fantastic pizza, just plan on waiting once you get there.

Week 9: Crooked Crust

This week Denton, TX was in our crosshairs and we headed north on 35 to see what the University of North Texas students were being served this semester.  Our original  plan was to check out Hot Box Pizza, a franchise from the Midwest we had recently read about. We drove to 214 E Hickory and couldn't find it, and after making a quick phone call realized the name had changed to Gio's Pizza & Pasta.  Taking the name change as a bad omen, we opted out and started hunting for an alternative.  Which leads me to the moral of this weeks pizza story: Don't judge a pizza restaurant by it's name.  After a spin on Urban Spoon, we were intrigued by the name Crooked Crust, and thought it "sounded" tasty. 

No Thanks...

Location, location, location. Right on the corner of Avenue A and W Hickory sits what appeared to be a golden find in the heart of Denton's Frye Street district.  Feeling young and hip I marched in with the family of four ready for a relaxing evening meal with the local university scholars.  I felt like John Belushi in Animal House when we stepped in the front door. It seemed like everyone stopped what they were doing and thought, "What the hell are you guys doing here?"


There is little to say about the pizza offered at Crooked Crust.  It's a great deal for a broke college student after a night out drinking, but that's as good as it gets.  We ordered half Pepperoni and half Buffalo Chicken.  We couldn't decide who made a better pepperoni pizza, DiGiorno or Red Barron? Seriously, this place made Domino's Pizza taste like Grimaldi's.  From the pre-made crusts to the 6 pepperoni slices the pepperoni half couldn't have gotten much worse.  The Buffalo Chicken half was so hot that we couldn't even tell if there was in fact chicken on it.  The one positive feedback was that our three year old enjoyed it, and the college kids were lined up.

1/2 Buffalo Chicken & 1/2 Pepperoni

Alright.  When I put it into context, Crooked Crust would have been gourmet back when I was in college.  Any place open after 2AM was sacred and earned more of my business than I can remember.  So, if you are looking for a place to take the family on a Friday night, I would suggest you stay away or bring your own high-chair.  But if you plan on having a six pack of Shiner Bock on the roof of the Sigma Chi House... This is your place!

The Final Report: 4.0 out of 10 (Good for a GPA, bad for a Pizza)



I almost forgot to mention... If you ever find yourself at Crooked Crust, get 2 orders of their breadsticks and skip the pizza. 

Crooked Crust: Breadsticks