Week 29: Carmine's Pizzeria

This week’s pizza adventure was a solo mission to check out Carmine’s Pizzeria.  The family was left behind in California on their summer vacation while I was left responsible for carrying the pizza torch over the next two weeks.  

Carmine’s Pizzeria in Lewisville is one of multiple locations in the Dallas area, and  according to their menu voted “Best Pizza in Dallas” by D Magazine.  After shuffling through our pizza coupon drawer, I grabbed the 14” for $10.99 coupon we got in the mail and headed out.  The location is in a strip center along FM 1171 cleverly marked by a “Carmine’s Pizzeria” van outside in the parking lot.  The restaurant is BYOB with enough tables and chairs to seat about 30 people, while they also offer delivery to the surrounding cities.  There was enough room inside if you wanted to bring the entire family along!

The Monday night business was pretty slow and I was able to place my order at the counter right away.  The kid taking orders was helpful and even allowed me to chose 2 toppings for my 1 topping coupon!  I was told the pizza would be out in approximately 10 minutes, so I grabbed a seat and cracked open my cold beverage that I brought from home.  As promised my 14” pizza arrived hot out of the oven in just about 10 minutes, at which point I began to analyze the goods...

The pizza was roughly the size of a Domino’s Pizza large, and about twice the price.  Rated “Best Pizza in Dallas,” I was optimistic that taste would exceed the value.  At first sight the pizza appeared greasy on top, enough to require a small amount of paper towel “dabbing.”  After the small pools of grease were eliminated from my slice, I started in on the Pepperoni half.  It was tasty but not excellent.  The temperature right out of the oven was too hot to really enjoy the flavor.  The sauce had a slight sweetness to it which I enjoyed.  Overall the Pepperoni slice was above average, but not by much.  The Italian Sausage half yielded similar results and rated slightly higher than the Pepperoni.  By this point I wasn’t overwhelmed by Carmine’s pizza efforts.  The one part of the pizza that was memorable, and possibly worth a return visit was the crust.  It had a unique texture to it, and almost had a “flaking” quality to it (Think Pillsbury Crescent Roll Dough).  Next time I will be a little more adventurous with the toppings and possibly try one of their 10 “Designer Pizzas” listed on the menu. 

The Final Report: 6.0 out of 10

If you are looking for a step above the standard franchise carry-out, check out Carmine’s Pizzeria.  The $10.99 price tag was a little steep for a basic one-topping pizza, but for a couple extra bucks the “Designer Pizzas” looked promising.  I wouldn’t call it “Best Pizza in Dallas,” but its worth a try if your tired of the same old delivery pizza you’ve been suffering with for years.

  

Week 28: Urban Crust

After countless recommendations and requests we decided to see if the hype surrounding Plano's Urban Crust was true.  We have been waiting for the perfect week, and with a birthday dinner in store it seemed like a great way to celebrate.  The babysitter arrived and we were off to the other side of DFW.  After just over 30 minutes in the car we pulled into old-town Plano and were lucky to score a parking spot right outside on 15th Street.  A word to the wise... Saturday night at Urban Crust is a mad house; and we signed in for a 1.5 hour wait!

Urban Crust is a relatively small restaurant but offers 3 levels of dining, including a full bar on the top level called 32 degree bar.  We could have eaten outside, or at said bar, but decided to wait it out and take in the full experience. Starting from the top floor, the bar scene gave you the feeling that you were in a trendy Dallas bar with overdressed patrons taking shots of Jaegermeister and Grey Goose. The bar was full, and the outside roof patio had a few brave souls willing to tackle the 100+ degree weather.  I grabbed a beer while the birthday girl saved 2 seats along the staircase on the second level.  We were offered the full menu, but started our eating adventure with an Urban Chop Salad covered with cranberries, walnuts, and feta cheese.  Our server kindly split the salad on two plates and we were able to curb our appetites for a little while longer.  The well dressed and "accessorized" suburbanites continued to pile in the front door and file upstairs to the bar.  Our server was very attentive and friendly and made our wait feel less excruciating. 

Yes, this place had a trendy atmosphere and vibe, but we were here to see how Urban Crust's pizza measured up to some of the best in DFW.  Well, measure up it did, but it didn't completely blow us away... We had PLENTY of time to review the menu, and decided to try the month's special, Roma Salata, which included local Roma tomatoes, pesto basil, mozzarella, topped with arugula salad and pine nuts drizzled with chili oil.  We also chose the Black and Bleu which was served with basil pesto, sirloin, baby portobellos, caramelized onions and bleu cheese.  Both pies cost right around $12.  The do-it-yourself toppings list was very thorough, and there were several other pre-made specialty options to choose from.  Considering our wait was almost exactly an hour and a half, the pizza was on our table in less than 5 minutes.  The pizzas looked beautiful served on a wooden block branded with the restaurant name.  The monthly pizza special was a work of art, mixing the perfect combo of cheesy pizza and fresh greens with a surprising kick.  The Black and Bleu marked the first steak coved pizza of the year.  The combination of bleu cheese, mushrooms and steak was fantastic and in a league of it's own.  My biggest disappointment of the visit was the crust.  Not sure if the cook was taking a nap while our pizza was in the oven, but the underside of the crust was black!  While still edible, we were disappointed that the wood fired oven charred our pizza.  The crust itself was tasty, however wasn't memorable compared to some others we've had this year.  

The Final Report: 7.5 out of 10

Overall the pizzas were above average and worth the one hour round trip drive.  Urban Crust was an experience unlike any we've had this year.  We were definitely glad that we left the kids at home this time; it is definitely not a family restaurant.  It was a fun date night spot we would recommend if you want to get dressed up, sip on a cocktail, and be seen out on the town... 

Week 27: UNO Dué Go!

This week flew by too fast and with a busy travel schedule for the next several weeks, we had to get creative with our pizza adventure.  While on my way to Virginia for a business trip I had some extra time in the C Terminal at DFW Airport.  While I love Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza, I am sensitive to impostors trying to recreate the original.  Back in 1943 the self proclaimed inventor of the Deep Dish pizza, Pizzeria UNO made it's mark.  Skeptical that the C33 "grab and go" personal pizza could live up to the historic tradition, I had to make a quick stop to check it out!

What turned out to be my most expensive pizza of the year at $526.89, the "Número UNO" was no bargain. Now if you subtract out the price it took to get through the airpot security, this 6 slice mini pizza ran $8.99.  It was absolutely no surprise that these tiny little replicas emerged from a freezer and were tossed into the oven for a couple minutes to warm up.  While I had high hopes that a chef would actually knead the deep dish dough before my eyes, I wasn't that lucky.  After I picked out my diet soda from the cooler, it was about a 5 minute wait until my mini to-go box was handed to me.  I picked up my utensils and some ground peppers and parmesan cheese packets, and headed to my gate.

UNO Dué Go had 4 options to choose from: Cheese/Tomatoes, Pepperoni, Número UNO, and a Daily Special (which happened to be a veggie).  The Número UNO included pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, onions, and their famous chunky tomato sauce.  The pizza was pretty tiny, and each "slice" was about 3 bites.  That being said, it was definitely enough to fill me up before a 3 hour flight.  Straight out of the oven/microwave the cheese was scorching hot!  The toppings were sliding all over the 8" square pizza box.  Obviously the atmosphere in Terminal C wasn't enjoyable (FYI: Terminal D UNO's has a full bar), but all that aside the taste of the reheated thick crust put a smile on my face.  With so many pizza places these days offering "Deep Dish," it was refreshing to taste the original recipe that put Chicago Pizza on the map.

At this point instead of flying to Richmond, I was tempted to pay the $150 flight change fee and head straight to Ohio Street and Wabash to get the REAL thing.  Sure it wasn't a spectacular presentation of pizza history, however all of the flavors were delicious, and the crust was genuine.  Considering the alternatives in the airport terminal, next time you are stuck at DFW Airport, pick up an UNO's Deep Dish pizza and treat yourself (It sure beats a Cinnabon).  


The Final Report: 5.5 out of 10

We're looking forward to getting back into our regular weekly pizza rotation next week.  Friday night looks like it's gonna be a good one!

Week 26: Dough Bro's

Alright, we’re back.  Sorry for the long delay this week, but we just returned from a long weekend in Florida.  However... we did not take a break from eating pizza.  This week we stopped in for lunch at Dough Bro’s Italian Kitchen in Dallas (www.doughbro.com).  The place was absolutely empty on a Sunday afternoon, which was fine with us.  The empty dining area gave us plenty of time to review the simple, yet very customizable menu.  First things first.  This place is a LUNCH spot, and not a traditional pizza experience.  Located in a strip mall off Keller Springs and the Dallas Tollway, you would probably drive right by if you weren’t looking for it.

The idea is very much like “Chipotle” for pizza lovers.  You select a size and you pick out your own toppings that are laid out in front of you behind a short glass divider.  There are 3 sizes: Kids, Small 12” and Large 16”.  After you select your toppings, the pizza is placed in the oven and brought to your table in about 5-10 minutes.  The lunch price can’t be beat...  For only $5 pizza lovers get a fountain drink and a Kids size pizza.   Keep in mind you can load up the pizza with up to 3 different Sauces, 2 Veggies, 2 Cheeses, and 1 Meat.  That being said, we had no problem requesting additional toppings for no charge.  Sure the pizza was small, but great for a lunchtime alternative to a sandwich and fries.  The 12” pizza only ran $7.25 with the same number of toppings.  Dough Bro’s did have a half dozen different specialty selections available.  We picked a 12” “Old World” that included Ham, Spicy Rustic Sauce, Fresh Spinach, Roma Tomatoes, Mozzarella, and Parmesan.  Finally our 4 year old really enjoyed picking out her own toppings and loved watching the pizza guy fix up her own specialty pie!

The possibilities were endless and we selected a wide variety of options.  The pizzas were on our table after a very shot wait, and we started to dig in.  First impression was that the sauce was extremely spicy.  We weren’t sure if the pizza guy picked the wrong sauce, but needless to say the kiddos could barely eat theirs.  For the the adults at the table, the pizzas were very tasty and gave us a “homemade” feeling.  The crust was light and crispy.  The sauce, although spicy, tasted like a higher end tomato sauce.  All the toppings were fresh, and it was a unique approach to build-your-own pizza.  For the $5 price you can’t get a better lunch special with this type of quality.

The highlight of the visit was without a doubt the dessert pizza.  For $6 the Dough Bro’s have struck gold.  The 12” pizza dough is rolled out and covered with chocolate chip cookie dough, and drizzled with chocolate sauce.  This was by far our favorite dessert pie of the year.  Don’t miss the opportunity to treat yourself to a Cookie Pizza if you want to taste a little slice of heaven.

The Final Report: 6.0 out of 10

Overall we enjoyed our visit to Dough Bro’s Italian Kitchen.  At the end of the day the pizza tasted like something we would make in our own kitchen.  You can’t beat the $5 lunch special and the Cookie Pizza, but it certainly wasn’t the best pizza in DFW.  With 26 weeks completed we’re halfway through our 2011 adventure...  We have enjoyed many delicious pizzas this year and are really looking forward to the next 26 weeks!