Week 33: Straw Hat Pizza

“Genuine California Pizza”...  That was the tagline on the pizza coupon we received in the mail this week for a new restaurant that opened in our area.  Having never heard of this style of pizza before and being the pizza “aficionados” that we are, it seemed like a logical place to check out this week.  It turned out to be date night with my daughters and we were off to Straw Hat Pizza.  

My mother once told me if you can’t think of anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.  In order to avoid the shortest pizza review of the year, I’ll attempt to provide as much detail as possible.

Straw Hat Pizza was awful.  Even my 4 and 2 year old wouldn’t eat it.  The entire experience was terrible.  Except for week 9 at Crooked Crust in Denton, Straw Hat Pizza takes the prize for the worst pizza this year.  While I wasn’t expecting award winning pizza going into the evening, nowhere in my mind did I fathom that it could be that bad.  The pizza at Straw Hat makes Ci-Ci’s and Domino’s taste like five star dining.  

The dining area appeared to be well kept, and each table booth had a flat screen TV installed (although there was no way to change it from Hurricane Irene coverage).  There was a game room in the far back corner fully equipped with 3 video games circa 1992.  The restaurant did offer a full bar, but there wasn’t enough beer on tap to make Straw Hat’s pizza taste good.  The pizzas were priced a little on the high side: 12” One-Topping for $13.  The menu did offer 13 different “Master Pizzas” which increase the price by roughly $4.  The crust comes in 3 styles: California, Pan Pizza, and Gluten Free.  I did not specify a crust selection during the order, but I believe we were given California crust.  The crust tasted and looked like your basic grocery store frozen pizza crust (Not “self-rising”). Their website defined the crust this way; “California crust is special, it’s a layered, flaky crust. It’s airy and crispy on the bottom, yet bubbling on top. It has a cracker-like crunch, and is never soggy or limp.”  It sounds to me like the marketing department needs a raise, and it is obvious they haven’t actually tried the crust themselves.  The six California cheese blend was slightly burnt throughout, while the “secret recipe” sauce is a secret I don’t want to find out.  

The Final Report: 4.0 out of 10

Long story short...  You have been warned.  There are countless things that I love about California, but the “Genuine Pizza” served up by Straw hat did not make the list.

Week 32: NEO Pizzeria

We found ourselves at one of the “51 great pizza parlors” in the US this week on our pizza adventure.  At least that’s what the USA Today article that was posted at every table at NEO Pizzeria (www.neopizzeria.com) in Victory Park said.  It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Dallas and we anticipated great things from the new location that opened in June by Olivella’s founder/owner Charlie Green.  In case you aren’t familiar with Olivella’s (www.olivellas.com), it is a highly acclaimed Naples style, brick oven style pizzeria in University Park.  It is on our list of places to visit before the end of the year.  However, this week we enjoyed the ample free parking outside NEO and headed inside to see what all the fuss was about.

Sunday afternoon is a fantastic time to visit a restaurant if you are looking for immediate seating and undivided attention from the employees.  NEO is a beautiful restaurant that blends together casual dining with the feeling of a high-end experience.  The decor was very simple yet the attention to detail was obvious.  The open cement pillars and exposed ceiling gave the restaurant a urban touch yet it was still classy enough for a good date night .  Overall our first impression was a positive one and we began surveying the menu.

The waitress provided a high level overview of the house favorites as well as an explanation of the pizza sizes.  We found ourselves in the typical situation where there were too many items that looked good, and had to make a decision.  To start we chose the Olivella Salad, a blend of mixed greens topped with slices of pear, gorgonzola crumbles, and walnuts.  For $8 it was a work of art and was immediately devoured by the family.  The Specialty Pizza options were intriguing and it was tough choosing when it looked like there were no real wrong decisions.  NEO serves 2 sizes of pizza out of the Brick Oven: Regular (Average price $16)and Metro (Average price $19). Unlike a typical size difference in inches, the pizza itself resulted in a different thickness of crust.  We ordered one of each and both were delicious in their own right.  For the little ones we picked the regular size “Kid’s Pizza” which used the standard processed cheese instead of the house-made mozzarella.  We also ordered the Metro size with half “White Truffle” (House-made mozzarella, mushroom, sun-dried tomatoes, and truffle oil) and half “The Dream” (Sauce, house-made mozzarella, gorgonzola, pancetta, chicken, and jalapeño).  Let the wait begin.

Since we were one of only 3 tables occupied, our pizza appeared promptly.  At first look we didn’t see any sun-dried tomatoes on the Metro side.  Assuming our order was correct I started in on the beautiful oval shaped thin crust masterpiece.  The partial vegetarian at the table quickly identified the “speck” on the pizza and called over the waitress to verify the accuracy of our pizza.  It turned out the pizza was actually the Black Truffle (House-made mozzarella, speck, mushrooms, truffle oil, and black pepper) and the mix up was immediately fixed.  FYI, apparently speck is a type of prosciutto... we had to ask.  To the credit of NEO and their commitment to great service, a brand new pizza was brought out to the table and they even packaged the old pizza in a to-go box for us to keep (no charge).  Looking back, the Black Truffle was probably my favorite and I was thankful for the leftovers on Monday.  Back to the actual pizza that we ordered...  The girls loved the kid’s pizza and it was probably one of the best plain cheese pizzas this year!  The crust was thin towards the middle with an appropriate raised edge that was chewy and very slightly brown.  The cheese was not as good as the house-made mozzarella, but perfect for the young girls at the table.  NEO’s Metro size was a completely different style and was just as good, if not better.  The jalapeños provided the proper amount of heat and mixed well with the pancetta and chicken. “The Dream” lived up to its name and didn’t last long.  The “White Truffle” half of the pizza was no slouch either.  Arguable one of my wife’s favorites of the year, the use of truffle oil and sun-dried tomatoes really provided a unique, one-of-a-kind pizza.  

The Final Report: 9 out of 10

Other than the slight White Truffle/Black Truffle switcharoo, NEO Pizza in Victory Park exceeded our expectations on every level.  It offered one of the finer Specialty Pizza selections we’ve seen this year and had the perfect atmosphere for a night out on the town. Next time you’re headed to American Airlines Center for a game, or to House of Blues for some music, definitely swing by NEO to enjoy a pizza and the $2 Happy Hour!

Week 31: Louie's

How is it that I have lived in Dallas for over 7 years and I have never heard about Louie’s in East Dallas?  This year we have been searching for the best pizza in the DFW area and I can’t believe that it has taken us 31 weeks to find this place.  Maybe it’s because you could drive by this “hole in the wall” restaurant a thousand times before you would even consider stopping to see what was behind the front doors.  With the wife and girls wrapping up their summer vacation on the west coast, I figured it would be an appropriate week to be adventurous. I’m certainly glad I was...

I have heard people saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” ever since I was little, and those words were never more true as I pulled up to 1839 N Henderson on Saturday night.  With a slight hesitation I opened the front door to Louie’s and was greeted by a standing room only crowd that can only be defined as organized chaos.  The young lady sitting in a chair holding a spiral notebook in what appeared to be her high school homework assignment, took my name down and casually mentioned the wait was 30-40 minutes.  By this time I was fully committed to eating pizza at Louie’s and wandered through the crowd in search for a spot at the bar.  Preparing for a long wait time I ordered up a cold can of suds from the man behind the bar.  For the first time in memory I wasn’t immediately asked if I wanted to start a tab or requested payment.  What turned out to be Louie himself, asked if I had my name on the waiting list and said he’d take care of it.  While people watching and soaking in some of the eclectic decor, I had barely enjoyed a few sips of my beverage when the hostess appeared to let me know my table was ready!  Off to a good start...

Louie’s menu is packed full of dinner selections, but as you looked around it became clear that the people were here for one thing and one thing only... the thin crust pizza.  Pricing is pretty straight forward: Small 12” ($10) and Large 14” ($12).  The list of toppings was about 20 items long and encompassed all of the pizza lover’s staples.  While I gave a brief consideration to starting off with a salad, I wasted no time with the pizza order: a large pepperoni, sausage, and garlic pizza.  The wait time felt pretty standard for a Saturday night and before I knew it our Texas Ranger t-shirt wearing waitress emerged with the pizza in hand.  The menu stated “The best around” and I would have a hard time saying anything negative about this masterpiece.  The sauce had a slightly sweet taste to it and was appropriate for the pizza size and amount of toppings.  The not-to-thin crust was cooked to perfection and cut in a standard chicago “box cut.”  The sausage was REAL sausage not like the typical pre-cooked crumble sausage the get sprinkled on.  The garlic addition was perfect complement to the fresh meat flavors and Wisconsin cheese..  This pizza was so good that for the first time this year I actually placed a second pizza order during the same sitting.  Keep in mind that I was accompanied by a fellow pizza enthusiast, and did not devour 2 large pizzas alone.  For the second round of pizza I let the waitress select the toppings and she suggested sautéed onions, jalapeños, and sausage.  Once again the short wait wasn’t enough to catch a full inning of baseball on the TV, and the second pizza was on the table.  I’ll admit it would be almost impossible to beat the topping combination from pizza number one, but the second was an entirely different experience.  The basics of the pie were consistent, but the distinct onion and jalapeño flavor slightly overpowered the delicious sausage.  I really don’t think you could make a wrong decision when placing a pizza order, maybe just not ordering enough?       

The Final Report: 8.0 out of 10

After 31 weeks of research it is becoming more and more difficult to say which pizzas are better.  I think we have definitely had some that would be classified as great, and certainly pizza that was downright awful.  Louie’s pizza would absolutely fall into the great pizza category.  Was it better than Eno’s, Grimaldi’s or Il Cane Rosso?  Thats hard to say.  It boils down to what kind of overall experience you want.  Louie’s is a place that you could hang out with buddies and watch some sports, but also a place you could enjoy a casual date night out.  One thing is for certain, this won’t be the last time I walk in the the front door at Louie’s...

One last thing...  When you head to Louie’s don’t forget to bring cash or your American Express.  Don’t even think about paying with a Visa or Mastercard.

Week 30: Buffalo Bros

I have been looking forward to checking out Buffalo Bros Pizza Wings & Subs in Ft. Worth for almost 3 years.  This week I just so happened to be down by the TCU Campus and decided to stop in.  In case you’ve never heard about Buffalo Bros, basically it’s a college bar that offers delicious food with a Buffalo, NY style.  For over 25 years I have been enjoying the home cooked delicacies from the Wing Capital of the world.  When you walk into the restaurant you can’t help but notice the non-traditional combination of TCU Horned Frog and Buffalo, NY memorabilia.  Having a family tree with roots in Buffalo, NY….  I felt at home.

Over the past several years I have heard that Buffalo Bros attempt to replicate specific flavors from the original restaurants in NY.  The wings are made to taste like Anchor Bar, the Hot Dogs like Ted’s, the Subs like John and Mary’s, and the pizza like Bocee Club.  If none of these restaurants ring a bell in your mind, you probably aren’t alone.  However you are missing out on some of the best food I know.  I’ll save time and get right to the pizza, but let it be known the non-pizza food here is great!

Have you ever taken a bite of something and you are immediately taken back to a specific place or time from your past?  Friday night I was whisked away to Bailey Ave. in Buffalo.  The “Deck Oven Pizza” is offered in 2 sizes (13” and 18”) and almost a dozen specialty choices.  For a variety of reasons, mainly my order of hot wings, I stuck with a basic small cheese pizza ($12) for enjoyment.  The small could easily feed 2 people, so I brought home a couple slices for a late night snack.  To say this pizza was delicious would be an understatement.  Sure it’s a “bar style” pizza that doesn’t include exotic toppings, but it was damn good.  The crust was cooked to perfection and the sauce tasted like it was flown in just for my order.  I couldn’t tell you exactly what flavors or ingredients they used, but for a half hour I was in a state of upstate NY bliss. It didn’t hurt that I was also enjoying an order of 6 wings while slowly sipping on a frozen loganberry schooner!

The Final Report: 7.5 out of 10

The combinations of specialty pizzas sounded delicious and could keep me coming back time and time again.  If it wasn’t for the 45 minute drive, Buffalo Bros would be my go to pizza.  Yes, I have had better gourmet pizzas this year… That being said if I was looking to order a basic pie for the whole family I would invest in Buffalo Bros every time!  Thanks for the trip down memory lane, and it wont be my last time to 3015 University Ave.