Week 43: Dough Pizzeria

After 42 weeks of searching the Dallas Metroplex for the best pizza, I believe we found it.  Sure it was way back during Week 4 when Grimaldi's in Allen knocked our socks off, but Dough Pizzeria in North Dallas might have taken the top spot.  After suffering through a few weeks of average pizza, nothing could have prepared us for what was in store at Dough.  There have been several places this year that have been memorable and down right delicious, however we will certainly be returning often to enjoy this Napoletana pizza heaven. 

The restaurant is beautiful and comfortable inside with a modern decor that felt like you were sitting in a Crate and Barrel catalogue.  From the outside the location was hidden in a strip center away from the main street (Preston).  We beat the rush on Friday night and fortunately had no wait before being seated in the front by the window.  Our waiter didn't miss a beat and made us feel like we were his only table for the night.  As I fumbled through the mostly Italian wine list the waiter suggested a few to try before we committed to a final choice (Score one point for the free wine samples.)  We decided to split the Tuscan Salad which was very good, however my memory of the salad was erased after I sunk my teeth into the pizza...


The pizza order was tricky.  We really wanted to try every option, including the evening special, but since this place is "certified" by the Italian pizza aficionados (See Week 3: Cavalli Pizza), we had to get the Margherita "STG."**  For our second pie, there was no doubt in my mind. Although my lovely wife won't touch bacon or any pig product for that matter, I had to put my foot down and order "Pork Love."  When reviewing a pizza I try to come up with things that I didn't like about the pizza and in the case of "Pork Love" my list was empty.  First of all, the crust was hands down the best of 2011. The chewiness of the dough combined with the light charring from the wood fire oven was perfect.  Next, the house made Fior di Latte cheese was flawless. Finally with a name like "Pork Love" you better believe that the 4 different types of pork (Salami, Sausage, Pancetta, and Speck) covered every inch of the pizza.  Needless to say I didn't share my pizza and there were no leftovers for the morning.  Oh yeah, the Margherita wasn't too shabby either and probably our favorite of the year.  We opted for no dessert or coffee so we could savor the pizza experience for as long as possible, although the "Dolcé" menu did look tasty.


The Final Report: 9.5 out of 10

After a long discussion on the ride home we concluded that Dough was very close to perfection.  The only criticisms we had were that the pizzas were definitely the most expensive of the year, but still worth every penny and that we live 20 miles away.  After an experience like we enjoyed at Dough, next week's location certainly has some big shoes to fill!


**After further research, only the Dough Pizzeria location in San Antonio was officially certified by the VPN.  This however, does not take away from the great pizza served at the Dallas location.