Week 14: Fireside Pies

After several recommendations to go to Fireside Pies, we could wait no longer.  This week we were off to their location in Grapevine.  There are 4 restaurants in the DFW area (#5 opens in Ft. Worth in October 2011) and we have been to 3 of the locations over the years.  We prefer the Grapevine location because it is the closest to our house, and doesn’t typically have a BIG “Dallas” crowd.  Consistency, Consistency, Consistency.  We have probably been at least 10 times, and each visit you can expect the same results.  Certainly, there are nightly specials posted on the chalkboard, but in general the ambiance, service, and food remains the same... Thats why you will either love or hate Fireside Pies, and with the 2010 “Best of D Magazine” award, most folks seem to really like it!

Fist and foremost the restaurant is beautiful inside, the decor and layout of the place is the best we’ve seen this year.  Definitely a great “date spot,” but also appropriate to bring the kids along and not worry about a little noise.  The service is always friendly and helpful as they navigate first timers through the unique choices of pizza.  You won’t find the standards here, but I am sure you could create your own if you just wanted to pick your toppings.  However, that is what make Fireside Pies so great, is the incredible selection of one of a kind pies!  Unlike the traditional pizza joint, this place has fantastic appetizers, salads, and drinks.  You will never find my wife at Fireside Pies without a glass (or Pitcher) of their sangria.  My complaint with the pitcher of ice, I mean sangria, is that they fill the glass vessel to the TOP with ice.  For $32 a pitcher you will be lucky to get 4 glasses, before the ice melts.  Also, a family favorite is the Fireside Cheese salad.  With enough to share, this salad is a staple you won’t find my wife without when she shows up.

On to the pizza.  The menu includes their standard 12 pizzas, and typically they will have a “special” posted up on the board.  Like I mentioned before, there is nothing standard about the 12 listed on the menu.  This time we picked 3.  We got the “Straight Pie” which is just the four cheese blend, for the kids.  Second was the “Peta Pie” that includes goat cheese, balsamic mustard portobellas, arugula, roasted red peppers, roasted pine nuts, and charred Tomato Vinaigrette.  As you can see, they throw in everything but the kitchen sink.  For the final pie, I was going to select one called “Hot n’ Crumbled,” but instead was talked into the evening special.  It was called “Chicken Sausage Pie,” and it took the server about 2 minutes to describe all that it entailed.  Simply stated - it was delicious.  The pizzas all come in one size (about 12”) and they average about $13 a pie.  Considering the quality of ingredients and the final result, it is a fair price to pay.  The “Straight Pie” was one of the better cheese pizzas that we have had, but the flavor or the Fire Roasted Pie Sauce did not appeal to the kids.  The Peta Pie offers a fantastic blend of flavors and routinely ranks as one of our favorites.  We really enjoyed the evening special, but with all of the off-beat combinations a basic sausage pizza would have been a nice change of pace.  

Chicken Sausage Special

Straight Pie

Peta Pie

The Final Report: 7.5 out of 10

If you are looking for a change of pace from your standard pizza night out, you have to try Fireside Pies.  If your style of pizza is a big juicy slice of NY pizza that droops off the side of a paper plate, this is not your place.  Offering an extensive drink and appetizer selection on top of a creative list of pizzas - D Magazine wasn’t far off by naming Fireside Pies one of Dallas’ Best!

  

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!