Week 39: Domino's Pizza

So this week we cheated.  At least we feel like we did.  Sitting on the couch, watching football, slowly growing more and more hungry, the same commercial kept popping up.  Domino’s is REALLY trying to sell their new “Artisan” pizza!  We had a busy week and we thought - why not?  Let’s see what they consider “artisan.”

We hopped on the Domino’s website, entered our online coupon code and ordered the Italian Sausage & Pepper Trio and the Spinach & Feta, plus one small plain cheese for the girls.  As the website showed us the progress of our pizza being cooked, we jumped in the car to pick it up, only 5 minutes from our house.

The Artisan pizzas were pretty cheap - $7.99 for each, although they really got us with the plain small for $8.99 (really!?!)  They were fast, and their website ordering is actually really fun... but guess what... Domino’s Artisan pizza is still Domino’s, just in a new shape.  The crust is the same, the toppings might be in a different combination, but they are the same too.  It is a step above DiGiorno, but not by much.  Don’t be sold by the creative looking chef in the commercial; it is still delivery, it is still Domino’s, and although your kids might love it (ours did) you definitely don’t get any of the originality, flavor, or freshness of a truly good pizza.

Disappointed?... a little.  Surprised?... not really.

The Final Report: 5.0 out of 10

If you must order from Domino’s - skip the Artisan pizzas and stick with their thin crust, it’s actually fairly decent.  

Week 38: Celio's Chicago Style Pizza

All year, one of our goals has been to find real authentic Chicago style pizza.  We continued our search this week after Google informed us there was a Chicago pizza place called Celio's in Keller (www.celioschicagopizza.com).  We have been to a few impostors and a couple that really hit the Chicago mark.  Like any style, we have found many variations - so we thought this week we would measure Celio's and catch some Rangers baseball while we're at it...

First of all, the location is not very easy to find.  Tucked back away from Keller Parkway behind the Lions Club, we passed right by and had to make a u-turn.  The bar area looked packed with baseball fans and we were greeted by what appeared to be the owners sitting outside enjoying the cool fall evening.  We headed over to the dining area  away from the bar where we had the entire place to ourselves.  The walls were decorated with Chicagoland maps where patrons had placed a sticker to show where they were from.  A little "hole-in-the-wallish," this place definitely had a Chicago feel  almost 1000 miles from the Windy City.

We came for one reason and one reason only: to try the deep dish pizza.  The owner stopped by to introduce herself and explain that the pizza was a mix between Giordano's and Lou Malnoti's (if that doesn't mean anything to you, Google it).  So with our hopes and expectations sky high we placed our order and began our wait.  True Chicago Pizza will take quite a bit longer than your standard cook time, but we came prepared to wait.  After about 30 minutes and a tasty $3 draft, our pizza was hot and on the table.  Our first impression was slight disappointment.  Chicago Pizza should be covered with a beautiful red sauce with a crust handle peaking high above the toppings.  Celio's had tomatoes sprinkled on towards the middle, but was far from a red sauce covered pie.  One half of the pizza was covered with veggies and the other half was a meat lover (Large Deluxe Pizza cost $18) .  The taste of the pizza was good but nowhere near the Giordano's/Lou Malnoti's mentioned during our order.  The crust was average and was thick on one side and much thinner on the other.  Another true test was that we almost finished the entire pie, which is near impossible with authentic Chicago Style pizza.

The Final Report: 6.0 out of 10


The staff at Celio's was very accommodating and filled with Chicago pride.  They certainly earned extra credit for keeping the Chicago Style theme alive in DFW.  The menu also included Chicago Hot Dogs and Italian Beef sandwiches.  Our guess is that Celio's gets packed when the Bears/Cubs/Blackhawks/Bulls are playing.  The hunt for delicious Chicago Pizza in Dallas/Ft. Worth will continue, Celio's didn't quite measure up to Chicago's Street Pizza (Week 11) or Chicago's Pizza Cafe (Week 24) but was WAY better than Chicago's Gourmet Pizza (Week 20).    

Week 37: Maurizio's

If you are looking for delicious pizza in the city of Coppell you can drive right past Maurizio’s on the corner of Denton Tap Road and Sandy Lake.  There aren't many "non-franchise" choices in the area, but we thought we'd experiment this week by trying it out.  Simply put, there was nothing that stood out as memorable.  It was Homecoming night for Coppell HighSchool and a few tables were taken, but other than that, the place was dead for a Saturday night.  The menu had several Italian staples which we steered away from, but there were a handful of pizzas listed on the centerfold.

Our waiter took our order, and we kept it simple by ordering a Margherita pizza, a “Verdure” pizza, and Bruschetta to start.  The appetizer was four slices of bread covered with tomatoes and some seasonings.  While it wasn't bad, the effort was pretty weak and something that could easily have been prepared by our 4 year old. After a short wait our $10 pizzas emerged from the kitchen.  Unlike Campania last week, the amount of "fresh" basil on this week's pizza was 6 small flecks evenly spaced, one per slice.  The Verdure pizza was almost as creative, their idea of seasonal vegetables was a nonchalant attempt to dump canned mushrooms, artichokes, and others carelessly across the surface of the pizza.  Everything about the experience was average at best, and the service - while not inconsiderate, was non-existent.

The Final Report: 5.5 out of 10

The pizza at Maurizio’s was certainly edible, but absolutely not worth a return visit.  Cavalli's is just 5 minutes south on Denton Tap (Beltline Rd) across 635, and they'll make you a pizza worth talking about....