Via 313

Being a foodie, I often find myself watching shows on Food Network, particularly those that feature restaurants.  One day I found myself watching a special about the Top 5 Pizzas in America, and it featured a pizza called The Detroiter, that can found in a pizza trailer in Austin, TX.  Via 313 pizza operates behind a bar on Rainey St. and I knew that I would have to try this place the next time I visited Austin.

The Detroiter pizza features smoked pepperoni and natural casing pepperoni on a deep dish pizza that is cooked in a metal tray.  When I visited 313, I didn't realize there were multiple types of pepperoni pizza on the menu, so I just ordered a pepperoni.  What I got was the Original Pepperoni, which consisted of smoked pepperoni under the cheese with sauce on top.  Although it wasn't what I intended to order, it was a really awesome pizza.  It reminded me a lot of Sicilian-style pizza, but it had a crispy crust, despite the fact it was deep dish.

Having only sampled one pizza, I can hardly consider myself an expert at Via 313.  That being said, I really thought it was one of the better pizzas I have ever tried and really liked the Detroit-style pizzeria.  The flavor was great, but the crust was amazing and I will certainly go back her on my next visit and actually try The Detroiter!

Via 313
http://via313.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Goodfella's

One cold Saturday, my youngest daughter and I were hanging out, while my wife and oldest daughter were attending a birthday party. As lunchtime approached, I began to get hungry and called my brother and sister-in-law to see if they wanted to meet us for lunch.  They agreed to meet and we decided to eat at Goodfella's Wood Fired Pizza because it was halfway between our homes.

Homemade Mozzarella Carrozza

While we looked over the menu, we decided to get an appetizer and chose to get the Homemade Mozzarella Carrozza, which was mozzarella between two slices of bread and lightly fried.  This appetizer seemed to be the lovechild of a cheese stick and a grilled cheese sandwich.  I thought it was delicious and so did everyone in my group that tried it .

Chicken Parmigiana Pizza

For the main meal, we ordered a couple of pizzas that included the Chicken Parmigiana Pizza and a pizza with hamburger and pepperoni.  The Chicken Parmigiana Pizza was a first for me, as I had never had breaded chicken on a pizza before.  Although I liked the pizza crust, the chicken and the rest of the pizza proved to be very bland.  The hamburger and pepperoni pizza was also disappointing and somewhat soggy.  The only positive was that it had plenty of meat on it.  

Pepperoni and Hamburger Pizza

The appetizer proved to be the highlight of this visit and the pizzas were a disappointment.  They weren't bad, but they certainly weren't what I would call great either.  The service was average at best and this is not a place where I plan to dine again.  

Goodfella's Wood Fired Pizza-Pasta-Bar
http://www.santinosgoodfellas.com/#about
Livin the Good Life Rating=2

Jarams Donuts

I am not a person that just absolutely loves eating breakfast and I frequently skip breakfast.  That being said, I do have a few weaknesses involving breakfast foods, and one of those would be donuts.  After reading an Eater article about the best places to find donuts in Dallas, I decided to try out Jarams Donuts, which was one of the places they recommended and was the one closest to my house in McKinney, TX.  Thrillist also ranked them among The Best Donut Shops in Dallas.

Jaram's Donuts has a huge variety of speciality donuts, kolaches, and other breakfast items, but I was only able to try a fraction of the items available.  Below is my descriptions and opinions of the ones that I tried:
Chocolate Croissant Donut-This donut was about twice the height of a normal donut and had the light texture of a croissant.  The chocolate icing was delicious and the powdered sugar was plentiful.  If a chocolate donut and a beignet had a love child, this donut would be the result.

Creme Brûlée Donut-Hard to imagine, but it actually tasted a lot like creme brûlée.  The exterior was actually caramelized and the inside was filled with custard.  This donut gets two thumbs up for originality.

Chocolate Donut Holes with Sprinkles-My daughter ordered a dozen of these and allowed me to have one.  The same chocolate icing I had on the croissant donut was on these as well and they were high quality for donut holes.  
Sausage Kolache with Bacon- In my opinion, it was closer to a pig-in-a-blanket than a kolache.  The bread was good and the sausage was decent, but I really liked the crispy bacon that adorned the top of it.

Jalapeño Sausage Cheese Bread-By far, this was the most interesting items I tried here.  The bread had sliced jalapeño sausage and cheddar cheese that was intertwined in bread.  As good as the donuts were, I think I actually liked this item the best. 

As you can probably tell, I loved this quaint little donut shop in North Dallas.  The donuts were great and and the jalapeño sausage cheese bread was incredible.  I would rate this place in my top three  donuts shops that I have tried in DFW alongside Hypnotic Donuts and The Donut Kitchen.   

Jaram's Donuts
http://www.jarams.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=4
 

Wild Salsa

After what seemed like an eternity, the Fairview location of Wild Salsa finally opened.  After watching the remodeling of the space for months, I was happy to see that it was finally open for customers.  With only a handful of good Mexican restaurants in Collin County, I had high hopes for Wild Salsa.

The menu boast more of a true Mexican restaurant and not the Tex Mex that you find in most restaurants in the area.  Below are my options of the items  I have tried thus far:

Choriqueso- this appetizer contains house-made chorizo and sizzling Oaxaca cheese served with flour tortillas.  I really liked this dish and there was plenty of chorizo, but it did tend towards the greasy side.  

Sopa Azteca Verde- basically a fancy name for chicken tortilla soup, but it was excellent.  It included chicken, tomatillo, hominy, Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, and serrano.  The soup had a lot of different flavors working for it, but none that were overpowering.

Taco Al Pastor-Included pork, pineapple and pico de gallo.  Too much pico and not enough pork.
Chicken Tinga- chipotle rubbed chicken and pico de gallo.  The chicken was spectacular, but once again, their was too much pico.
Beef Barbacoa- Included Negro Modelo braised beef, chipotle, caramelized onions, and cilantro.  My favorite of the tacos I tried and it had plenty of meat and appropriate amounts of onions and cilantro.  The trio of tacos was also served with cilantro rice and black beans, both of which were pleasing to the palate.

Wild Salsa also has a kids menu and both of my kids chose the cheese quesadillas.  The waitstaff was excellent and we all enjoyed the decor, including a huge fireplace in the middle of the covered patio where we dined.  With a great location and a good menu, I see good things to come from Wild Salsa.

Wild Salsa
http://www.wildsalsarestaurant.com
Livin the Good Life Rating=3

The Brass Tap

The Brass Tap, a craft beer bar, recently opened in Allen, TX.  In addition to being a craft beer bar with a huge selection of craft beers (over 200), it also has a kitchen that has a fairly large menu for a bar.  Since this place is just a stone's throw from my residence in McKinney, I have been there several times and sample several menu items.

Below are my thoughts and opinions on the food options I have tried:

Jalapeño Corn Fritters- Puffy and sweet with a slight kick from the jalapeños.  Served with Peppadew Pepper Ranch and sweet chili sauce for dipping.  Great appetizer.

Pretzel Bites- Another winner in the appetizer department, the pretzels are great, but the real winner is the beer cheese fondue.  Great combo of flavors when you dip the pretzel bites in the fondue.

Tempura Chicken Sliders-Meh...the tempura chicken finger on a King's Hawaiian roll sounded great, but didn't live up to expectations and was very bland.  The fries were average at best too.

Pretzel Pizzas- Individual pizzas made with pretzel dough.  Although you can barely make out the pretzel flavor, it is there.  I have tried both the Margherita and the Four Meat pizza and both were good.

Fish and Chips-Fish was good, but didn't care for the fries or the slaw.  Pretty basic fish and chips that you would expect to find at a pub. 

Cowboy Burger- smoked Gouda, pepper jack cheese, applewood smoked bacon, lettuce, tomato, and Cowboy Sauce.  Average burger, but loved the brioche bun and whatever ingredients they used to make their Cowboy Sauce.

For the most part, I have liked most of the food that I have tried at the Brass Tap.  It is certainly above-average in the bar/pub food dept.  The Jalapeño Corn Fritters and the Pretzel Bites are a definite hit in the appetizer department.  I am happy that another good restaurant is close to my house, but if you are a craft beer fan, you will be impressed with the selection as well.

The Brass Tap
http://www.brasstapbeerbar.com/Allen
Livin the Good Life Rating=2