Zoli's NY Pizza

Pizza and barbecue are my foodie guilty pleasures, so I am always looking for a good place to grab some brisket or a pizza.  My wife and I recently dined at Cane Rosso and really liked this Neapolitan-style pizza restaurant.  After dining at Cane Rosso, I heard that the owner, Jay Jerrier, had recently opened a New York style pizzeria called Zoli's NY Pizza.  It just so happened that my brother and I were recently in the vicinity of the Bishop Arts District, so we decided to pop into Zoli's and give it a try.

Pizza Counter and Dining Area

At Zoli's, you can order whole pies or just pizza by the slice.  My brother decided to get two slices of pepperoni.  I ordered the Zoli's $10 Lunch Special, which included a slice, salad, garlic knot, and a drink.  For my slice, I chose the Grandma slice, which is a square deep dish pizza.  I also chose the Caesar salad over the house salad.

Lunch Special

We were only seated a couple of minutes when our food arrived.  I started with the Caesar salad and was pleased with it.  The Romaine lettuce was really crisp and the dressing was flavorful.  I ate the garlic knot with my salad and it went well wit the salad.  The Grandma slice of the day, was cheese pizza.  It ended up tasting even better than it looked.  The ingredients blended well together and I enjoyed the sauce with small chunks of roasted tomatoes in it.  The crust was extremely crispy, which is hard to get with a deep dish pizza.  My brother also let me try some of his pepperoni pizza The pepperoni was some of the spiciest I have ever had, but it was really good.

Slice of Pepperoni

We were in and out of Zoli's in less than twenty minutes.  If you are looking for a quick lunch in the Bishop Arts District, I recommend you pop into Zoli's.  The pizza is good and the service is super fast.  It looks like the Bishop Arts staple, Eno's, finally has some competition in the great pizza department!

Zoli's NY Pizza
http://zolispizza.com/
Livin the Good Life Rating= 3

Eno's Pizza Tavern

Add caption

On a beautiful Sunday morning, my family and I decided to take a trip down to the Bishop Arts District again and try a place we have wanted to try for a while.  We arrived around 11:45 and the area was already packed, so we had to park on side street and hoof it.  Our culinary destination today was Eno’s Pizza Tavern.  Several of our friends have recommended this place, so we were eager to try the pizza.

Upstairs dining area

After walking about a half mile in the heat, I was anxious to sit down in some air conditioning.  When we arrived the hostess said we could take a seat anywhere, so my oldest daughter requested we sit upstairs.  As I looked up at the steep staircase and remembered the long walk, I immediately knew that I would not be doing any cardio workouts when we returned home.

My youngest enjoying our view of Bishop Ave.

We finally sat down at a table that had a window and a great view of Bishop Ave.  After having a few glasses of water and re-hydrating, I was able to browse the menu.  For starters we ordered the roasted bread with gastro butter and I ordered the soup du jour, which was baked potato.  The bread and butter were absolutely phenomenal.  It was a large order and I could not stop eating this bread.  The baked potato soup was pretty average and served in a tall cup with a shallow soup spoon, which made it hard to eat.

The roasted bread was a hit. 

The baked potato soup....not so much.

For pizzas, my wife chose the Moma’s Pie, which had tomato, herbs, olive oil, and basil.  I ordered the iPie and added the grass-fed beef and some Benton’s ham.  My pizza was delicious and perfectly cooked.  The only thing I had to complain about was the Benton’s ham was a little too salty for my taste.  I somehow ended up eating my whole 14-inch pizza, despite the fact I had already had soup and a loaf of bread.  My wife said her pizza was great as well.

Moma's Pizza

1/2 beef and 1/2 Benton's ham

Eno’s definitely lived up to expectations and we will add it to our restaurant rotation.  It is a fun place to take kids, but would also be an enjoyable place to go eat with friends.   In addition to great pizza, they had several pasta dishes that looked good and I will definitely be trying those on the next trip.

Eno’s Pizza Tavern

http://enospizza.com/

Livin the Good Life Rating=4

Tillman's Roadhouse

Date night with the wife

April is a month that brings us April Fools Day, Tax Day, the start of the Major League Baseball Season, the Boston Marathon, and my wife’s birthday.  In my wife’s family they don’t just celebrate birthdays, they celebrate birth months.  At least that is the excuse my wife has given me for her getting her way for an entire month.  Since this was her birth month, I let her choose where we went to eat this past weekend.  My mother was in town this weekend, so we had free babysitting when we went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. 

Decor inside Tillman's

For this culinary excursion, my wife chose to eat at Tillman’s Roadhouse in the Bishop Arts District of Oak Cliff (they have also opened a second location in Fort Worth).  My only previous visit to the Bishop Arts District had been to eat at Lockhart Smokehouse.  While there previously, we noticed several other restaurants in this cultural hotbed.  After our first trip here, we knew we wanted to go back at some point and try some other places.

My wife's Prickly Pear Margarita

We arrived right on time for our reservations and were seated immediately.  We had to  make reservations for 6:00 pm because the next available reservation was at 9:30, which was past my wife’s bedtime.  While looking over the menu, we decided to order the trio of fries for an appetizer.  The trio included Parmesan Kennebec fries, chili dusted purple Peruvian fries, and smoked salt sweet fries.  They were served with house made ketchup and horseradish pickle mayo.  They were all delicious, but the chili dusted purple Peruvians were my favorite.

Trio of Fries

I had a hard time choosing an entrée because there were several delicious-sounding choices.  After going back and forth, I finally chose the chicken fried steak, served with garlic mashed potatoes, poblano gravy, and green beans.  They asked me how I wanted it cooked, which is something I have never been asked before when ordering anything fried.  I would later find out that the reason they asked me is because they were tenderloin medallions rather than the typical cube steak or round steak that most chicken fried steak is made with.  I ordered mine medium and also added a side of the mac n’ cheese.

Chicken Fried Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans

Mac n' Cheese with bacon and scallions

My wife ordered the shrimp and grits, my brother ordered the post oak smoked baby back ribs, and my sister-in-law ordered the lobster tamales.  The chicken fried steak was spectacular, but very different from any other I have had.  The breading was perfectly seasoned and the thick medallions were cooked to perfection.  The green beans and mashed potatoes were very good, but the mac n’ cheese was somewhat of a disappointment.  Although it had bacon and scallions, it was rather bland. 

Shrimp and Grits

My wife enjoyed her shrimp and grits, but ever the traditionalist, did not like the Southwestern flair they added to the taste of the dish.  My sister-in law said her lobster tamales were great too.  The one dish that caused me to have entrée envy, was my brother’s baby back ribs.  After he caught me staring longingly at his plate, he finally gave me one to try.  It was very tender and perfectly seasoned.

Post Oak Smoked Baby Back Ribs

Our best decision of the night, was to order the tableside s’mores for dessert.  They were not only fun for us to prepare, but they were delicious.  The maple and chicory marshmallows blended together perfectly with the cinnamon graham crackers and the chocolate.  The orange marshmallows seemed out of place, but the other flavors more than made up for it.

The group enjoying tableside s'mores

Tillman’s Roadhouse will be added to our restaurant rotations.  I give this restaurant a solid 8 on my 10-point scale.  It was a small restaurant that was jam packed when we left.  Next time we go, we will make reservations at least a week in advance so we don’t have to eat with the blue hairs or the vampires. 

Tillman’s Roadhouse

http://www.tillmansroadhouse.com/home.html

Livin The Good Life Rating=4