Thursday, May 28, 2009
Checking out Russo’s Coal-Fired Pizzeria, serious new pizza place in Richardson
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Chicken pesto pizza
RICHARDSON — Dallas doesn't yet get credit from outsiders for its buzzy pizza scene, but we who live here know that that past few years have been happy times for fans of good, even great pizza. First Fireside Pies, then Campania, Coal Vines, Olivella's, Cavalli, Grimaldi's, and Rocco's in Fort Worth.
Add to that list Russo's Coal-Fired Pizzeria, an exciting new spot that just opened in Richardson, at the new Eastside "urban village" development right off US 75 and Campbell Road.
Russo's has one of the choicer locations in the development, visible from the freeway as well as from the DART Red Line, which trundles by every 20 minutes. Urban!
Russo's Coal-Fired Pizzeria, in the new urban village in Richardson.
Russo's is a Houston-based pizza chain that launched in 1992; in 2008, the company created a Coal-Fired division, of which this Richardson branch is a part. Coal-fired is a selling point because it cooks the pizza very quickly and add lots of character and flavor to the crust.
Bags of charcoal stacked convincingly at the door
Russo's uses a Wood Stone Fire Deck oven, which does incorporate coal, though it doesn't rely on it exclusively as a heat source. The oven has no door, said to be a plus for customers who like to watch the progress of the chefs. Note that oven is surrounded by gorgeous tiny irridescent tiles.
Wood Stone Fire Deck oven at Russo's Coal-Fired Pizzeria in Richardson.
Russo's has the same "fast-casual" format as Pei Wei: You place your order at the counter and you get a number suspended on a clip. When your food's ready, it's brought to your table. With the place being so new, the logistics of this process haven't been resolved. One customer left and never received her dessert, which still sat on the counter. Another customer didn't take his number and a server wandered through the restaurant, trying to guess who ordered two salads.
Russo's cashier is to the left and the bar and pizza oven are to the right.
The menu's large: salads and half a dozen appetizers such as spinach-artichoke dip and calamari; flatbreads with toppings; panini sandwiches; pastas; and pizzas, both regular and a thin-crust square version. Toppings run from the "normal" sausage and pepperoni to unexpected items such as feta cheese and fig.
Pizzas come in two sizes: a large, estimated to feed 3-4, and priced from $18.95 to $20.95; and a smaller size, estimated to feed 1-2, and costing $13.95 to $15.95. So it's not cheap.
But perhaps because they are still new and don't have a routine in place, they didn't deliver orders in their entirety simultaneously. However, they did deliver the food when it was hot; and most dishes, whether pizza or pasta, seem designed for sharing. Atmosphere was extremely casual.
Ingredient bin includes fresh mushrooms and green peppers -- encouraging.
Pizzas were excellent, both because of the personality of the crust, and also because of the quality and diversity of the toppings. They do the rare but appreciated topping of a sunny-side egg (called here "edgy" and "on trend"); the only other pizzeria in town that offers pizza with egg is Cavalli.
Pizza with prosciutto and egg
The egg gets cracked right onto the pizza, cooking along with the crust until it's just set; it's rich and unique. Russo's had a lot of egg, probably 3 to 4 on the small pizza, along with fanned-out slices of prosciutto that were chewy but not "rubbery". The combination was like a clever spin on bacon and eggs. Tomato sauce was ladled on discreetly; theirs has a cheery brightness with a pronounced hit of oregano.
Chicken pesto pizza had chunks of white-meat chicken, fresh spinach leaves, pesto sauce, mozzarella and feta cheese; both pizzas were slightly heavy on the oil.
But the story here was the crust: crackly and dark on the edges, chewy in the transitional area, and extra thin -- too thin? -- in the center. The rims had areas that were nearly burned, which added not just good crunch but also a toasted-popcorn flavor with a yeasty undertone. It gave the pizza an extra component, making the crust a more complex experience than just a slab on which toppings were conveyed.
Stromboli with marinara sauce
The same dough is used on their calzones, which looked absurdly huge with their edges falling off the plate. There's one with Canadian bacon and ricotta and mozzarella cheeses, and another with pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, and so on, but you can also just create your own. You get a ramekin of marinara for dipping.
Lobster ravioli
Lobster ravioli was a revelation because it had palpable chunks of lobster inside the pasta pockets. You don't usually expect anything more than a puree of ricotta with a random lobster shred, and so to cut one in half and find an actual piece of claw meat seemed ultra-indulgent. The pasta came with an extremely rich mascarpone cream sauce. A little of this dish went a long way.
Closeup of lobster ravioli
Desserts, said one of the employees, are Russo's recipes, made to their specifications, but by someone else. The case was appealing with its slices of Italian cream cake, white and dark chocolate cake, and oversized chocolate chip cookies.
Dessert case at Russo's
New York cheesecake was tall-and-high with an impeccable fineness. But the cake wasn't as dense as it looked. Cheesecake is such a subjective thing. But the graham cracker crust was notably good, with a good salt-and-sugar grit running through to give the bland cheesecake some pizazz.
New York-style cheesecake
Sinatra-esque jazz played in the background, a motif perhaps borrowed from Grimaldi's. The walls were lined with patches of brick including archways that held B&W photos of New York landmarks such as the Chrysler Building. Tables and chairs were functional-grade but there was a pretty red chandelier hanging in one corner of the dining room.
B&W photos of New York landmarks on the walls.
There's lots of good things to say about Russo's. It won the best pizza nod from the Houston Press, it's already drawing customers, and it's bringing high-end pizza to the east side of 75. Bravo.
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Comments
CitizenKane Anonymous
Another corporate chain. Boring.
On the other end of the spectrum is Eddie's Deli. Located (more like hidden) in a struggling shopping center at the SE corner of Abrams and NW Highway, this place serves authentic Chicago-style hot dogs - that means they use Vienna Beef brand franks.
No faux pictures of Chicago, no corporate concept or themes, just hot dogs.
Give it a try. It is worthy of your attention.
5 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Billusa99 Anonymous
Hot dog comments in a pizza review? WTF?
Thanks TG... looks like a worthwhile trip north!
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
campania Anonymous
A "coal-fired" pizzeria that uses an oven that "incorporates" coal??
Woodstone has done more to derail the artisan pizza niche than anyone I can think of...but, of course, proof is in the finished product so I must go try first.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Scott Anonymous
Nice catch by TG on the oven. Not all food writers are so careful about these things.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
alexander troup Verified
A fine looking handsome pizza in the box...waiting for eager.....folks, I would assume and go consume for hours....such delights....A/T, ..Nonthing like great pizza in a box..
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
campania Anonymous
OK - so now I ate here for lunch. Good charring on the bottom of the pizza - but none on the cornicone (crust). TG is right in that the crust has yeasty character - but falls victim to typical NY style...overly seasoned sauce and too much oregano. $20 for a small margherita and an iced tea is a tough putt. So better than Grimaldi's but not better than Coal Vines as NY pizzerias go. If you work in this vicinity it will do in a pinch!
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
John McClelland Verified
Nobody is ever going to touch the greatness of Lombardi's Pizza in NYC, so everything will be second best in the coal-fired realm.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
nina_chawla Anonymous
the egg yolk on pizza picture made me gag..
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
OEsophagus Anonymous
I love egg on pizza. I had it at Campania once or twice when the place first opened. I don't think it was on the menu. I've asked for it since, but they don't do it anymore. This was before they expanded and the whole place slid downhill.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Teresa Gubbins Staff
OEsophagus, i like egg on pizza too! i know it grosses some people out. i probably should have ordered an all-meat pizza with meat, meat, and meat, but i thought the egg was unusual so it seemed to merit special attention. and i never knew campania had it, my mistake
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
campania Anonymous
Hey I like egg on pizza too...I don't ever remember doing it in West Village. I've tried to do it in the wood ovens a number of times but end up with egg whites all over the deck. They are great with pancetta and asparagus.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
alexander troup Verified
T.G...if,.. I had to work for Bonnie and Clyde and it was my last bank job,this is where I would want to eat......again...the food looks great....yowie.....A/T, I am hungry....
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
ch0 Anonymous
Ah, a "cheery brightness" in the tomato sauce. One can never have too much of that!
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Nancy Nichols Verified
TG, I think Taverna does/did an egg-topped pizza. I love it. Basically bacon, eggs, and pizza dough--sopisticated Grand Slam breakfast.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Teresa Gubbins Staff
keep 'em coming, i'm glad to hear about more places where i can get egg on my pizza -- even if i have egg on my face. har! egg
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
okme2 Anonymous
Got to try the Lobster ravioli which was very good. The pizza crust was wonderful, it's ALL about the crust for me!
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
Billusa99 Anonymous
Only on that mythical day that Campania's West Village pizza finally gets consistent -- instead of a limp noodle one time and a crisp slab the next -- will I ever take their comments about other pizza seriously.
Until then... phfft...
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
campania Anonymous
@Billusa99 - Funny! But definitely true...pizza business is crazy and has inconsistency as its foundation...dough varies daily based on water, yeast, weather, etc., ovens are finicky, pizzaiolos have off days - many things can go wrong. Consistency is the holy grail! You can get consistent if you sacrifice quality by cutting corners and cheating.
Olivella's used to have egg on pizza...I think they put 3 eggs on my pizza one day and it was awesome.
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
CitizenKane Anonymous
A for real pizza joint: 50 years, 5 generations, one location. That's dedication to the love of pizza.
Forgetabout Russo's and everyother corporate chain with a gimmick like "coal infused ovens" or what ever.
http://www.rizzosfinepizza.com/
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
ryetronics Anonymous
@CitizenKane:
Thanks for the tip. Next time I'm craving pizza I'll look for a cheap flight and head to NYC for the night. Pfft...
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
CitizenKane Anonymous
No need to deny yourself when joensing a good slice. You can find reliably decent pizza in the DFW area. Pfft......
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
jerry1965 Anonymous
russo coal fire is on my top list for pizza..its worth the drive to 75 and campbell....the chain is owned by an italian family
5 months, 1 week ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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