Deep Ellum is slowly becoming the place to go for two cuisines: barbecue and pizza. Here comes one more: Stonedeck Pizza Pub, slated to open in June on Elm Street in a spacious double storefront next to Subway.
Husband-and-wife owners David Haynes and Catherine Jacobus plan to serve a variety of pizza they call "American-style."
"It's American pizza, not New York or Neapolitan," Jacobus says. "The reason we did that is because David moved this product in New York, and it was well-received.
"We feel like there is a niche opportunity in the market to have good old-fashioned American pizza," says co-owner Catherine Jacobus.
"It's a different kind of taste, a different flavor, a different texture in terms of the crust. We feel like there is a niche opportunity in the market to have good old-fashioned American pizza that most people grew up with, who haven't lived in the Northeast."
She defines "American" thusly. "It's a consistent crust whether it's thin or thick, not a thick part here and a thin part there. It's consistent through and through," she says. "The other elements are generous toppings that are evenly dispersed and lots of shredded cheese all over."
In addition to pizza, there will be salads, pub snacks and craft beer. "We took this pizza concept and the idea of a pub and modernized both, to give it a freshness," she says.
Beyond pepperoni, there'll be lamb sausage, Italian sausage, roasted veggies, barbecue chicken, Brussels sprouts, kale, edamame, chickpeas and pineapple. They'll also offer options on sauce and cheese, including vegan cheese, and four kinds of crust: whole wheat, "American thin," a slightly thicker crust called "biscuit" and a gluten-free option.
"Pub grub" starters include high-end-sounding items such as quinoa tabbouleh lettuce cups, as well as entree salads such as Cobb and an Asian cabbage salad with Korean barbecue pork. On the other end of the spectrum, they'll have King Ranch casserole and chili mac and cheese. All of the beer will be American, from Dallas to Texas to USA, with wine and a full bar.
The couple learned the ropes of pizza while living in New York, where Haynes was partner in a pizzeria called Slice, where customers could order pizza by the slice, custom-made.
"When you get a slice at most places, it's been sitting under a heat lap or else it's par-baked," she says. "We'll start with the dough and top it with what you want. We did it successfully in New York, so we decided to fine-tune the concept and bring it to Texas."
They chose Deep Ellum because they have history with the area from their younger days, even despite the plethora of pizza places such as Zini's, Mama Mia's, Serious and the grand dog Cane Rosso.
"That is not something we overlooked," Jacobus says. "We gave it thoughtful consideration. We went into all of them, ate at all of them, and felt like there was room for us.
"There are pizzerias that serve a value-driven customer, a Neapolitan purist, but our product is very different from that. We think there's room and an opportunity to educate the public on the different choices and styles of pizza."
Stonedeck is in the storefront next to Subway, at 2613 Elm St.
