Forney Fabulous Forney

Dallas pizzeria Eno's adds special dishes for new restaurant in the 'burbs

Eno's Pizza Tavern is opening a second location.

The citizens of Forney, Texas, can commence their pizza celebration post-haste. Dallas pizzeria Eno's Pizza Tavern is finally opening its second location in Forney's historic downtown.

The first Eno’s Pizza Tavern opened in the Bishop Arts District in 2008 with a focus on pizza and craft beer, back when craft beer was still a twinkle in Dallas' eye. The restaurant's name is derived from the Italian word “enoteca”, referring to a local or regional wine shop, and not the masterful British rock musician Brian Eno, who knew.

They do thin-crust pizzas in combinations such as the Pig Smiley (Benton’s ham, Eno’s Sausage, honey, pepperoni) and Pineapple Fresca (arugula, Benton’s ham, jalapeno, pineapple), as well as pastas, sandwiches, appetizers, and desserts.

In Forney, there will be special offerings to showcase local purveyors including a rotating selection of artisanal meats from 4-T’s Bar-B-Q on The Perfect Picnic charcuterie board and Sunnyvale honey on the Pig Smiley pizza.

The menu will also feature the Firehouse Deli sandwich, a nod to the location's former life as Forney Fire Station No. 1. Eno's Tavern Burger made with Texas beef, Calabrian aioli, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion will be reintroduced on the Forney menu.

The 3,600 square-foot restaurant is located at 215 S. Bois D’Arc St., and will be designed by Donna and Allan Spillers who've been in the restaurant design industry since 1975 and have designed more than 1,000 restaurants nationwide including the original Eno's.

Unique interior features include the use of reclaimed shiplap and other recycled materials, locally made furniture, and black and white hexagonal tile. The restaurant will include an outdoor patio, large event room, and seating capacity of 180.

Preview dinners will take place in late December that will benefit local Forney nonprofit organizations. Advanced reservations for the preview dinners are required, and 100 percent of ticket sales will benefit the nonprofits. Reservations can be made at enospizza.com.

"Forney is a tight-knit community, and we have enjoyed immersing ourselves in the city to get to know our new neighbors as we have constructed the new restaurant over the last several months," co-owner Shane Spillers says in a release. "We can’t wait to open and welcome neighbors and community members to Eno's Forney for delicious pizza."

Store manager Frank Esser was previously bar manager at Eno's in Dallas, and just celebrated his fifth anniversary with the company.

In its soft opening phase, Eno's will be open Tuesdays-Sundays for dinner service. In February, hours will expand to include lunch service beginning at 11:30 am. At that time, Eno's will also offer delivery service through online ordering.

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Pizza News

Donatos Pizza totes its unique crust to new location in Flower Mound

dallas.culturemap.com

Donatos

A pizza chain with a quirky obsession on its crusts is coming to Flower Mound: Donatos Pizza, the franchise famous for spreading its toppings to the very edge of the pizza, will open a location at 1400 Long Prairie Rd. #160.

According to a release, it'll open on December 17.

Donatos Pizza was founded by Jim Grote in Ohio in 1963 from a single stand, and remains family-owned. Their signature is to place the toppings on their pizzas "edge to edge" — for clueless diners who do not like plain crust edges. (Come on, the crust is the best part.)

Their menu features more than a dozen varieties of pizza such as veggie, four cheese, and pepperoni with hot honey. Their signature crust is a thin-crust but they also offer thicker alternatives as well as a cauliflower crust. Pizzas come in a 7-inch individual and go all the way up to a 14-inch large. Prices range from $15 to $25.

Fans appreciate their better-than-average ingredients and describe it as more flavorful compared to other corporate pizza chains, with a crisp thin crust and generous toppings.

In addition to pizza, Donatos' menu includes oven-baked wings, sub sandwiches, including meatball and Italian cold cuts, plus appetizers and salads.

The Flower Mound location will be a family affair, owned by Lynne and Ralph Pence, whose son Travis will oversee day-to-day operations. The Pence family has deep connections to Donatos including the fact that Lynne's sister used to work for the company, while her brother-in-law still does.

"We're from Columbus, Ohio — it is where our kids grew up and where our family is—it also happens to be the hometown and birthplace of Donatos Pizza," Lynne says. "Our daughter in Oklahoma found out Donatos was coming to Edmond, where she lives, and called us. She was so excited that Donatos was finally coming down south and we wanted to be a part of it."

This is the second Donatos in the Dallas area: a location opened in Frisco in November — the first in Texas.

There are currently 470-plus locations in 28 states. That includes 175 stores plus nearly 300 non-traditional locations nationwide, including select Red Robin restaurants, sports, and entertainment venues.

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