Life of Pie
Jay Jerrier to open anti-Cane Rosso pizzeria called Zoli's NY Pizza Tavern
Beloved Deep Ellum pizzeria Cane Rosso has lines all the time, a certification of Naples-style authenticity from the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, and even a thumbs-up from Guy Fieri. It's hard to believe anyone wouldn't love Cane Rosso. But for those who do not, owner Jay Jerrier is ready.
He's opening a second New York-style pizzeria concept called Zoli's New York Pizza Tavern, which he'll likely debut in Oak Cliff — just as soon as he settles on a location. "There's a space we're looking at, but it needs some repairs before we can go in there," Jerrier says.
Zoli's will serve true New York-style pizza, including crispy, thin-crust pies topped with cheese, and square pizzas with thicker, lighter, airier crusts.
Zoli's Facebook page says, "If you hate Cane Rosso, you’ll love Zoli’s. We even have chicken and ranch dressing." Chicken as a topping and ranch dressing for dipping are two items that no pizza purist would touch, and they're not available at Cane Rosso. But Dallas tastes in pizza are hardly pure; many locals like to dip their pizza (and every other edible object) in ranch.
Zoli's will serve true New York-style pizza, including crispy, thin-crust pies topped with cheese, and square pizzas with thicker, lighter, airier crusts. Manning the ovens will be ex-New Yorker Lee Hunzinger, who's been helping Jerrier with recipe development.
Scrolling Zoli's page is a mouth-watering journey and a nostalgia trip for any Northeaster, with photos of fried zucchini; fried eggplant and mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce; homey, square "Grandma pies" topped with zucchini, potato and pancetta; and hero sandwiches with Italian cold cuts, provolone and fried eggplant on a crisp, seeded sub roll.
Unlike the pliable crusts at Cane Rosso, the pizzas featured on Zoli's page are airier on the inside and crunchy on the outside, to address a common whine in Dallas, where non-crisp crusts still have some locals scratching their heads.