Pizza News

New pizzeria in Garland will add another style of pizza to Dallas' list

Dallas-Fort Worth does not yet have a New Haven-style pizzeria.

A Dallas restaurant team better known for their burgers and craft beer are moving into the buzzy category of pizza with a new restaurant called Fortunate Son.

Named for the Creedence Clearwater Revival song, the concept will open in downtown Garland at 500 Main St. and is from the folks behind Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House in East Dallas: Matt Tobin and Josh Yingling, with Goodfriend chef David Peña serving as culinary director, Floyd Gaiser as chef, and Josh Uecker overseeing the bar.

They're bringing a new kind of pizza to the table: New Haven-style pizza, a thin-crust, coal-fired Neapolitan style popularized in New Haven, Connecticut.

"The idea was to bring one of those styles of pizza that isn't already here in Dallas," says Peña. "We've got Detroit, we’ve got Neapolitan, but we don't have New Haven."

Tobin is from Connecticut but otherwise no one else on the team has experience with this style. Peña describes it as being large pizzas with 16- or 17-inch crusts, comprised of "high-hydration dough."

"It's a little difficult to work with," Peña says. "but it gives you a crust that will get crispy, but still have a nice chew to it. They use really good tomatoes and really good mozzarella, and they cook the pizzas to a nice char on the crust."

Tasting Table says that New Haven style is similar to Neapolitan, with one difference being that Neapolitan is baked using wood while New Haven uses coal, which is a challenging method. The closest in Dallas would be Grimaldi's or Coal Vines, although neither of those chains uses coal ovens exclusively.

In addition to pizza, the menu at Fortunate Son will include Italian-American dishes like chicken parmesan and clam spaghetti, with pasta made in-house.

It's not set to open until late in 2023, but according to this subscription-only story in the DMN, the planning is big and long-term, since the new concept is part of a revitalization project in downtown Garland Square.

"Garland has been very forthright with what they want to do, and their focus and their vision–and we're really happy to be a part of it," Pena says.

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This week in gluttony

Pork chops sizzle in 7 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

perrysteakhouse.com

The famous pork chop at Perry's Steakhouse & Grille.

Temperatures are still hot but the grand opening of a new Italian ice and frozen custard shop will help keep things cool this week. A pizza joint's 10th anniversary provides for pies at a price that's easy on the wallet, and there's also a steal of a deal on a legendary steakhouse pork chop come Thursday. Plan for a family-friendly brewery birthday party come Saturday.

Tuesday, August 25

Pie Tap 10th Anniversary
The Dallas pizza chain known for its multi-day fermented sourdough crust will celebrate 10 years in business with $10 pizzas at all seven DFW locations. Choose from options like hot pepperoni with jalapenos and hot honey; and mushroom with caramelized onion with fontina cheese and a farm egg. Guests will want to visit throughout the rest of August as well, as Pie Tap is also randomly picking up patron tabs as a “thank you” to the communities that have supported the brand over the past decade.

iichiko Shochu x Midnight Rambler
The subterranean speakeasy under The Joule will welcome guest bartender George Kailho of Tei-An for an educational happy hour celebrating 100 years of Japanese cocktail culture in conjunction with iichiko Shochu, a native spirit of Japan. A seminar for industry professionals starts at 4 pm followed by happy hour at 5 pm (open to the public, no reservation required) featuring three Japanese cocktails by Kailho: the Million Dollar, Bamboo, and Lemon Sour. The event will run until 7 pm.

Wednesday, August 26

Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard Grand Opening
The world’s largest Italian ice concept will celebrate the opening of its new shop in Carrollton (4213 N. Josey Lane) with sweet giveaways. The first 50 guests will receive a Rita’s gift bag with merch, and in select bags, a golden ticket good for a week’s worth of Italian ice or frozen custard. The Pennsylvania-based brand opened a North Richland Hills location in July, and locations in Farmers Branch and Flower Mound will follow later this year. The grand opening will take place at 12 noon.

Thursday, August 27

National Pork Chop Day at Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille
Perry’s enormous pecan-wood roasted pork chop has anchored the steakhouse’s menu since its early beginnings in Houston. Now the restaurant will celebrate the signature dish (in conjunction with National Pork Chop Day) with a four-course dinner. Highlights from the prix-fixe menu include skewers of pork chop “bites,” white bean pork chili, Perry’s famous 18-ounce pork chop, and orange vanilla cream cheesecake. The dinner is $44 and is available after 4 pm by request. Perry’s has locations in Dallas, Frisco, and Grapevine.

A Lucky Pairing: Chef’s Dinner with Suerte Tequila at Ollie’s Azul House
Suerte means “luck” in Spanish, and Ollie’s Azul House in Rowlett will toast to buena suerte during this four-course tequila pairing dinner featuring four expressions of Suerte Tequila. The menu includes shrimp aguachile with blanco tequila, charred octopus with still strength tequila, duck breast with mole negro with reposado tequila, and olive oil cake with anejo tequila. The dinner is $55 and will run from 7-9 pm.

Saturday, August 29

Lakewood Brewing 14th Anniversary
The Garland brewery will mark 14 years with a day-long anniversary bash. The free-to-attend, family-friendly event will feature live music, local vendors, food from the Lakewood kitchen, and lots of craft beer, including a special American barley wine called Lion’s Share XIV brewed just for the occasion. Guests can also sample a selection of anniversary beers from years past. The agenda also includes beer poking, a centuries-old technique that uses a heated brewing poker to caramelize sugars in the beer. Don’t miss vendors T-Rex Pickles and Married to Sugar who’ll bring specialty creations made using Lakewood beers. The party will run from 12-7 pm.

Monday, August 31

Mixology Mondays at The Parlor
The speakeasy-inspired lounge inside Sheraton Dallas will launch Mixology Mondays, an opportunity to learn the art of cocktail-making with a different signature drink featured each week. Participants will get to shake up classics like the Manhattan, Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, and Old Fashioned during the hour-long experience. Class is $30 (includes free parking) and begins at 5 pm.

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