Saturday, October 24, 2009

Cavalli Pizza. Oh Baby!




If you want to be a good cook begin with fresh ingredients. Even I have had some success by following this rule. But to reach a kind of perfection in the culinary arts is difficult; to accomplish that, one must love something enough to learn how to get it right. And that takes time.

The Cavalli family has had the time and experience, five generations of flour makers in Italy, and it's easy to see they love their pizza. Their cheese and pepperoni pizza is pizza perfection, southern Italian style.

I can say this because my son, a friend and I went to Irving to visit the Cavalli restaurant. My son had business there, I went to try the pizza.

Cavalli's pizza is made with fresh mozzarella, a simple sauce from fresh imported tomatoes, and bread that made me want to cry when I got to the outer crust, it is that good. The pizzas are baked in an 800 degree wood-fired oven and served one pie per person.

I spoke to the owner, Paul Cavalli, and had only one complaint. Cavalli's has one location -- and it is not Fort Worth. He did accept my invitation to consider placing a store here and is open to location suggestions. If you visit the store in Irving, please remind him of DFW's best city for food -- Fort Worth.

This pizza is as good as it gets. They don't need my seal of approval but they have it. I liked it that much. Cavalli's is not tricked up, California style pizza. It is simple pizza made with fresh ingredients. An assortment of sensible Italian style toppings like pepperoni, chicken, garlic, and artichokes are available.

Cavalli's won D Magazine's, Best pizza by the Book, 2008, and is the first restaurant in Texas certified, Verace Pizza Napoletana*.

The Details:
Cavalli's Pizza
3601 Regent Blvd
Irving, Tx 75063
Phone: 972-915-0001
Fax: 972-915-0005
http://www.cavallipizza.com

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Editor's postscript:
Americans may be able to call any flat, circular piece of baked flour "pizza," but Neopolitans don't see it that way. In order to protect the reputation and the quality of their products, local and national Italian organizations create guidelines and offer education in the correct way to prepare these products; olive oil, coffee, wine, and pizza to name just a few. 
Verace Pizza Napoletana offers training to individuals or businesses interested in producing authentic Neapolitan style pizza according to the guidelines of the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association based in Naples, Italy. Verace Pizza Napoletana has a rigorous certification process.  

Cavalli's restaurant is one of the few American restaurants to meet those specifications.

5 comments:

rambler said...

Sounds like the sort of place that would go well in that center at 30 and Hulen (with Central Market), or maybe on Camp Bowie.

Speaking of new eats, the old Wienerschitzel on W. Berry by Paschal HS (last a Mexican fast food place) is opened as a Philly Cheessteak place. Thought you might be interested.

Jennifer said...

I can't imagine willingly driving to Irving for anything, but I may make an exception..
Funny story that I think you would appreciate: My 5 yo was asking if he saw the skyline of Dallas on the horizon or Fort Worth and my (well trained) 9yo daughter replied, "It if gives you a yucky feeling inside, it's Dallas. If it gives you a happy feeling inside, it's Fort Worth."

Francis Shivone said...

Jennifer -- I have to be careful not to offend Irvingites . . . but, i's not my favorite city either. My son is a PhD student at UDallas. Loved the story -- and, of course, it is true.

Rambler -- if the good folks at Cavalli's do come for a visit that will be one of the locations I suggest. My next lunch in the area will be that cheesesteak place. It has had a few restaurants there -- none of them successful.

RJG said...

Another pizza place with the same Vera Pizza Napoletana qualifications is Campania's in Southlake. I recommend that place as well, if you're up this way in NE Tarrant.

MarcusGL said...

RJG -- Campania is no longer a member of the Vera Pizza Napoletana Association. Not sure what happened, but they are no longer on the VPN official site, and Campania has removed all VPN logos or mention from their website.