Domino's Pizza. The New Deal.

So I finally had a chance to order the new Domino's Pizza.

I have been wanting to try it ever since they launched their "new pizza recipe" ad campaign a couple months ago, but just haven't had the right time. In case you didn't see the ad, Domino's ran a very self-critical ad on television and more completely on YouTube. The criticism came from actual  focus-group customers as they were tasting the pizza. At least, according to the ad. If you like advertising, it's worth a viewing.

Domino's made it clear that they were changing everything about the pizza recipe, especially the "cardboard" tasting crust and "ketchup tasting sauce.

The campaign was so successful that they saw an immediate increase in sales. This quarter's sales were above expectations, according to the Wall Street Journal.  Next-quarter sales will indicate whether it was a change for the better, a marketing ploy, or a change for the worse. A good ad will bring in new business but the product must match the promo otherwise customers feel duped and go elsewhere.

Rating the pizza:
1. Ease of order: A+
I ordered online and changed my order by phone. Since I had entered my phone number online they knew who was calling and which order to change. It was seamless. The only way it could be easier is if they could read your mind, it's that good.

2. Delivery: A+
Phone call prior to delivery. Delivered hot and as we ordered.

3. Crust: B
I am judging this based on delivery-pizza quality standards. And by that standard it was good. Not great. But good.

4. Sauce: C+
It actually tasted like pizza sauce but it was a little too intense on the pizza/tomato flavoring, in the tomato paste kind of way. Hard to explain. Very processed texture. The sauce was the weakest element to me.

5. Cheese and toppings: B
We had pepperoni, sausage and chicken toppings and they were good. The box bottom was a little greasy from the cheese drippings. That's a good sign to me.

Was it New York style pizza oven pizza? No.

Did they make changes and live up to the ad campaign. I would say yes. I would order Domino's again.

Final note: I tip my hat to Domino's for taking a risk with the product and marketing. Was it all dreamed up by the ad agency? Maybe, but it was believable, and they were willing to take a commonly held negative, the crust, and turn it into a positive with a "we heard you, try us again" approach.

Domino's YouTube ad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH5R56jILag

Agree? Disagree?
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PS -- the occasion for the pizza delivery was that my son was home from Philly for Easter and he, the wife, and I were watching American Idol. I'm pulling for the boy from Fort Worth, Crystal, and the big guy.

Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt. Arlington Highlands Center.

I'll get right to the point. Pinkberry frozen yogurt is very good. 

Yesterday, at the Arlington store's opening, I taste-tested the natural, mango, and coconut frozen yogurts, along with a few toppings, and all get the F&FW Seal of Approval.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I have never met an authentic ice-cream cone or real-yogurt, frozen yogurt that I didn't like. But there are some better than others, and the subtleties are important.

For instance, I'm not a big fan of "gourmet" ice cream because the milkfat percentage is too high for my taste. I like a more icy texture than the ultra-creamy Haagen-Dazs. But my palate for this new frozen yogurt is still developing. I do know that I want real yogurt taste, that is, the tanginess that comes from authentic yogurt. Pinkberry scores well there. I also want fresh fruits, not canned, frozen, or week-old. Pinkberry scores high there, as well. Adam Saxton, a regional owner of the Pinkberry stores, said the fresh fruits were cut at the store every day for that day. There is a nice clean taste in the best frozen yogurt. Pinkberry has it.

Food-business watchers, like many of this blog's readers, are watching the FroYo movement with interest wondering how it will all settle out. Pinkberry started in 2005 and has about 100 stores in California and New York. They are moving into Texas this year. Fort Worth is still in the planning stages.

I have gotten off the point, though.

Places like Pinkberry are about simple pleasures and good memories. Arlington has added a place for both with Pinkberry. So, if you are out shopping, or having lunch or dinner at the new Arlington Highlands Shopping Center -- save room for dessert at Pinkberry.

$3.95 gets you a healthy portion of tasty frozen yogurt -- with fruit and assorted toppings of your choosing.

I liked it.

http://www.pinkberry.com/

Trying New Templates

I'm trying new looks. Let me know if you have an opinion. Thanks.

Main Street Arts Festival, 2010. A Visitor's Guide.

Fort Worth's Main Street Arts Festival has grown to be one of our fair city's signature annual events, and on opening day, April 8, it will proudly begin its 25th year.

In 2008, the Arts Festival was ranked third of one thousand in "Fine Art" by the Art Fair Sourcebook. The festival features painting, glass, ceramics, wood, sculpture, and other mediums from some of the world's best artists and craftsmen. Each spring, my wife and I look forward to the stroll through the hundreds of booths. We not only like it, we're kind of proud of it.

But this is a food blog.

So I should also mention that Main Street Arts also has become an event that draws people for the entertainment and the food. The Festival has the standard hot dog/cotton-candy type booths, but also has dozens of local restaurants selling select items from their menu, and specialty food sellers like Lone Star Roasted Nuts and Schmidt's bratwurst. There are a couple of new food merchants this year, Kinkaid's has a booth, as does Cast Iron of the Omni Hotel. (for the complete list see Food Vendors)

Drinks are plentiful, of course. Diane Wolfe, from the Arts Festival's press department, told me that Fort Worth's, Times Ten Cellars "Wine Experience" is a highlight for many visitors and well worth the $30. The website says that seating is limited so book early (see: Wine Experience).

Visitors to Fort Worth can get helpful information on other popular places from our local blog writers (see sidebar "Local Sites I Like"), and for specific questions, Fort Worth Twitter pages could be helpful: Travelista/food-peeps or Gooberdlx/dallas-fort-worth .

This blog has two posts that out-of-town visitors could find helpful:  Best of Fort Worth, 2009, and Best Places to Visit in Fort Worth.

We like to think that Fort Worth is a particularly friendly city with amenities equaling all but a few, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco come to mind, but not many more. I may be biased but events like the Main Street Arts Festival prove that I am not far off.

Anyhow, if you are visiting, "Welcome." We hope you enjoy your stay.

Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival
April 8 - 11, 2010
http://mainstreetartsfest.org/Home.aspx

Caffe Di Angeli. Good Coffee.

I enjoyed a very good cup of Sumatra coffee this morning at the Caffe di Angeli, a new coffee shop in Fort Worth's near Southside. I say new, but the Caffe has been in business for a year. I just noticed it last Sunday because I happened to be driving by.

Today, I had a chance to visit. I spoke to Karl Spahr, who owns the shop along with his wife Carolyn, and was happy to learn that they share a passion for good coffee, and that most of their coffee is locally roasted. 


Caffe di Angeli offers coffee, cappuccinos and the like, as well as breakfast, lunch, and some homemade soups and pastries.

Fort Worth has two new locally owned coffee shops, House and Caffe di Angeli, and I wish them both success.

Caffe di Angeli
954 West Rosedale
Fort Worth, TX, 76104

The following link is for their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Fort-Worth-TX/Caffe-di-Angeli

Smashburger.

Yesterday, I attended the Smashburger / Arlington "Preview Day."  The following is my honest, after-first-bite-thought:  

"That is one good hamburger."

It is juicy and served hot. The two top requirements of a good hamburger, in my opinion. I also liked the hearty, not-greasy bun, and the real dill pickles. I would put it up there with M&O Station Grill hamburger -- and that is saying something. 

It's hard not to like a juicy, all Angus beef burger. But add good french fries, thin-sliced, and very crispy, and a real ice-cream, chocolate milk-shake, and you get a very good lunch.

Smashburger started in Denver and by the looks of their "locations" map has moved northward and southward kind of along the Interstate 35 corridor. They have one location in Addison, several in Houston, the one I visited in Arlington. They are moving into the Fort Worth area now. Look for one near TCU soon.  Smashburger is one of the companies that is satisfying the current demand for a quality hamburger in a stylish, counter-service setting. Smashburger's menu also has a few salads, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, and assorted side items like fried pickles (yes, I liked them, too).

Is Smashburger the place to take the kids everyday for a cheap meal?  No. But, for an as-good-as-you-can-get hamburger, the price is fair. Under $10 for a 1/3 pound burger, a big order of fries and a drink.

My thanks to the Smashburger folks. I wish you well.

http://www.smashburger.com

The Winspear Opera House / Dallas

I'll say this for our friends to the east. They don't do anything in small scale and low budget.

The Dallas Arts District, east of Stemmons and south of Woodall Rogers, has been doing a lot of building and expanding in the last few years. The Myerson is twenty years old, but the Wyly Theater is new, as is the Winspear Opera House. Under construction is a 3,000 person outdoor ampitheater, and a five acre park that will cover the Woodall Rogers Freeway for a block. This is serious development given the times we are in, but I am happy for them and will be one of those who frequents from time to time.

I visited the Winspear last night with a friend and I liked it. It is large enough for a big-city audience, but not so large that operatic voices get lost. The acoustics seemed very good, at least from where I was sitting. It is a much more attractive building on the exterior than the Myerson, which is next door, and inside, it is what a good opera house is these days: comfortable, well-designed for sound, and light on ornamentation. The chandelier-effect lights  in the hall's center are reminiscent of the Metropolitan Opera and a nice touch.

We saw the final performance of Donizetti's, Don Pasquale, which I will not critique because I am not qualified to do so. I enjoyed it, especially the main character's voice and acting. The Don Pasquale role is the lead role and was performed by Donato DiStefano. He was the show.

The Seven/Eleven Building just east of the Winspear has five restaurants on the ground floor of the building, all with indoor and outdoor seating. That's a pretty cool place for a light dinner and drinks before or after the show. They also have valet parking. I parked a block away for $2, but I'm a cheapskate when it comes to parking.

My only disappointment is not being able to take the train to and from Fort Worth. The time schedules with the train and the opera were too uncertain to be comfortable.

500 Places to Eat Before it's Too Late.

I like to listen to the radio while I am working on the house. This afternoon, I stumbled onto the Rick Steve's Travel Show while he was interviewing Jane and Michael Sterns, authors of the above mentioned book.

Like many readers of this blog, the Sterns like to taste local fare when they travel, and not taste the normal chain restaurants. As they said today, one could travel from coast to coast and eat virtually the same meals every day. But Why?

This couple has made a living for thirty years doing something they love, traveling and eating. They have a word for the kind of place they are looking for. They call it, Roadfood.

Everyone likes to get out on the open road once in a while. My wife and I just returned from such a trip. I wish I had bought this book before we left.

Some information on the Sterns taken from their website:

The Sterns have won three James Beard journalism awards for their monthly column in Gourmet magazine, which takes readers to the best restaurants in small towns and cities all around the country. They are weekly contributors to "The Splendid Table" on Public Radio.

http://www.roadfood.com/

(The website looks very helpful, by the way)

Say Hey.

My childhood hero is in publishing news these days. I probably would not mention it, but since I am reading the newly published biography, and because I am beginning to smell the sweet aroma of spring training's freshly mowed grass, I thought I would say a few words about the greatest player ever to play the game called baseball.

Those of you old enough to recognize the title, Say Hey, know that I am referring to Willie Mays.

In 1960, when I was eight years old, Willie Mays had been a professional baseball for nine years, but it was about then that I began to notice him. I'm not sure how or why, I was a Phillies fan. No one told me Willie Mays was a great player, no one else in my family followed him. I can only guess that I was captivated by the way he played the game.

Mays did it all. He hit for percentage and power, he was a base stealer, he caught anything near him in the field, and he had an accurate and powerful throw after a catch. There was no weak spot in the game of Willie Mays. None. And he did it all with a composed enthusiasm that made you want more. One example of this was his signature "basket-catch." When a bloop fly ball was hit to him, he'd get under it, glove closed at his waist, and make the catch, not head high like everyone else catches, but at his belt. It was like he was saying, "I'm not even going to raise my arm for this one." It's a bit hackneyed, but in Mays' case it was true, he made the game look easy. The only player in modern times to play a game so well and with such vitality is Michael Jordon. Mays was to baseball what Jordon was to basketball.

I know there are many great players in baseball. But none of them compare to Mays as the overall best. Not Mantle, not DiMaggio, not Williams, not even the Babe, himself. Willie was better than them all.

Willie Mays is one of the few players in all of sport where a word was assigned to describe a play that was made.  I am referring to "The Catch."  A play that is considered by everyone to be one of the greatest defensive plays in the history of baseball.

Before the days of frequently televised games, young boys learned about a favorite player by listening to the games on the radio, and by reading a player's box-score statistics in the newspaper. I listened every night to the Philadelphia Phillies, Willie played on the San Francisco Giants, so my only chance to follow him live was when the two teams played, or during the All-Star game (he played in 24 of them). The every-day information came from the box-scores, which are a listing of the player's statistics for a game or a season. My daily sports page ritual was to pull the sports page from the paper, and before scrolling through the Phillies lineup, to find the Giants' game and Mays' daily "stats." They looked something like this:

Mays, W. 4 - 2 - 2. 

The more hits and rbi, the better I felt -- and the more convinced I was that nobody played the game like him.

Thanks Willie. I sure am enjoying the book.

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You can see "the Catch" on youtube here:

The Catch:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dK6zPbkFnE
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