Il Cane Rosso Awards

Il Cane Rosso Restaurant Review:

Il Cane Rosso serves Neapolitan-style pizza in a charming vintage brick building on the edge of Dallas's rebounding Deep Ellum district. The centerpiece of the dining room is a red-tile-clad domed oven imported from Italy, stoked with wood, where the pizza is fired. Il Cane Rosso is certified by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association, meaning that it adheres to the standards of pizza made in Naples, Italy. Cooked quickly, the pizza boasts a flavorful crust with charred edges but a still-chewy center. Toppings match the quality of the crust. Owner Jay Jerrier makes his own mozzarella; procures his sausage from Dallas's premier Italian market, Jimmy's; and imports cold cuts from Salumeria Biellese in New York. Many of the pizzas are named after Jerrier's beloved dogs, such as the Delia, an irresistible pie topped with mozzarella, grape tomatoes, arugula and tangy bacon marmalade. Sandwiches come on house-baked bread stacked with goodies such as sausage and peppers, and there's a daily pasta, also made in-house. Don't skip dessert: the Bella Mella pizza combines mascarpone with caramelized apples, and the s'mores calzone is a chocolate-and-marshmallow dream. The large patio is a hipster hangout that helps offset the mobs who wait up to an hour for a table on weekend nights.