Cane Rosso
Margherita – half prosciutto cotto
Bag of Zeppole – Chocolate and Caramel Sauces
Iced Espresso
Separated from breakfast by a long visit to the Lady Bird Johnson Botanical Garden, Mardi Gras lunch was the first in a highly anticipated trio of Texas pizzerias – Deep Ellum’s oft raved purveyor of authentic Neapolitan pies, Cane Rosso. Owned and operated by Jay Jerrier and focused on strict VPN standards including a wood-burning oven, “00” flour-based dough proofed in a separate dough room, sauce crushed from San Marzanos, plus house pulled fior di latte it was to a nearly full house and the sounds of Led Zeppelin I that I arrived and cozying up to the bar my order was swift, service was superb, and ten minutes later my lightly charred pie arrived. As standard-marking a pizza as can be ordered in such a place, half garnished with nutty prosciutto, it can only be said that Canne Rosso’s Margherita is exactly as good as its ingredients and although the purist in me would have liked to see a DOP with imported mozzarella the house version was impressively grassy and a fine balance to springy blistered crust and bright acid. Intrigued by dessert and hand pulled shots of espresso it was on my bartender’s recommendation that I skipped the signature calzone and tiramisu in favor of light Italian Donuts, unstuffed and featuring the same delicate dough quality as the pizzas, beneath a mountain of sugar harkening NOLA beignets…good on their own, but all the better with sidecars of rich chocolate and house made caramel I’d swear to be spiked with rum given its depth of flavor, though my server swore it was not.
