It was the usual Christmas week in Texas, and our house full of family and critters kept us home inside most of the time. For the day we did plan to visit Forth Worth, I did my best to work in at least one pizza stop. Having attacked this town pretty hard over the years, there seemed to be little left for me to discover. However, I eventually found Rocco’s Wood Fired Pizza. While my plans for it to be our lunch destination failed, I was able to sneak in later in the day with my son, The Kid.

We found Rocco’s in a small strip center on a little side street off of and running parallel to Camp Bowie, the town’s main commercial thoroughfare. The room was all counter and oven except for a small round table off to the side. While I had a vision of us sharing our pie at that table, I was surprised to found out that Rocco’s was delivery and take-out only. I guess that the pizza gods were watching over me in having helped me avoid the embarrassment of taking the family there for lunch.

This surprise made me lose my concentration, and in an odd moment, the Snob miss-ordered his pizza. Being a non-slice-offering wood-fired joint, I know that we would be entering the realm of the unusual, and I chose the Margherita off of the Specially Pizza section not seeing that I could have done my more customary plain cheese pie option instead. This choice however looked really to be nothing more than a set up for creating a pizza convoluted with distracting toppings. In the end this blunder would prove to be a success.

Our pie was the 12-inch medium for $12.99 with the menu-oddity of the only other size offered being an “XL.” They said it would take ten minutes, and I don’t think it even took that long for the wood to toast it up for us.

With no place to sit, we were left no alternative but to consume the pizza in our vehicle. The Kid and I enjoying our time together in the front seat sampling what would turn out to be a delightful pizza diversion. We wound up greatly enjoying our pizza as did our wives who extinguished our leftovers on the drive home.

While this pizza was sure different for me, it was nonetheless PDG (“pretty darn good”). After getting over the shock of seeing sliced tomatoes and basil leaves on top of my pizza, the crust was the first thing to get my attention. On top it had bubbled-up toasty in some spots, and the bottom had a solid char that held it all together good and crisp. This chewy crust was the star of the show since the top was otherwise fairly dry—absent of any tomato sauce with only scant traces of mozzarella cheese graced only with a light touch of olive oil. All of the ingredients however were amazingly fresh. I may need to give them another try some time with my more usual order.

The Kid liked it too and also pointed out to me that Rocco’s had a wall full of local pizza awards. (Aesthetically-conscious, he was also impressed that the menu on the wall had white text on a black background. He thought it looked more “Italian.”)

Let’s just say that although this is not my style, Rocco’s are sure good at what they do. I think the ladies also agreed. Just one question remains—why was that table there if you can’t eat inside?

PIZZA SNOB RATING ***1/2 Working on a Good Thing  

Rocco’s Wood Fired Pizza
5716 Locke Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76107
817-731-4466
www.roccosfortworth.com