Pizza News

Rock 'n' roll pizza restaurant plies pies near Rangers stadium in Arlington

Pizza is on the menu at Rock Wood Fired Kitchen in Arlington.

Photo courtesy of Rock Wood Fired Kitchen

Arlington is the newest home to Rock Wood Fired Kitchen, a gourmet pizza restaurant chain from Washington state with a rock 'n' roll vibe.

The restaurant is adjacent to Globe Life Park and Six Flags, and is the third location in Texas, following branches in Fort Worth and Wylie, according to president and co-founder Don Bellis. It takes over the space formerly occupied by the Trail Dust Steak House, which closed in 2015. But The Rock kept its signature 1970s metal neon sign, which is kind of cool.

"Trail Dust was an Arlington institution, and we’re honored to incorporate their iconic sign into our decor," says co-founder Jay Gigandet in a release, noting that it fits in with the crumbling brick, wrought iron, and rusted-out classic truck above the bar.

The menu includes pizzas from a wood-fired oven, each inspired by its own rock royalty namesake; burgers; pasta; sandwiches; salads; appetizers; and a signature alcoholic beverage called The Bucket. The menu evolves: Guests can submit recipes to be battle-tested in locations across the country.

The new restaurant will be open daily with late hours, from 11:30 am to midnight. It will be No. 22 for the chain, which has one location in Alaska, three in Colorado, three in Texas, three in Oregon, and 11 in Washington including the first branch that opened in Tacoma in 1995.

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Doughnut News

Luscious doughnut shop Duck Donuts makes Fort Worth debut

Photo courtesy of Visit Addison

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A decadent new doughnut shop is coming to Fort Worth: Duck Donuts, a North Carolina-based chain known for serving doughnuts made to order, will open a shop at 6387 Camp Bowie Blvd. #A within the Ridglea Plaza Shopping Center in Fort Worth.

According to a release, the shop will open on Saturday December 21 at 7 am.

Duck Donuts opened its first locations in 2007 in the beach resort towns of Duck and Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with the intention to create an oasis for vacationers. They're now headquartered in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and began franchising in 2013, with more than 150 locally owned and operated shops across 26 states and international locations. There was previously a DFW location in Addison on Belt Line Road that opened in 2020 but it did not survive the pandemic.

The Fort Worth shop is owned and operated by husband-and-wife Justin and Morgan Thomas.

“We are delighted to be opening in Fort Worth,” Justin says in a statement. “The community has been patiently waiting for us to open our doors, and now we cannot wait to sprinkle happiness to all with our warm, delicious and made-to-order doubhnuts.”

The 1,035-square-foot shop reflects the franchise’s reimagined design which gives a modern twist on their iconic beach theme and family-friendly atmosphere. Upon entering the store, customers are greeted by the aroma of warm, light vanilla cake doughnuts.

Customers can create their own combination by choosing from coatings, toppings, and drizzles, including traditional favorites such as chocolate icing with sprinkles and more adventurous creations such as maple icing with bacon.

Key to their appeal is the viewing area where children and adults alike can watch their doughnuts being made.

Many of their flavors have a beachy theme such as the Beach, a cake doughnut with vanilla icing dusted with cinnamon sugar; the Sunrise with lemon icing and raspberry drizzle; and the Beach Ball with vanilla icing, rainbow sprinkles, and chocolate drizzle.

They rotate in seasonal offerings such as the current lineup of mint-flavored flavors including chocolate icing with mint buttercream. The doughnuts themselves are limited to vanilla and chocolate cake; the flavors come primarily from icing.

In addition to doughnuts, the Fort Worth location will serve coffee, doughnut breakfast sandwiches, doughnut sundaes — in which a doughnut is topped with ice cream and syrup — plus frozen beverages and milkshakes.

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