Tags
best pizza crust, BYOB, chicken pizza, daily specials, date night, fast casual restaurant, Ft. Worth, fun restaurants, gluten-free pizza crust, gourmet grocery stores, great pizza value, inexpensive night out, Mansfield, miniature schnauzer, moving, Oliver's Fine Foods, Palio's Pizza Cafe, Pinot Noir, pizza reviews, reviews, Super Mom, wine, XY Zin, Zinfandel
I’ve been lied to. Well, maybe not lied to, exactly, but the horrors that awaited me were not adequately portrayed by those that have been there before me. All I can compare it to is the shadow of mystery surrounding what awaits you in childbirth. Women that have given birth seem to feel it is their duty to keep the awful truths under wraps so as not to completely bring humanity to a hault. Perhaps they make you sign something at the hospital? I don’t know, and I’m quite sure I can’t even trust my best friends on this one.
By this time you’re most likely wondering what in the world could possibly be this awful…you see, I moved. I was distracted by the excitement of NEW and DIFFERENT with no regard for the work that it takes to go from the OLD to the NEW. Friends tried to warn me that perhaps letting Danny handle everything with the movers on moving day was perhaps not the best plan. Danny and I talked it out, and we thought that he could surely handle where to put couches, beds, etc. How hard could it be? Sure, for a typical husband this may prove difficult, but I was confident a Super Husband could handle such a task. WRONG.
-Danny came up with the idea of “clothing cocoons.” Just wrap the clothes in moving plastic wrap with hanger in tact and tote to your new destination. Easy and clothes actually stay on the hanger! He was pleased as demonstrated by his weird grin.
Our best laid plans failed, closing dates were pushed back, and we ended up with a day and a half to get out of our old home and into the new one. Moving took everything we had working 12 hour days, so much so, that we had to call in reinforcements and we are not referring to the movers that we hired. We needed MUCH more help than they could provide…this was a job for….Super Mom. I can’t even describe how wonderfully she came through for us. I’ll just say that anything from packing to unpacking was done, and done with a smile. I had no idea that I would need so much help just setting up the new place. Not to worry though, Super Mom was there, as well as Kristin (sister #3) to put the kitchen and bathrooms into fully functional (and decorated!) order!
In the middle of moving, I learned that my brain had turned to mush when it came to anything outside of home-related issues. Picking out patio furniture…check. Curtains…check. Remembering how to perform the most familiar functions at work….ummm…not so much. The first day back to work was awful, as my mind betrayed me time and time again. Gradually, I’m feeling like I’m back in control of my cognitive abilities again. In summary, moving, much like pregnancy, can mess you up.
When moving, eating becomes more difficult. Everything you own is packed and the last thing you want to do is make the kitchen messy. Let’s just say we’ve eaten a LOT of pizza lately. Good thing for you, it just so happens that it’s led to me discovering the most wonderful pizza place in Mansfield, TX: Palio’s Pizza Cafe. This BYOB pizza-delivering restaurant establishment is my new LOVE! The prices are fantastic, the atmosphere is cozy, the pizza is perfection, and you can bring your favorite wine along with you. I think I could stop this blog post right here and you would amply get the picture of how amazing I think this place is just from that last sentence.
This is a fast casual restaurant where you place your order at the front before you sit down. They have an every day Manager’s special where you basically buy one gourmet pizza at regular price and get the second one 50% off. They also have lunch and Mon-Wed dinner specials too. For two large pizzas we paid about $25, which is not bad for a dinner out for 4 people. While I was busy working on a Greek salad, Danny took off to the wine bar to serve us up ZY Zin Zinfandel, 2009 Vine Age Series from California (purchased from Oliver’s Fine Foods, which is also in Mansfield). I am greatly enjoying the sweetness of the Zinfandels (note this is a red wine, not the pink colored wine you might be thinking) and have been supplementing them for Pinot Noirs come lately.
Palio’s values high quality ingredients and this is evident with each bite. After researching a bit, I found that chicken is a well-loved topping here and knew that I wanted to try it out so we opted for the Molly’s and The King.
Oh, how I wish there would have been better lighting because these pictures just do not do the pizza justice! The King pizza was good, but nothing extra special. The best pizza of the evening award goes to Molly. Perfection from the crispy bottom of the crust to the slightly chewy top of the crust to the dancing flavors blending with cheeses. With one bite, you know you will be returning time and time again. I’ve found myself numerous times trying to figure out an excuse to get to Mansfield to have this pizza…and this is coming from a girl that has just moved and eaten her fair share of slices over the past week. Palio’s is different. They prepare their gourmet pizzas in such a way that even if a person has already had pizza for lunch that day, they most likely will still be excited if the option of Palio’s presents itself for dinner. It’s a great place to sit and catch up with friends over a bottle of wine. It blows my mind that pizza this good is available for delivery. Really??!! The chain establishments in Mansfield should be out of business by now. No one in their right mind would choose generic old delivery when Palio’s is an option!
The move was exhausting and it will take weeks to recover I’m sure. If I EVER have to do this again, rest assured I’ll happily follow through with Danny’s move in tradition of having pizza the first night in a new home. With any luck, it’ll be from Palio’s Pizza Cafe….it just may be the only way to ever get me to move again.
What to Order:
1. Molly’s pizza – if you like chicken on your pizza….or even if you don’t, you might be surprised wit this one!
2. Greek salad
….and don’t forget to bring your own bottle of wine!
I’d love to know what other items people have tried and loved? I’ve only been once, but I’m sure I’ll be back time and time again 🙂