Celestina Blok
Fort Worth Restaurant Correspondent
Il Cane Rosso announced Wednesday that it will open a Fort Worth location in the former Ryan’s Fine Grocer and Delicatessen space at 815 W. Magnolia Ave. Owner Jay Jerrier says he’s been looking to find a spot on Magnolia Ave. for more than a year.
“We’ve had a couple of close calls for different spaces, but the deals all cratered for one reason or another,” said Jerrier via email. “We really wanted to be on the South side and on Magnolia, so we tried to remain patient.”
Cane Rosso (Italian for “red dog”) serves thin crust pizza, but it’s not New York-style. The pizza kitchen uses wood-burning ovens imported from Naples to create authentic Neapolitan pizza that adheres to the strict guidelines of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana – a watchdog group that protects the classification of “true Neapolitan pizza.” Pizzas are blazed for 75 seconds at 900 degrees, leading to a slightly charred crust and bubbling cheeses. The method has drawn pizza fans to descend on Cane Rosso’s Dallas locations in droves since the first locale opened in Deep Ellum in 2011.
Jerrier says he’s hoping to be open in Fort Worth by Thanksgiving, “but it depends on how permitting goes and how long it takes the oven to get here from Naples.”
Remodeling of the former Ryan’s space will include adding a pizza kitchen and bar, along with a couple of restrooms.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to move quickly,” Jerrier said.
In the meantime, Cane Rosso fans, or those who haven’t tried the restaurant’s pizza yet, can visit Times Ten Cellars at 1100 Foch St. every Thursday and Friday evening when the pizzeria hauls its mobile pizza oven to Fort Worth.
“We will keep going at Times Ten even once we open Magnolia,” Jerrier said. “Times Ten has always been so great to us. We’re really looking forward to getting open in Fort Worth. We’re going to move as fast as we can.”