Coal Vines Big Apple pies with a side of grape juice

Formerly keeping the streets safe for people -- but now keeping them safe for pizza -- is the man behind Coal Vines: an ex-NYC cop who, upon moving to Dallas, missed his hometown pies so much he started a business that's now expanded into the W base-space, walled with wine bottles and B&Ws of icons like The Godfather and Old Blue Eyes (his NY nostalgia runs so deep, he even misses the Rats).

The thin-crusters are fired in a 700-degree coal-burning oven, with specialties ranging from the meaty Bolognese (w/ mozz & bechamel sauce) to the White Special (mozz, ricotta, Parm, sliced tomatoes, fresh garlic), with additional toppings counting the likes of cherry peppers and wild mushrooms, which unlike Mushrooms Gone Wild, know how to keep their caps on. The vined half of the equation boasts nearly 20 by-the-glass wines as well as higher-end stock from "Joe's Private Cellar" sold at up to half-off regular resto markups, including 2008 Ornellaia Serre Nuove (from a famous Tuscan estate, lauded as a "Wine of the Week" by the LA Times), 2006 BV Tapestry (a mix of five Bordeaux varietals which scored 93 by Wine Advocate), and 2007 Cakebread Napa Valley Cabernet, recipient of an SF Int'l Wine Competition Double-Gold, despite suspiciously low scores from the Russian River judge.

Not to forget the rest of the green, white, and red, they're also featuring Italientrees like baked eggplant, penne vodka, and a charcoal-roasted, lemoncillo-basted chicken, which, thanks to the tireless efforts of law enforcement, can now safely cross the road.