New Pizza Restaurant Coming to Round Rock

A former Domino franchise owner is bringing wood fired pizza to downtown Round Rock. Jonathan Creasey has teamed up with Austin-based chef Adam Brick to open Fire in the Hole, a wood-fired pizza restaurant that will also serve up craft beer and "affordable" wines and cocktails. They will also be serving small plates and entrees like a Portuguese octopus. The restaurant is looking to open in March; the full press release is below.

NEW PIZZA RESTAURANT SLATED TO OPEN IN HISTORIC BUILDING
Jonathan P. Creasey has announced his new restaurant opening this Spring in Downtown Round Rock

ROUND ROCK, TX JANUARY 29TH, 2014 - Creasey, a former multi-store Domino's Pizza Franchisee from Birmingham, Alabama has abandoned the corporate chain to develop his own concept. The restaurant, called Fire In The Hole, will be what Creasey calls "something different, more creative and personal." The concept will be simple: pizza and small plates cooked in their custom wood burning oven made by the New York Brick Oven Company. The restaurant, housed in a historic building and designed by JS Interiors, will seat 120 people, with both an indoor space built centrally around the pizza oven and bar, and an outdoor patio with its own bar and glass fire pit. Creasey has teamed up with Austin-raised Chef Adam Brick to serve food with what he calls "the best product we can get our hands on."

Brick, who just returned home from stints in New York City and Washington DC, says serving food that is "honest and accessible" is the main reason why he left his posts in the north-east. Brick has worked for some of the country's great chefs including Daniel Boulud at restaurant Daniel, David Chang, Charlie Palmer and more recently for Mike Isabella in DC. Just 26 years old, Brick plans an ambitious menu of small plates with ingredients that are both familiar and a little different. Expect classic pizzas like a margherita, but also unique items like a asian pear marinated with yuzu, stracciatella cheese and freeze dried green peppercorns. "Price is key," says Brick. He cites inspirational restaurants like Daniel saying, "Yes I would love to serve truffles, wild grouse and langoustines, but at the end of the day if my own parents can't afford to eat at the restaurant, what's the point?" Expect small plates from $5 to some dishes around $14 like Brick's Portuguese octopus with urfa chili, local radishes and meyer lemon.

Creasey notes that his ambition has been to serve what he calls "wood fired pizza and brew," and thus will have up to 20 local and national beers on tap with many more in cans and bottles. They have teamed up with Joshua Karsh of Houston to run the beverage program and Patrick McElmurray of Round Rock to oversee the front of house operations. Similar to the layout of the pizza menu, the restaurant will offer a value-driven wine and cocktail list based on the same familiar vs the adventurous concept. Brick says, "We want people to order what they are comfortable with however at the same time we want to reward customers for taking risks." Expect wines from $7 to $12 and cocktails around the same price range.

The restaurant will be open for 6 dinners a week, transitioning to a full lunch, brunch and dinner restaurant shortly thereafter. Creasey says, "We are very committed to the Round Rock's dining scene, when I arrived a year ago it seemed like there was only chain restaurants. We think Round Rock deserves something more." Expect to see the restaurant open in early March.
· All Coming Soon [EATX]