GARLAND, Texas — Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, in Dallas for TX-OU weekend and to experience the always over-the-top foods at the State Fair of Texas, may have had a bit of a bumpy start to his most recent North Texas visit -- but he got a little fortunate (pun intended) during a sojourn he took to the suburb of Garland.
On Friday, Portnoy -- famous for (among other things) his One Bite Pizza Reviews in which he rates slices on a zero to 10 scale -- stopped by the Garland pizza shop and beer garden Fortunate Son for his latest round of DFW-area pizza critiques.
Fortunate Son opened earlier this year, the latest venture from the team behind Goodfriend Beer Garden & Burger House, a staple of the northeast Dallas neighborhood of Casa Linda since its opening in 2011.
Portnoy, a controversial figure in some circles, takes pride in supporting small businesses. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced restaurants across the country to cease their operations overnight, he launched The Barstool Fund, which has since raised more than $41.6 million for more than 440 businesses in need. His viral reviews, not unlike those of the similarly viral food reviewer Keith Lee, can also often be a boon for the businesses he visits -- presuming he likes what he tastes.
In the spring, Portnoy gave fairly decent reviews to two local shops he tried while in town for the NBA Finals, rating Downtown Dallas spot Pizza Leila a 7.2 and giving the iconic Louie's on Henderson Avenue a 7.6. Out of more than a thousand spots sampled, Portnoy has only rated 21 slices a 9.0 or higher.
Portnoy's visit to Fortunate Son, much like his current Dallas visit, started off a little rocky. Initially, Portnoy ordered The Original, a cheese-less tomato pie, when he intended to order the more straightforward The Basic, which comes topped with mozzarella. After sorting out the mistake, and giving the restaurant some constructive criticism about its naming decisions, Portnoy did his usual "one bite, everyone knows the rules" bit.
Turns out, he quite enjoyed the second slice he was served.
After complimenting the pie's crispy dough -- the pizza had a "great undercarriage," Portnoy said -- he proclaimed that the pizza "passes the muster" and offered one of the shop's chefs a handshake as he doled out an 8.1 rating. That score puts Fortunate Son in the top 15 percentile of Portnoy reviews, and immediately makes it his favorite pizzeria in the area.
Watch the whole review here:
