Pies and Pints

 Over the summer, Dennis and I were driving through Charleston, WV, and decided to stop downtown for lunch.  One of the places I noticed was a restaurant called, Pies and Pints.  The menu featured lots of foodie driven pizza options--Grape Pie, Thai Pie, Mediterranean Shrimp Pie--and great microbrews on tap.  Unfortunately, at the time, Dennis and I were looking for something a bit cheaper and easier, so we opted for a more traditional Italian pizza place down the street.

When I moved to Lincoln and saw that there was a Pies and Pints, I was a little excited to get the chance to finally try one.  So, on Thursday Dennis and I had a date night and went to the Haymarket area of downtown to give it a shot.

Yuppied, trendy pizza place this Pies and Pints is not.  Catering to UNL college students, they offer reasonable pizza and cheap beer.  Students always gets 10% of regular prices with idea; lunch specials feature two slices and a soda for around $5.00; another special features a pint of Sam Adams and a personal pizza for $7.50.  On Thursday, we were able to get a pitcher of Miller for $6.00 and a large Supreme Pizza for $2.00 off.  Ultimately, not a bad deal.

The menu does have some pretty playful pizzas.  I'd like to try the double entendre ridden pizza, the  "Flaming Head," a pizza topped with chicken, sausage, Tabasco, jalapenos, mushrooms, and optional habenaros.  There is also "Wisconsin Best," bacon, macaroni, cheddar sauce, mozzarella, and cheddar.

So, though not the Pies and Pints experience I thought I was going to get, it was overall a success.  Nothing fancy, it is what it is--a nice college hangout with tasty food, pool, skee ball, and beer. 

Pizza Improv

As mentioned on Sunday, I decided to try my hand at making pizza dough.  While I was at Trader Joe’s getting the ingredients for the dough, I picked up a couple of topping options.  Combining those with things in the pantry, I did a little Pizza Improv to get together a great toppings embellishment to go with my pizza dough attempt. 

In total, I had 16 options for sauce and toppings:

1.) Breakfast Pizza

The first option could be a “Breakfast Pizza.”  For this, combine rosemary, butter, olive oil, lemon zest, and capers to make a sauce.   Then, add fresh arugula, mozzarella, tomatoes, and cooked pancetta for toppings.  Cook for half of its time, then take out of the oven, crack the eggs on top, and cook for the remainder.  

Yummy, yet not quite what I’m craving, and maybe not fancy enough to show of the crust.  A keeper for another day. 

2.) Meat and Potatoes

Another route would be to go with a manly meat and potatoes option.  For this, I’d sauté the onions in a pan, add the tomato soup and rosemary, then reduce to a sauce.  Then, I’d crisp up the pancetta and parboil the potatoes.  Give the dough a generous smear of sauce, top with potatoes, pancetta, Parmesan, and mozzarella.

Tasty, but a little more labor intensive than I wanted. 

3.) Arugula Pesto

Make a pesto out of olive oil, arugula, capers, almonds, and Parmesan.  Smear on pizza dough, then top with tomatoes, mozzarella, the crisped pancetta, and Parmesan.  Cook the full time.  Then, remove from the oven, add avocados, and place under the broiler for a minute. 

Overall, the combination made for a nice decadent, but fairly fresh, topping for handmade, wheat pizza dough.      

Sunday in Charlottesville: Crozet Pizza

This month’s Food Network Magazine featured 50 Pizzas from 50 States.  The pizzeria they selected fom Virginia was Crozet Pizza.  Since we were in Crozet visiting Starr Hill, it just made sense to stop by and see what the "Best Slice in Virginia" tastes like.  

The Food Network pizza of choice was the white mushroom, which combines shitake and portabella mushrooms and a sauce of herbs and olive oil.  I’m not always a fan of mushrooms, but wanted to see what the "best slice in Virginia" tasted like.  It was pretty fantastic.  There was earthiness and muskiness, but none of the weird mushroom texture.  Plus, a healthy sprinkling of thyme and oregano added extra earthiness, helping make the mushrooms simple and full. 

But best pizza for the state?  

After finishing, I found myself wondering how Food Network came up with their criteria.  I rechecked the write-up, and they highlighted the crust and combination of mushrooms.  Ellie and I both agreed that we really enjoyed the pizza, but neither of us felt that it was the best pizza we had ever had in Virginia. As mushroom pizzas go, this was the best mushroom I’ve had and probably will have, but the "best" for Virginia? 

I’ve never been comfortable with “best” designations.  Whether it be films, books, songs, or food, whenever anyone asks me “what is the best . . . ,” I usually blank.  I can’t think of any movie I’ve seen or restaurants that I’ve gone to or foods I've eaten.  I'm intrigued when someone else can use the term "best" with such proficiency because God knows I can't.  Don’t get me wrong, I really love watching shows like Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate . . .” series.  In fact, I actually had to stop watching them because I was irrationally starving after every episode and nothing I had in my house matched the 30-minutes of delicacies and dishes I been drooling over.    

I think the biggest fault I have with this superlative is that how can my criteria be your criteria, my tastes your tastes, my expectations your expectations?  When I come across “best” lists, I try nowadays to expect that it will good, maybe great, but how can a list know what is my preeminent slice when I, myself, usually have a hard time deciding what I think is tops.  I can usually say this is the best of a thing I’ve had to date, but I doubt it will go down as the best ever.  If at 29 I have the best slice of pizza of my life or best meal of my life, wouldn't that be sad?    

Do I have to even know what is the best?  Silly question and somewhat rhetorical, I know, but really, think about it.  As food writers and bloggers, it is very alluring to weigh down in authority on what you recommend, what you qualify, what you call the best.  Why?  Can’t we settle for, go try it and here's evidence as to why.  Or, recommend that if in getting pizza in Virginia, got to Crozet pizza because there is a mushroom pizza there that is worth trying.   Does it have to be the best in Virginia?  Can it be, universally for all, the "best?"