Pinthouse Pizza

Pizza and beer. Is there a better combination? Okay, so maybe my mom's homemade potstickers and kim chee are a better combination, but that's not always available, so sometimes you have to settle for pizza and beer. For those days, the new(ish) Pinthouse Pizza is there for you.

My first visit to Pinthouse was on a Friday night, after a particularly stressful day. It was LOUD. It was crowded. We had to hover over people for a while before we finally scored spots at the large communal tables that make up the majority of Pinthouse's seating. All of which, oddly enough, was just what I was wanting that night.

Full house.

With over 40 craft beers on the menu (including several house-made offerings), there's a little something for everyone. One of my favorite local beers, Live Oak Hefeweizen, was there. I also tried my first (and definitely not my last) Left Hand Milk Stout here. Delicious. 

In the pizza category, we tried a couple of different pies - an Armadillo (olive oil, artisan sausage, ricotta, cilantro, and poblano peppers) and a Cannonball (crumbled sausage, bacon, pepperoni, Canadian bacon). 

The Armadillo

Cannonball! (a word that demands to be shouted)

I loved the sausage and the fluffy, mild ricotta on the Armadillo, but wasn't fond of the poblano peppers in this context - I'm usually a poblano fan, but the way these were delivered made them taste too much like green peppers, which I don't love. The Cannonball (!) was surprisingly tasty, and I regretted having written it off as "boring" when I'd heard we were ordering one. 

As we were finishing up, my friend asked, "Top five pizzas in Austin?" Unfortunately, probably not - but maybe top ten? I can easily think of five pizzas I like much better (Bola Pizza, East Side Pies, Little Deli, Giovanni's, and Mandola's prosciutto and arugula), but from there the field drops off pretty quickly. That said, the festive atmosphere, the excellent beer selection, and Pinthouse's proximity to our house (also, their great lunch deal - small pizza, your choice of four generously-sized salads, and a drink for $9.50) will likely mean that I'll be back with some regularity, nonetheless.

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Cool Peeps - Perfect Pizza and Cake Pops

If it is true that a person is judged by the company they keep, I must be pretty damn cool.

Take last Tuesday, for instance. I was lucky enough to be invited to a pizza party thrown by Christian and Jamie Bowers, the dynamic duo behind Austin Food Journal. I've had a total blog crush on Austin Food Journal ever since I discovered it - informative writing with just the right amount of snark and just some beautiful, beautiful photography. Love.

Anyway, they throw pizza parties on a regular basis, where Christian breaks out his should-be-patented pizza recipe and goes to town. He starts with a perfect ball of dough - which, by the way, requires a three day process. This man is committed to making great pizza.

Then he gently spreads the crust out:



Adds some topping action:



Does some crazy chant thing:



(or maybe he was just adding some spices)

And cooks it in this oven.



I know, right? The mind boggles.

And yet...this emerges.


The Godfather - Kocurek Italian sausage, caramelized yellow onions and smoked mozzarella


The Polka Dot: parmesan, mozzarella, fried sage and cherry tomatoes


Perfection on a plate.

Christian's pizza photos are much, much, much better. Check 'em out here, here, here, here, and especially here. Luscious.

Oh, and speaking of amazing talent, you should also check out Jamie's gorgeous line of handmade jewelry. I especially enjoy the write-ups on her Brothers Grimm collection. Jewelry that empowers...what's not to love?

Totally unrelated, but further proof of the wonderful company I'm lucky enough to keep, is the amazing Kathy Phan(tastic). Check out these cake pops she sent me for Valentine's Day & Chinese New Year:




(This year is Year of the Tiger.)

She made these. Is that not incredible? She's also made Longhorn football pops, Twitter bird pops, panda pops, and even Conan O'Brien and Jay Leno pops. Also, here are some better photos of her Valentine pops, taken by her talented photographer sister, Tina.

I recently heard somebody say, "You can't cook in the bedroom, but you can make love in the kitchen." I love having friends and family who prove this true over and over again. Thanks, guys.

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Fill 'Er Up! - Giovanni's Pizza Stand

The luscious aroma of garlic and melted cheese fills the air. A tall, dark guy with a hairnet is moving deftly about, pulling piping hot pizzas out of a large pizza oven, boxing them up, and sautéeing chicken on the stove. A woman is preparing additional pizzas for the oven with a sprinkling of fresh mozzarella, and another guy takes a constant stream of phone orders.

I'll give you three guesses as to where you are.

Nope.

Nope.

Nope.

You're inside a Valero gas station.

I know, right?

But it's true. That's where Giovanni's Pizza Stand has moved, much to my confusion, as I'd seen multiple photos of their original digs in a little trailer. Fortunately, a Yelp reviewer mentioned that they had moved inside the gas station, so I pushed my doubts aside, circled the gas pumps, and found a place to park the car.

Then I saw this

and this



as I was walking up to the front door, and I knew I'd found the right place.

Stepping inside the Valero is an experience in and of itself. Most of the place looks like a regular old gas station convenience store, complete with Slurpee machine and racks of packaged "baked goods" that could survive a nuclear holocaust. But there is also a surprising selection of wine, and in the back of the store, the Giovanni's crew is camping out.



I asked the owner if Giovanni was his name, and he laughed and said, "Oh, it's a nickname." (had I re-read Jodi Bart's great writeup of Giovanni's before heading down there, I would've remembered that his name is Julio Rangel). Then he explained that he started his first business when he was in his early 20's, so he called it Giovanni's as sort of a play on words (giovane means "young" in Italian). The name stuck.

Out of its modest quarters, Giovanni's is now serving up pizza, pasta, and even breakfast tacos at reasonable prices considering the quality of the food. A medium cheese pizza is just $6; a large is $8, and toppings range from $1-$2 apiece (depending on the topping and the size of your pizza) and include such delights as shrimp, steak, chipotle pesto, basil pesto, roasted eggplant, gorgonzola, artichoke hearts, and portabella mushrooms. Pizza can also be purchased by the slice, and they'll custom top it for you. Pasta dishes run $8 with chicken, $9 with shrimp; oddly enough, the menu doesn't say how much the vegetarian selections cost.

I ordered a shrimp pizza with basil pesto, and it was one of the best pizzas I can ever remember having in Austin - quite possibly the best. The crust was perfect - thin and crispy, yet with a bit of chewiness to it so it wasn't like eating a pizza cracker. The shrimp were tender and not at all rubbery, and Julio had added some fresh basil and olive oil to the top, which made the entire thing wonderfully fragrant. I kept exclaiming, "Damn, this is good!" over and over as I worked my way through my pie.


Best pizza in Austin?


Slice cam.

Honestly, I think the quirky factor is part of what makes Giovanni's so delightful. The fact that this wonderful food is being made and served out of such unexpected quarters adds so much to the experience. It just goes to show that you can make anything special with a little love - even a gas station.

Giovanni's Pizza Stand
3010 S. Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 656-7033

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