A quick review of Timber Pizza
/Timber Pizza Co. had their portable brick oven set up at the Kennedy Street Festival on Saturday, and getting a pizza from them was high on my list of to-do's for the day. By the time I got there, there were only three pizza doughs left -- they clearly had a good day, and I clearly was lucky to get there in time.
I finally got the chance to meet owners Andrew Dana and Chris Brady in person, after doing a phone interview with Andrew a few weeks back. Both are very excited about opening up the restaurant on Upshur Street later in the winter (though with the amount of work 809 Upshur St needs, I'm thinking this might be an early 2016 opening).
Then we got down to the business at hand, and I ordered a half-pepperoni, half-cheese pizza (a small one to split with the family). I watched Andrew stretch the dough, put the sauce on, then the two kinds of cheese (low-moisture mozzarella/provolone, fresh mozzarella), then a couple of thin pepperoni slices.
Into the brick oven it went with the long-handled pizza spatula. Before I knew it, "Pizza coming out!" was shouted and the pizza came back out of the oven, steaming and bubbling. After walking around the festival for a few hours, at this moment my growling stomach and I were both very focused on the pizza.
Over it went to Chris, who offered to put on basil (and they had some very fresh-looking basil waiting) but I declined -- not sure my 4 year old would go for it. Chris then grabs a large "rocker" pizza cutter and quickly cuts the pie up into 4 large slices. The pie went onto a perfectly cut, perfectly sized round piece of cardboard and I think I mumbled a quick "thanks" as my impatient appetite pulled me over to the entryway of a closed business where my family was sitting and waiting.
This was a good pizza. The cheese was thick and melty, and there was good oil on the pizza without making a total mess everywhere. The bottom of the crust had that slight wood-burnt crunch, and the edge soft and thick. It folded up perfectly. The pepperoni was tasty -- cut thin so the flavor was there but it didn't overwhelm the slice. I was really hoping the pizza would be good, and Timber Pizza did not disappoint.
My 4-year old daughter said, chewing around her second piece, "Daddy, when they open, I want to go eat there every night." Yeah, me too.
You can try them out for yourself this upcoming weekend. Timber Pizza Co. will be at the Petworth Jazz Project on Saturday, June 27th at the Petworth Park (6pm - 9pm). I highly recommend you show up to grab a pizza -- before they run out of dough.
Find them online at TimberPizza.com.