Archive for June, 2010

Because You Only Get One Chance To Make A First (Pies) Impression

Monday, June 21st, 2010
No Gravatar

Hi there, faithful Pies and Pints folks.  I’m writing this message one day after we last visited our new space at 222 Capitol Street in Charleston. We just took our entire management team there to conduct a walkthrough of the planned renovations.   Our hope was to gain a little perspective on the new Pies with some seasoned-but-fresh eyes.

Here’s the verdict: We will not be able to be open this summer without compromising our extremely high standards of service and food quality.  We’re moving the grand opening to fall.

Like this, but open.

Most of you really, really like Pies & Pints in Fayetteville.  And we know exactly how we’ve won your business: by assembling a team of highly qualified people in our kitchen and in our dining room, and by serving up the goods. Thanks to you, our customers, business has exploded in the seven years we’ve been in operation.

Most of you also know that Fayetteville thrives on a seasonal economy, which basically ends the day after Bridge Day.  With that in mind, we’ve decided to push back the opening of our Charleston location until after Bridge Day (always the third Saturday in October).  That way, we can use our Fayetteville team to help with all the ins and outs of opening of the Charleston restaurant.

And that just makes sense.  We want to bring you the best we can.  And they’re in Fayetteville right now.  They will be until the fall.

Charleston, listen- we love you.  Things are moving along pretty much as planned.  Renovations are in progress, licenses are in place, staffing is in progress and backing is plentiful.  We’ll just be a little later in opening, to ensure our high standards are there at our new location on day one.  We are definitely coming.

Something to keep in mind, too, is that we’re new to this.  We’ve never opened a second location.  Our goal isn’t just to sell pizza and beer;  We want to be a pillar of what we see as that rebirth and renaissance of downtown Charleston (and also sell a lot of pizza and beer).  Just take a look at our neighbors.  We’re sharing the block with Taylor Books and Ellen’s Ice Cream, two businesses who’ve helped build the downtown we’re becoming a part of.   If we want to be up to the task, we better make sure we do it right.

Sincerely folks, we only want to provide you with impeccable service, handcrafted pizza, and premium beer. So we’re going to take some extra time, fine tune our kitchen, polish our silverware, and aim for a late October early November opening. Thanks, and we’ll see you in the glorious West Virginia fall.

P.S.  We’re working on something interesting to make up for the delay.  Something very… Pies-And-Pints-ish.  Details to come, everybody.

The 5 Best Pizza Toppings You’ve Never Tried

Friday, June 11th, 2010
No Gravatar

Pepperoni.  Sausage.  Mushrooms.

Yawn.

Sorry.  That stuff’s great and all, but don’t you get tired of the same old faces staring back up at you from your pie?  Jeez, mix it up, will ya?

Aw Yeah

Here’s a quick list of some of the stuff we’re using for pizza toppings at Pies and Pints.  Try something different the next time you come in, or, even better, try something new at home and tell us about it.  It might end up on the menu.  Seriously.

1.)  Red Grapes. Yup, the grape is where it’s at.  There’s that sweetness, with the slight bite from the skin, that just sets off a completely different flavor than you expect.  Best used with liberal amounts of rosemary.  Plus, they’re juicy!

2.) Toasted Coconut.  If you really want an exotic flavor with your pizza, toasted coconut is the way to go.  Not only do you get seafood and smoke undertones, but the texture is unbeatable.  We use it with shrimp and cilantro on out Thai Pie.

3.)  Eggplant.  Our favorite purple vegetable (suck on it, cabbage!) adds a savory taste to pizza, even without adding meat.  Try it with either red or white sauce, and add some roasted garlic to really make it pop.

4.)  Marinated Pulled Pork.  No, not barbecue.  Something more subtle, really bringing out the flavor of the meat.  There are a couple ways you can go here- we use it cuban style, with caramelized onions and jalapenos.

5.)  Gorgonzola/Artichoke Hearts (tie). It’s hard to choose here.  On the one hand, gorgonzola is a way to take pizza in an entirely different direction, sharp and hefty.  The hearts are just the right texture (smooth) to round out their understated flavor, even the marinated ones.

Might have to combine those last two, maybe add some ground italian sausage.  We can make that happen for you.

What do you think?  What are we missing?