Sunday, November 2, 2008

Pizza at Southbrook - September 21, 2008

A friend of mine insisted that I just had to get to Southbrook, and soon, to try the new and limited time "pulled pork pizza". Seems he had been doing a little talking with the chef the night before and knowing my love for pulled pork called me immediately. As it turned out I was in the area for the Wine Festival and had an opportunity to drop in and try this much-lauded creation.

Upon my arrival I bumped into one of my favorite sommeliers in the area, Archie Hood; you'd recognize Archie in a heartbeat - it's the mustache that's his claim to fame (click on the picture to play the "Who is the Real Archie" game.). He greeted me with his usual warm, jovial smile.

"Archie," I said, after our hellos and long-time-no-see greeting, "word on the street is you've got a pulled pork pizza." Archie's smile widened.

"Yes we do." He replied. "Word travels fast I see; we just launched it yesterday - would you like me to set you up with one?"

Archie disappeared out the door to the outdoor patio/kitchen (as opposed to the indoor event kitchen) where the wood burning pizza oven is located. A number of tables are set up out there for people to enjoy their pie and a glass of wine – but it was rainy and cold today, so I opted for the indoor eating experience.

Archie came back and offered up a glass of wine with "lunch" (it was about 2:00, Southbrrok serves till 3pm) ... he poured the 2006 Triomphe Syrah, a fairly light bodied red with nice flavours of sour cherry and, surprisingly, pink grapefruit (I swear it).

The pizza came, made on a vinifera additive dough (you have a choice between regular or this special variety), it's loaded with iron and reservatrol because the flour has the pips and skins ground up and added to it, and it also gives the dough a brownish-red color. Archie informed me that Southbrook offers three pizzas on a two week cycle - meaning that there are always three different pizzas every couple of weeks … so don't get too attached to one; each is paired with a wine: white, red or sweet. The pulled pork proved very popular, so popular in fact that the chef had to come back on Sunday morning to make a new batch of pulled pork for the toppings because they ran out on Saturday. Here’s hoping it comes back because it was very good.

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