Brewer's Pizza

Orange Park doesn't get any love. At times it can be the very pinnacle of suburban nightmare; impossible traffic, big box stores, and boring chain restaurants ad nauseum. But there is hope. One small pizzeria with big goals arrived late last year to challenge the entrenched chain restaurants and capture the hearts of the local patrons. And from the looks of it, they just might pull it off.

Blanding is usually the last place I'd want to be on a Friday night but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited. Beyond the delight in taking my allowed one-day-a-week break from a diet to indulge in food and drink that was denied me during the other six, all that I had been reading about Brewer's Pizza led me to believe that a real treat was in store. Even when not following a food regimen, pizza is seldom a food I choose to consume except in extraordinary cases involving super thin crusts. But Brewer's Pizza, with its flagship "Florida Smacker" deep dish pizza, was rumored to be qutie an extraordinary case itself. How the pizza fared was yet to be determined but there was one thing that was absolutely certain: the quality of the beer was going to be amazing.

While their on-premises brewing operation has yet to start, Brewer's Pizza offers more than 20 outstanding American craft brews on tap; a decent number of which come from Florida's best microbrews which, of course, includes Jacksonville's very own Bold City Brewery and Intuition Ale Works. We were very fortunate to visit while they still had some Hopslam, a highly regarded and widely coveted Double India Pale Ale brewed with six different varieties of hops and a bit of honey by Bell's Brewery in Michigan. This beer currently sits at #7 on Beer Advocate's list of the "Top Beers On Planet Earth" and wholly deserves that honor. This is one legendary beer and one of the few such masterpieces available in our region. The rest of the beer menu may not be quite as epic but they're all quality choices, making Brewer's Pizza the only place to go in the Westside/Orange Park area for a good pint.

Alas, not everyone is so blown away by the prospect of occasionally indulging in a good fermented beverage. Fortunately, Brewer's Pizza brings as much attention to quality and detail to their pizza craft as they do their beer. Their signature pie, The Florida Smacker, is a deep dish, pan pizza made with beer dough and baked until the corners are crispy to the point of being lightly charred. Even for those of us who outright dismiss deep dish pizzas as a rule, giving this one a try is a definite must. The dough is exemplary, without parallel among local pizzerias.

But perhaps its unfair to make such comparisons when, as far as I know, there really aren't any other pizzerias in town doing deep dish pizzas. However, for regular thick crust pizza there are many competitors with whom to draw comparisons. Again, Brewer's Pizza are the unequivocal champions of this craft. It's primarily the dough which earns them such honors but the generous slathering of savory sauce and fresh topping certainly help tip the scales in their favor.

Just a block down from the Orange Park Mall, the location may be less than ideal and the converted strip mall store interior may be a touch awkward but Brewer's Pizza has a lot to offer. Much to my delight, the place was quite busy so, I'd say the local patrons appreciate all they're doing. Even though they might not single-handedly change the Orange Park dining landscape, there's a good chance that their success will result in the appearance of some more quality places to eat and drink. Above all, they've given those of us scattered around the other parts of town a great reason to visit Orange Park.




Brewer's Pizza
14B Blanding Blvd
Orange Park, FL 32073
(904) 276-5159

Moon River Pizza

A great restaurant doesn't just make good food. And really, when was the last time that incredible service alone brought you back to a place for seconds? The combination of these two elements is critical but still isn't enough to elevate a restaurant above the ordinary. The key quality of a great restaurant is its ability to capture and reflect the atmosphere and culture of the borough in which it resides. From the decor and ambiance to the philosophy and attitude; anywhere that can play to the qualities of their surrounding environment will almost certainly find success in spite of the food.

When walking into Moon River Pizza one gets the overwhelming feeling that this, of all surrounding haunts, is the definitive Murray Hill restaurant. Paying homage to the intersection of the artistic and working class communities of New York, the template of the Murray Hill ideal, Moon River is as gritty and edgy as it is tasty.

Without a doubt, Moon River is the most aesthetically in-tune pizza joint in town , just take a look at the menu. In concordance with their artistic proclivities, they also do some of the most non-traditional things with their pies, like offering white cheddar cheese in lieu of mozzarella. While this may be enough to make an Italian cry, I'm of the opinion that a good sharp cheddar cheese on the top of a pizza is just about the most delicious thing you can do to a pizza.

Despite this, we decided to go with a traditional pizza using the inferior cheese. The Vegetarian is topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, onions, olives and fresh garlic; all in great abundance. Quite an extraordinary example of a pizza indeed but next time we're definitely going to need to try The Pizza: spinach, mushrooms, garlic, and white cheddar cheese.

Anyone who reads regularly knows of my overbearing beer snobbery and Moon River gets a thumbs up for having some good quality brews on tap. Therefore, the next time you're in the mood for beer and pizza, do yourself a favor; don't think Domino's and Bud, think Moon River. You might absorb a little culture while you're at it.



Moon River Pizza
1176 Edgewood Avenue South
Jacksonville, FL 32205-0815
(904) 389-4442

Tommy's Pizza

I try to avoid pizza whenever possible, willfully abstaining when at events or work functions where free slices are in abundance. However, it's not the taste that fuels my aversion. A well made pizza is truly a sublime delight to eat. My avoidance instead stems from my desire to minimize the refined carbs in my diet and most pizzas, even of the thin crust variety, have an unnecessary amount of bread.

But master pizza chef Tommy d’Esterhazy of Tommy's Pizza has solved this problem for me. His hand-tossed pizza crusts are so thin that they more closely resemble tortillas than the bread bowls with a bit of cheese and sauce on top that you might get delivered to your door by one of the many large, unmentionable chain pizzerias. Tommy proudly constructs and serves traditional, New York-style pizza to us fortunate residents of the South. And while I know I thumbed my nose at the New York vs. Chicago pizza battle in my post about Al's Pizza a couple months ago because of my adulation of the original Neapolitan variety, it's the New-York style that most resembles this pinnacle of pizza-craft and Tommy's Pizza is about as close as you can get to this symbol of perfection.

Walking into Tommy's, it can be easy to underestimate the quality that you're about to experience. Just glancing at the store front, an unassuming facade in a non-descript strip mall on Southside, it can be easy to simply pass up or write off. And such is the tragedy of the small restaurant. What incentive do you have to stop by other than a desire to act on a whim to explore the unknown? An unfamiliar place; an unglamorous location; a plain name. But there's nothing plain about the food, nothing ordinary about the taste, and taking the minor gamble of stopping by for the first time will earn you a jackpot experience.

It's not just the incredibly thin crusts that get me all worked up about Tommy's Pizza, there's also the super fresh ingredients that still retain so much flavor, even after being cooked in the brick oven; try to get that delivered to your door. And don't wantonly discard the crust as you might do with any ordinary pizza. With a light slathering of garlic butter baked into the crispy bread, you're going to want to savor that little end piece. Please believe me when I say this, and I don't want to downplay the awesomeness of the other fine pizzerias around town, I have not eaten a more delicious pizza in Jacksonville than what I had at Tommy's.

Another thing: when you go into any of the other places around town whose name follows the pattern [some guy's nickname] Pizza, what are the chances that the man whose name graces the sign is actually going to make your food? Probably pretty slim. Well, Tommy himself made my pizza and I hope he never goes on vacation because I'm tempted to invite him to make all of my pizzas from now on.

Not in the mood for pizza? Although I can't offer first-hand advice on the matter, I have it on good authority that the salads, sandwiches, calzones, and various appetizers and entrees are all just as amazing as the pizza. Also, if you're too busy to stop by, you can order online or over the phone and pick it up when it's ready.

Try Tommy's Pizza, you won't regret it. And try more of those unassuming little restaurants you barely notice but pass by everyday. You might find a new favorite that has been within arm's reach for years. Let me know of your discoveries.

Tommy's Pizza
4160 Southside Blvd
Unit 2
Jacksonville, FL 32216
(904) 565-1999
(904) 565-1046 (fax)