Hearth & Peel

I’m a big fan of Hearth & Peel. One of my favorite things to do on a Saturday afternoon is to hang at Beach Brewing Co. in Virginia Beach, quaff a few brews, and sample whichever food truck is selling their wares in the parking lot.
The best I have tried so far is Hearth & Peel. Either their Margharita pizza or the Pig and the Goat are my normal selections. Both go fantastic with a cold beer.
Great pizza to me is really about the crusty dough and minimalist toppings. The wood fired pizza oven brings all the elements together perfectly all with a nice char on the bottom of the crust.
These guys are nailing it.

We headed to Smartmouth Brewing to listen to the Esoteric Ramblers, as they describe themselves, ‘the beer-​bards behind the suds-​soaked CD titled Keg of Love’. The Hearth & Peel Pizza, a food truck with a traveling wood fired pizza oven, was serving up what I think is the best pizza in VA Beach. The crust was amazingly thin and perfectly crisp. Their attention to detail with the gourmet toppings made each offering unique. We tried the Short & Stout with short ribs braised in stout and caramelized onions. It was Oh My Gosh wonderful. The Bulbs & Cloves pizza had roasted garlic, fresh garlic, ricotta, mozzarella, and arugula. The sweet roasted cloves of garlic and creamy cheeses kept us reaching for slice after slice. We had another chance to indulge in a couple more Hearth & Peel pizzas at the Grand Reopening of Beach Brewing. The Shady Goat with local Shady Farms goat cheese, pancetta, roasted red peppers, and basil was outstanding in both quality and taste. These bearded pizza gods had also created a fun PB&J pizza with chopped peanuts, jalapenos, strawberry jam, and bacon that surprised us with its balanced flavors.

So it appears that this town is big enough for 2 wood oven pizza trucks. I stopped in at the Smartmouth Brewery with some co-​workers on a recent Friday evening, I believe it was Dec 6^th, and we took over one of the tables on the deck. After a few beers we decided to grab a snack before since we weren’t going to dinner for another out and decided to split a small pizza between the group.
Upon approaching the tent on the side of the Smartmouth building I could tell these weren’t the guys that had been here during the Smartmouth 1 year anniversary just a couple of weeks before. After inquiring I was told by one of the personnel that there had been some sort of a falling out with the original wood oven pizza vendor and the brewery. Ok good enough, I’m always looking to check out something new.
We ordered a pizza called the Smokey Chicken. What did it have on it? I’m gonna tell you. BBQ Chicken, caramelized onions, smoked Gouda and jalapenos. After ordering we returned to our table and about 20 – 25 minutes later one of the ladies working in the tent brought the pizza to use. Check that out, free delivery. :) The pizza itself was outstanding and hit the spot. I don’t think it lasted 5 minutes after she placed it on the table.
I’m definitely looking forward to checking out Hearth & Peel again soon. You can find them around town at events like this at Smartmouth and other happenings in the area.