Slice of Strife
Earth Bread + Brewery has mediocre eats and weak beers.
The Earth's crust: Despite being cooked in a firebrick oven, Earth Bread + Brewery's pizza sagged in the middle. (photo by michael persico)
A funny thing happened on the way to Mt. Airy. The sleet was falling. The wipers were thumping. The Google Maps directions were as unclear as my precipitation-slicked windshield. One wrong exit, then another, and I wound up on the scenic route to Earth Bread + Brewery.
Every time you think you know Philadelphia, another part of the city surprises you. When I finally landed at Earth Bread + Brewery, I found the bakery/brewhaus similarly full of surprises.
Some are pleasant, like the empty Saison Dupont bottles repurposed as wax-encrusted candelabras; the nifty pub tables sprouting elevated pizza pedestals; and the tangible neighborhood camaraderie that swells up through the tongue-and-groove pine flooring reclaimed from a warehouse in Maine.
With nine months of eco-conscious renovation, owners Tom Baker and Peggy Zwerver turned a sprawling, 4,200-square-foot vacant pub into the district's de facto village green, where the hand dryers are energy-efficient, the toilets are water-conserving, and the polyurethane-alternative lacquering on the wood surfaces is made from the same soybeans the restaurant serves steamed with sea salt and fresh lime.
On the Friday night of my visit, it appeared the entire community, babies and all, had surrendered to the innate human craving for pizza and beer. The snow fell in flat flakes outside as my server set down a pint of Schuylkill Bitter, Earth's crisp ESB, while another delivered a pack of crayons to an eager little Goldilocks.
Other surprises were not so great, like when the pizzas--called flatbreads--arrived with flaccid crusts not befitting the 650-degree wood-burning firebrick oven. The crunchy, sooty perimeters weren't the problem. Rather, the pies' interiors sagged, a strange phenomenon since saucing was refreshingly light-handed.
Earth's pizzaoilas use King Arthur flour for the flatbread dough, which imparts a wholesome aroma and flavor, but what's on top brought them down: squash and eggplant roasted to mush, bland cubes of potato that added little to a pesto-dressed pie. The black bean-and-corn-studded Mexican was the exception, deceptively spicy from its jalape�o-and-smoked- paprika-spiked marinara.
Other choices included a fine arugula salad tossed with goat cheese, dried cranberries and candied pecans, and warm-you-up-right tomato soup served with fingers of fluffy fresh bread made from leftover pizza dough. I'd have considered the Night Kitchen bakery desserts had my check not been dropped before I'd asked. My server was nice enough, but seemed uncomfortable and jittery, particularly when reciting the monologue of beer descriptions just. Like this. As if. He. Was. Reading from. A cue card.
Chalkboards translated. Four Earth beers, crafted in the seven-barrel basement brewery, form the starting lineup at the two salvaged bars, while guest drafts like Troegenator and Walt Wit and craft and local bottles add depth to the roster. Light-bodied and low in alcohol--even the dark Baltic porter and the chocolaty Bradley Effect, an un-hopped Gruit ale that clocked only 3.8 percent ABV--the Earth beers were unexpected considering Baker and Zwerver's last brewery called itself Heavyweight.
Beers are thoughtfully served in 13-ounce ($3.75) and 20-ounce ($5) pours, while the flatbreads come in the standard small and large. Consider the small a personal-size, while the large can feed two to three. Unless you happen to be the boy at the table behind me, about 12 years old, housing an entire large pie of Earth's traditional pizza--roasted onions, marinara, mozzarella, tuft of seasonal greens and all.
Had junior spared a slice for later, he'd have been handed a sheet of recyclable aluminum foil--not a paper box or Styrofoam takeaway. Had he opted out of doggy-foiling, the waste would have been collected for composting along with the spent brewing grains and shipped to Germantown co-op farm Weavers Way. At Earth Bread + Brewery, that's just how they do. Other restaurants, take note: Earth's pizza might be soft, but its environmental backbone is as hardcore as they come.
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1. Glenn Bergman said... on Jan 7, 2009 at 06:55AM
“I try to stop in every week for a pizza and whatever new beer they have. I have been trilled at the quality of the pizza, especially the Seed Pizza. What is most important to me is the level of conversation and discussion about the process of making different beers. I always learn and am impressed by the desire of this couple and staff to bring a level of education, quality, and community to the Northwest section. ”
2. Joe E. said... on Jan 7, 2009 at 07:17AM
“I ate there a week ago, and did find the potatoes on my pesto pizza to be a bit bland, but the crust I had no complaints about, and I disagree with the assessment of the beers as well. I thought the porter had good body and flavor, and I think anyone who thinks 7.7% alcohol is lightweight has become jaded. In fact I think any review that pejorates a beer because it is too low in alcohol has lost the plot when it comes to craft beer. Low-alcohol beers are a (welcome) trend. I did think the ESB was served way too cold. I found all the beers interesting and worth tasting, even if I didn't love them all.”
3. Adam said... on Jan 7, 2009 at 08:17AM
“Joe: I'm not dissing the beers because they're low in alcohol. I actually prefer lower beers (so I can have more of them without falling off my stool, like I do after one Mad Elf). In Earth's case, I just found it ironic most of their beers were on the low side since their reputation at Heavyweight was for big ones.”
4. Jake L said... on Jan 7, 2009 at 09:16AM
“I don't think the average person who visits EBB would be familiar with their past connection to Heavyweight. Tom truly brews great beers period. I would go as far as putting him on the same wave length as Sam Calagione in terms of experimentation and the will to try something different; be it a gruit or some other ultra low ABV beer. How often do you see someone brew a beer without hops? How many knew that was even possible? Well it is, take a trip to EBB and find out. Can't wait to try his Baltic Porter. Jake BeerValley.com ”
5. joey b said... on Jan 7, 2009 at 10:44AM
“This guy understands nothing of a quality session ale, possibly the brewers intent, on enjoying beers that do not weigh you down with the food. A lot of times these underqualified folk have too much influence and not enough insight when reviewing restaurants, leaving the reader with a mixed message. I've only been twice and I'm sure Earth Bread will be doing well long after this guys' done writing reviews.”
6. brynn said... on Jan 7, 2009 at 11:54PM
“i most definitely had the same server as you. but damn, did we have the same pizza??!!! i beg you to return and try the seed pizza. i was skeptical, but it turned out to be the best slice i've had in philly. ”
7. yerNuts said... on Jan 8, 2009 at 09:43AM
“I've been to Earth many many times since their opening and have always enjoyed their high quality flat-breads. The beers are always very high quality. For you to criticize their beer based on the fact that they used to be called Heavyweight (and by the way, Heavyweight brewed a series of very good milds in their day) is like your writing being reviewed based on how you used to write in English class. "I mean, for a guy that used to write essays about why the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers really weren't all the mighty........this whole 'restaurant review' thing is a bit of a stretch.". How dare they formally call themselves "Heavyweight" and then turn around and brew low alc session beer? Oh the shame of it all....THE SHAME!!!!! ”
8. Jim K said... on Jan 8, 2009 at 04:00PM
“Hmmm.... I think the flatbreads are fantastic. Last time in I had the seed and it was excellent. I find the beer experiment interesting - I like trying new and different beers. Admittedly, they have not all been winners in my book. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. My biggest problem with this article is that it is barely noted that they serve other beers. They have only 4 house beers and 8 guest taps which are well thought out and contain real gems. Combine that with an outstanding bottle list and you have a top notch pizza and beer joint.”
9. Jim Carlucci said... on Jan 9, 2009 at 09:30AM
“I think the reviewer is penalizing the establishment because he got lost getting there on a crappy night. Let me straight up front, I've known the owners for over a decade. Without ever setting foot in the place prior to last night, I found the review not matching my idea of what Tom and Peggy would present to the public. And apparently the other commenters disagree with the reviewer as well. Now that I've been, my assumptions have been confirmed. This is a gem of a place and Mt. Airy is lucky to have it. The flatbreads we sampled (two regulars and the evening's special) were quite good; the house beers nothing less than I have come to expect from a brewer with Mr. Baker's experience and skill; great atmosphere and philosophy as easy going as the dark mild. Mr. Reviewer, you missed the mark on this one. ”
10. epices6 said... on Jan 9, 2009 at 07:36PM
“Reading this review made it amply clear why brewers who attempt to bring back various styles of "table" beers are in for a tough time. Tom Baker's beers are of complex taste and high quality and their only "weak" spot is the low alcohol content. Even in his Heavyweight days, Tom produced beers in this tradition and many beer lovers very much appreciated that. I welcome the clarification that Adam wrote in response to Joe E's comment below but that makes the unfortunate headline used for his review even more egregiously wrong.”
11. Eli K. said... on Jan 10, 2009 at 04:58PM
“I've read this review and this is a far cry from my assesment of the place. Sadly food critics can sway public opinion about a place and hopefully this review is not an indication of the kind of food journalism that the Weekly intends to continue. I truly understand a review is subjective and while my flatbread were quite tasty. The seed flatbread is amazing as was the potato-pesto.), I can allow that this diner's pizza may not the type he desires. I can allow possible "less than" service>" I ate the bar upstairs and can say that the bartenders as efficient , personable and highly knowledgable. I can not undestand why a paper would allow the headline "weak beers" based simply because they were not the same alcoholic content of the brewers former line. There was no mention that there are a rotating amount of "guest beers" (some of which are high in alcohol btw) or the excellent wine by the glass options (easily the best in the Northwest). ”