Now and then, I encounter a restaurant whose business model so stands out and whose execution is so strong that I’m already anticipating it will replicate itself. Brick + Wood in Fairfield is such a restaurant.
This exciting new pizza restaurant and wine bar didn’t quite come out of the blue, however. The former occupants of the Brick Walk space were owner Paolo Cavalli’s parents, who had Ponte Vecchio restaurant for years. It was through doing some work for the parents that I got to speak with the son, who had, and still has, a couple of thriving restaurants in Texas. I was greatly impressed with both Paolo’s restaurant savvy and quality as a person. Meeting him and his wife, Clara, both Notre Dame Catholic High School of Fairfield graduates, in person only reinforced these impressions.
Brick + Wood is not your parents’ (or Paolo’s parents’) Italian restaurant. Perhaps it’s a charming and unique aberration—perhaps it’s the wave of the future, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. And perhaps it’s not the first to do any one particular thing, but it’s certainly the first I’ve seen to combine all the interesting and cutting-edge things that it does.
So what are its distinguishing characteristics? Well, first and foremost, the authenticity of its Neapolitan-style pizzas is certified by an official body. That turns out to be a little more complicated than one might expect. Cavalli had the first Texas pizzeria certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana (VPN), but has since become a bigger believer in the certification process followed by Associazione Pizzaiuoli Napoletani (APN), which certifies the pizzaiolo or pizza maker, not the pizzeria. All of that could be an article in itself, but suffice it to say that Brick + Wood’s pizzas are cooked in a proper Neapolitan oven at nearly 1,000 degrees using expensive required ingredients like double milled 00 Caputo flour and San Marzano tomatoes and preparing them skillfully using the appropriate techniques.
The pizzas are terrific, the thin crust wonderfully light, crunchy yet chewy, exhibiting lovely blistering and scorching. The three pizzas we try, and which you will see photographed below, are a Margherita (San Marzano tomato sauce, basil, fresh Mozzarella, EVOO), a Bianca (white pizza, fresh Mozzarella, potato, rosemary and shaved Parmesan), and perhaps best of all, a Spicy (San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzarella, soppressata, prosciutto cotto, bacon and jalapeño drizzled with red pepper-infused honey). You can see some of the herbs for the pizzas growing in planters right inside the restaurant.
That’s a greatly abbreviated summation of the pizza, and still a mouthful. Another distinguishing characteristic of Brick + Wood is the scarcity of bottles. What do I mean? I mean that almost everything is offered on tap, including 28 wines, eight beers and three cocktails. That means nothing is sitting around in opened bottles; everything is served fresh. Wine flights are a nice way to go.
Yet another distinguishing characteristic is that Brick + Wood is a Mozzarella bar, which often indicates an eatery that just stocks different boutique Mozzarellas but in this case means you can sit at the white marble chef’s counter and actually watch different forms of the freshest Mozzarella you’ll ever experience prepared before your eyes. Mozzarella, burrata, girelle di Mozzarella rolled like maki sushi, bocconcini formed like balloon animals. Super cool!
It’s not all pizzeria and Mozzarella bar, either. Brick + Wood also serves Neapolitan street foods like panzerotti, arincini, zeppoli with a spicy spinach and artichoke dip, and loaded baked potato crochettes. There’s a terrific fritto misto with calamari, shrimp and cherry peppers. A wonderfully balanced Irving (Texas) salad with mixed greens, dried cherries, glazed pecans and goat cheese. There may be homemade soups and specials like broccoli rabe and sausage. Not to mention irresistible desserts like white-chocolate-and-cranberry bread pudding and “Almond Joy” pizza.
The customers I observed included everything from families sitting at the chef’s counter to friends to romantic couples to a group of young women who couldn’t resist their cell phones—all loving the experience.
To experience Brick + Wood in Fairfield is, as its T-shirts say, to “Love Life {And Pizza}.” If you find a pizzeria that’s as much fun and as delicious as Brick + Wood, I’ll know that Paolo has opened another one somewhere.
THE VERDICT: Paolo Cavalli’s Brick + Wood is a unique pizzeria destined to play a role in shaping the discussion of Fairfield County pizza for years to come.
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CONTACT INFO: Brick + Wood, 1275 Post Road #7, Fairfield; 203-939-1400; lovelifeandpizza.com