Brickhouse’s slices are upper crust
Abbotsford establishment’s friendly service and wood-fired pies are worth the drive
Pizza has long been a go-to for lunches and dinners (hey, even a breakfast here and there).
But while the dish is undoubtedly always in style — save for a few preference shifts over time such as pillowy, Chicago pies waning and crispy Napoli-approved crusts gaining favour — it can be a tricky dish to get right.
While there is a steady appetite for pies, there has been some added scrutiny piled on pizza. No longer will bulk-bagged cheeses and subpar pepperoni slices suffice. These days, diners expect local toppings, artisan eats and a pizza so good they’ll be dreaming about it long after they’ve bitten into the final slice.
Duft & Co. Brickhouse in Abbotsford does a good job of delivering delicious pizzas, so much so they’re often sold out before the night is done.
“Pizza is our biggest business, hands down,” Tyler Duft, who co-owns the restaurant with wife Cassandra, says.
The small eatery, located in the revitalized Old Town area, features both dine-in and takeout options, both of which appear to be popular with locals who prefer the casual, come-as-you-are atmosphere.
“We opted not to do table service because, the truth is, this just isn’t the town for it,” Duft, who was formerly the pasta chef at CinCin Ristorante + Bar in Vancouver while Crocco was a pastry apprentice for Thierry Busset, says of the eatery’s shift from formal tableside service. “People are a little more interested in that casual, come in, grab, eat and relax.”
“We want this to be a fun, casual experience.”
The eatery’s 12-inch pies dominate the lunch and dinner menus, taking up a substantial six spots on the curated roster of dishes, not counting the build-your-own options. And for good reason. The artisan pizzas are, on their own, worthy of a drive to the Fraser Valley.
“The menu that we offer is rotating,” Duft says of the dishes, which they regularly tease to diners on their social-media account. “But everything we serve we make ourselves.”
But before diving into one of the pizzas or sandwiches, don’t skip the New York Caesar ($11) to provide a hit of early greens. The savoury salad features dressing that’s light on cream, but big on flavour.
“It’s a base of really good olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon juice,
Dijon and a bunch of other seasonings,” Duft says of the recipe, which was passed down by his father.
“The original version was a vinaigrette, the idea behind that being it’s cleaner — it’s not as fatty or heavy — it’s a little bit lighter, a little better for you and, to be honest, it’s way more delicious.”
Featuring romaine lettuce, imported Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano and rosemary focaccia croutons, the salad is one even the least salad-loving of diners can get into.
Next, our table tried the simply named Brickhouse Rings ($12) appetizer, which is a hulking serving of crispy onion rings.
The oversized Os are made with Walla Walla Sweet Onions that are buttermilk marinated and breaded with Panko crumbs and the golden pile is served with two dipping sauces. The crispy rings are positively sinful, but in a good way.
The house-made ranch dipping sauce is light and full of locally grown dill. Our dinner party dunked all the onion rings in the sauce, then kept it on hand to dunk pretty much anything else that came across the table, including the pizza crusts.
Finally, it was on to the main event. The wood-fired pies offer a unique take on pizza crust that blends North American with traditional Italian influences.
“We visited Naples and we tried true Napoli pizza crust and we didn’t love it. That’s the honest truth,” Duft says. “It’s a little too crispy for my liking and a little too thin.”
When the Brickhouse team set out to create the perfect pizza, it again looked to New York for culinary inspiration.
The result is a dough with a slightly sour flavour that perfectly balances the richness of the savoury toppings. The pizzas are also cooked for longer than a Napoli pie — spending between three and four minutes in the wood-fire oven rather than 90 seconds.
The sausage and onion pizza ($18) was a treat with the chunks of the salty housemade sausage playing perfectly with the rich basil pesto sauce, sweet onion and mozzarella cheese.
Dessert, which is offered to diners in a grab-and-go format, was sold out by the time our dinner party sat down.
We visited Naples and we tried true Napoli pizza crust and we didn’t love it. That’s the honest truth. It’s a little too crispy for my liking and a little too thin.”
Duft & Co. Brickhouse co-owner Tyler Duft