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What happens when a Livermore Valley winery chef would rather pair food with beer than wine? He opens a restaurant in San Ramon called Pairfield Pizza & Pints and suggests beer to pair with the pizzas and more.
Jeff Farlow, the owner of Pairfield Pizza, worked at Wente Vineyards for 20 years, ending up as Culinary Director in charge of the winery’s former white tablecloth restaurant, catering and Murrieta’s Well winery culinary.
Though he has traveled widely and is familiar with global cuisines, his first teen job was at a Castro Valley pizza parlor where he knew the pizzas could be better. Later, after observing his brother’s home brewing activities and outgrowing beer escapades with buddies, he studied the many styles of beer. With less alcohol and a huge variety of flavor profiles, Farlow realized beer made a great pairing with many foods.
Now Farlow presents pizzas such as “The Italian Job” with house made fennel pork sausage, mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted peppers, olives, Grana Padano cheese, and basil. For the robust pie, he recommends a full-flavored IPA beer while he suggests amber ale with gingered sweet-chili wings.
Opening Pairfield in August 2023 in San Ramon was a logical step for Farlow. “I wanted to pair my background in the high-end culinary field with the expansive local beer playing field, thus the name Pairfield. I want people to be comfortable here wearing their favorite shorts and tops.”
The unassuming pizza shop with artisan pizzas and hyperlocal beers is located in a strip mall a block off Crow Canyon Road.
With a mission of fostering community spirit, Farlow chose to hang old photos of East Bay towns as the décor. The casual atmosphere is amplified by multiple TVs showing games.
All the beers on tap are produced within a couple hours from San Ramon, added Farlow. Livermore beers may include Altamont and Shadow Puppet. Almanac Beer Co. and Alameda Island Brewing from Alameda, Fieldwork Brewing Co. from Berkeley, and Calicraft Brewing Co. from Walnut Creek are among the draft possibilities.
My friend quickly picked the STS Pils, a Keller style pilsner from Russian River Brewing Co., named STS for the 3-letter code of Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County airport. As I attempted to choose among the many hazy IPAs, Farlow stopped by the table to chat, a common occurrence at Pairfield, as he navigates the room.
Hazies are a style of beer with more fruitiness, less filtration and most importantly for me, less bitterness than other IPAs. Also a fan of hazies, Farlow recommended the four hazy IPAs on tap at the time as a sampler with our pizzas as they neared completion in the oven.
During our visit, the menu listed seven “Nibblers,” three “From the Fields” salads and six pizzas. We skipped the wings and calamari and targeted a refreshing kale salad with a sweet and savory maple-Dijon vinaigrette which reflected his gourmet cooking experience.
Like many chefs who follow the seasons, Farlow couldn’t resist adding the “Tom Mater” salad in August during peak tomato season. This creation features heirloom varieties, avocado, blue cheese, toasted pine nuts balsamic reduction, and basil. Carnivores can add applewood smoked bacon or Farlow’s sausage.
The chef’s pizza dough takes two days to prepare. Made with high gluten flour, the 48-hour process enables the yeast to process the carbohydrates in a more digestive friendly way and yields a more flavorful crust. “When you eat a few slices, you may not get that instant ‘comatose’ feeling from taking in too many carbs,” said Farlow.
If you choose ingredients for the “Build Your Own” pizza or add a dip to your “Nibblers,” you select from house made sauces such as crushed tomato, butter chicken, or roasted garlic cream. There are additional toppings such as crispy onions, pine nuts, crushed croutons and toasted almonds.
The late summer seasonal pizza is the “Garden of Eden” with summer zucchini, Brentwood white corn, ricotta and more. After reviewing the other pizzas, my friend ordered “The Italian Job.” I chose “Kumar’s Desire,” named for the movie “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” that features two young men on an adventure to eat White Castle hamburgers.
Since pizza is a comfort food, “The Italian Job” with its classic mix of mozzarella, pepperoni and sausage, is the top seller. As East Coasters, my friend and I related to the familiar toppings and enjoyed the well-prepared ingredients and crunchy crust.
Farlow buys spices from a local Indian market to make his curry blends. The “Kumar’s Desire” with butter chicken sauce, provolone, tandoori spiced chicken, onion, jalapeño, cucumber raita and cilantro was delicious rendition of Indian flavors.
Both pizzas paired well with my hazy IPA sampler with standouts Lush Nectar from Shadow Pupper and Love Hazy from Almanac.
The “Imapeppa” with a Calabrian chili-spiced crust, pepperoncini, and crushed tomatoes carries a suggested pairing of a lightly hopped pilsner lager to counter the heat of the pizza. Named after a Middle Eastern flatbread, the “Dalai Lahmajun” pizza looks intriguing with Mediterranean spiced ground beef, parsley, mint, sumac, chili-cilantro yogurt and lemon.
Pairfield also lists a few wines and canned beers including non-alcoholic Free Wave from Athletic Brewing Co. from Milford, Conn. For soft drinks, he offers iced tea and Stubborn craft fountain soda, a healthier drink from PepsiCo with natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners.
We were too pizza-stuffed to order the house made lemon-lime pie which, Farlow noted, evokes key lime pie.
Pairfield Pizza & Pints is a place for family time, work mate meet ups, after sports chow-downs, date nights and more. There is a private lounge for gatherings. When asked about a catering menu, Farlow said, “I cook whatever people want.”
With pizza slices dancing in my head, I’m thinking about toppings to layer on my next pie.
