What happens when the chef of a Livermore Valley winery prefers pairing food with beer rather than wine? He’s opening a restaurant in San Ramon called Pairfield Pizza & Pints and recommends beer as an accompaniment to pizza and more.
Jeff Farlow, the owner of Pairfield Pizza, worked at Wente Vineyards for 20 years, eventually becoming executive chef with responsibility for the winery’s former white-tablecloth restaurant, catering and kitchen operations at Murrieta’s Well Winery.
Although he has traveled extensively and is familiar with international cuisines, his first job as a teenager was at a pizza parlor in Castro Valley, where he knew the pizzas could be better. Later, after observing his brother’s home brewing and beer escapades with buddies, he studied the many styles of beer. With less alcohol and a wide variety of flavor profiles, Farlow realized that beer was a great pairing with many foods.
Now Farlow is presenting pizzas like “The Italian Job” with house-made fennel pork sausage, mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, olives, Grana Padano cheese and basil. He recommends a full-bodied IPA beer to accompany the bold pizza, while he recommends amber ale with sweet ginger chili wings.
Opening Pairfield in San Ramon in August 2023 was a logical step for Farlow. “I wanted to combine my background in fine dining with the expansive playing field of local beer making, hence the name Pairfield. I want people to feel comfortable here in their favorite shorts and tops.”
The unassuming pizzeria serving artisanal pizza and hyperlocal beer is located in a strip mall one block off Crow Canyon Road.
Farlow wanted to foster a sense of community, so he hung old photos of East Bay towns as decorations. The casual atmosphere is enhanced by several televisions showing games.
All of the draft beers will be brewed within a few hours of San Ramon, Farlow added. Livermore beers could include Altamont and Shadow Puppet. Draft beers under consideration include Almanac Beer Co. and Alameda Island Brewing of Alameda, Fieldwork Brewing Co. of Berkeley and Calicraft Brewing Co. of Walnut Creek.
My friend quickly settled on the STS Pils, a cellar-style pilsner from Russian River Brewing Co. named after the 3-letter code for Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. While I was trying to decide between the many hazy IPAs, Farlow came to the table to chat—a common occurrence at Pairfield as he moves around the room.
Hazies are a style of beer with more fruitiness, less filtration and, most importantly for me, less bitterness than other IPAs. Farlow, who is also a fan of Hazies, recommended the four Hazy IPAs that were on tap at the time to try with our pizzas as they were almost done in the oven.
During our visit, the menu featured seven Nibblers, three From the Fields salads and six pizzas. We skipped the chicken wings and calamari and opted for a refreshing kale salad with a sweet and savory maple Dijon vinaigrette that reflected his gourmet cooking experience.
Like many chefs who follow the seasons, Farlow couldn’t resist launching the “Tom Mater” salad in August, during tomato season. This creation features heirloom tomatoes, avocado, blue cheese, toasted pine nuts, balsamic reduction and basil. Meat eaters 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 allows the yeast to process the carbohydrates in a more digestion-friendly way and results in a more flavorful crust. “If you eat a few slices, you might not immediately get that ‘comatose’ feeling that comes from consuming too many carbohydrates,” Farlow said.
When selecting ingredients for the Build Your Own pizza or adding a dip to your Nibblers, you can choose from homemade sauces like crushed tomatoes, butter chicken or roasted garlic cream. There are additional toppings like 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 trying the other pizzas, my friend ordered “The Italian Job.” I chose “Kumar’s Desire,” named after the movie “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” in which two young men go on an adventure to eat White Castle hamburgers.
Since pizza is a comfort food, The Italian Job is the best seller with its classic blend of mozzarella, pepperoni and sausage. As East Coast residents, my boyfriend and I identified with the familiar toppings and enjoyed the well-prepared ingredients and crispy crust.
Farlow buys spices from a local Indian market to make his curry blends. The “Kumar’s Desire,” with butter chicken sauce, provolone, tandoori chicken, onions, jalapeño, cucumber raita and cilantro, was a delicious take on Indian flavors.
Both pizzas paired well with my hazy IPA sample, which included standouts Lush Nectar from Shadow Pupper and Love Hazy from Almanac.
The “Imapeppa,” with a crust of Calabrian chili, pepperoni and crushed tomatoes, is served with a lightly hopped Pilsner lager to balance the pizza’s spiciness. The “Dalai Lahmajun” pizza, named after a Middle Eastern flatbread, looks tempting with Mediterranean-spiced minced meat, parsley, mint, sumac, chili-coriander yogurt and lemon.
Pairfield also carries a few wines and canned beers on his list, including the nonalcoholic Free Wave from Milford, Connecticut-based Athletic Brewing Co. For nonalcoholic beverages, he offers iced tea and Stubborn Craft Fountain Soda, a healthier drink from PepsiCo with natural ingredients and no artificial sweeteners.
We were too full from the pizza to order the homemade lemon-lime pie, which Farlow noted is reminiscent of Key Lime Pie.
Pairfield Pizza & Pints is a place for family time, meeting work colleagues, sharing meals after sports, date nights and more. There is a private lounge for gatherings. When asked about a catering menu, Farlow said, “I cook what people want.”
As the pizza slices run through my head, I think about what toppings I will put on my next pizza.
