Ah, Portland, thy endless supply of local breweries never ends! If you are ever in the Hollywood district in Portland (NE, close in to 84), please take some time to swing by the Laurelwood Pizza Company. We always order the same thing: a thin beer crust topped with garlic infused oil, three cheese blend and roasted garlic. This pizza is so good, even the chef complimented our choice of ingredients! The crust is light and tasty, and who can really go wrong with garlic and cheese? Laurelwood is especially generous with their roasted garlic (we, as die hard garlic fans have no problem with this, but others with whom we have shared this pizza have elected to take off 50% of the roasted goodness), so you may not wish to have romantic plans for the rest of the evening. As a perfect compliment to the pizza, you can also enjoy a Spaceman Stout or a Tree hugger porter. We both favor darker beers, but we've been told that the free range red is also quite delish. I support the free range red mostly because the logo features a big chicken, which as many of you know is a major part of my research. Associating work with beer is always helpful...Despite the fact that we always order 1 stout, 1 porter and 1 pizza, we've occasionally had some of the food ordered by others and it is all equally yummy. The 'garden' pizza (a smörgåsbord of vegetables) is especially nice as they use local produce in all of their cooking. We've also been told that their burgers and sandwiches are lovely, but pretty much everybody comments on the beer. When in doubt, order their generous sampler platter which consists of 11 different types of beer including a seasonal. For me, the epitome of light weight, this is more than enough to put me down for the rest of the evening, but for more libatious folk, it is just the perfect prelude to a good meal. Oh, and as an added benefit, the prices are extremely reasonable, so having a pizza and a beer won't put you out. Check out their website for more information. www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com
