You know how long I’ve been wanting to use that as a title? All of about two hours…
This came to me earlier today. It would have made sense to write about Cunningham’s of Towson during the events of last month, yet I find myself having a bit of a laugh as I write this out.
For folks that frequent this charming restaurant, the title of this post will make sense. I’ll leave the rest of the punchline to the audience right here. Don’t worry, it’s nowhere near as an obscure reference as I might be implying. Just look at the bottom of the page.
We were out for a good friend’s birthday, and at the halfway point of that winter event that goes on every four years.
I’ll tell you, if I lived closer I would be here on a regular basis. I chatted with some of the locals, and got a good sense of community from the place. The vibe is fantastic, the bar set up is tremendous, and the location is ideal. It’s kind of like a village, but not the village I might be alluding to. But still pretty awesome.
This is not how I thought this post would go, but I’m just shooting from the hip now.
I’ve been to their Cafe and Bakery directly below the restaurant before, and find their food outstanding. And more about why their food is just that, can be found here. The majority of their results come from their own farm just a few miles away. How can you not love local and love food fresh from the farm? Try saying that a few times over.
Which makes me surprised that their pizzas weren’t up to par. I was pleasantly surprise to find pizza on the menu to begin with. Like I said, this was my first time at the bar and restaurant, and loved everything so far.
We had some appetizers during happy hour, that were tremendous, but I think they were trying a little too hard with the pizza.
The two we shared were the Cunningham Farm Ham & Goat Cheese, and then the Carne Supremo. A lot of meat and a lot of toppings going on with both. That might be the culprit.
With the Farm Ham & Goat Cheese, the mozzarella and goat cheese is a great combination, but it might have been too much, in terms of being in your face. The arugula and tomatoes tasted fresh, but the ham didn’t work for me here. I’ve said it before, it’s a case of the whole not equaling the sum of its parts. Quite the cliche, but it applies. I think less would be more. The crust on both of these is fantastic by the way. It’s comfort food bread that I would enjoy all by itself. The brick oven really work here, I just wish the toppings did the same.
What was even more of a challenge was the Carne Supremo. There’s too much going on. Lots of meat (pepperoni, sauage, and soppressata) which is balanced by the veggies (onions and peppers), along with mozzarella and asiago. You think this would be tremendous. But it’s just once again, overwhelming. It’s ok if the topping are falling all over the place, and at times can make the experience more fun. I just didn’t love all this red meat here. This is based on personal opinion. A few of our party shared the same sentiment on both of these pies.
I think, or actually I know, that less is more here. This crust is fantastic and would work better with a simple base of cheese, sauce, a few vegetables, and a lighter protein. A simple chicken pizza would work perfectly here.
This by no means is going to stop be from coming back. I find an endearing spirit and energy in this restaurant. If you want quite, peaceful, cozy, and maybe a little noise, this is the place for you. It’s my kind of place for sure.
If the situation presents itself in time, I’ll definitely try another pie or two again.
In the meantime, for more on Cunningham’s, here is their story, menu, and online ordering information.
Here is my history of pizza in this area. It’s a town I will always be a bit partial too.
We’ll see you in 2020, oh wait, I mean next week!
Have a blessed one…
Ideen
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