As you know the symbolic slice of Humble Pie refers to a big dose of humbling comeuppance-- but with the new opening from James Beard nominees Ron Hsu and Aaron Phillips who are behind the divine Lazy Betty, getting a slice from the all-new Humble Pie's wood-fire oven is a wonderful experience.
Just
opened at the Interlock on Howell Mill Road and is now open for lunch and dinner,
the wood-fired pizzas are special like
everything that chef Ron does. We had a
pineapple and Spanish chorizo pie that was so rich and intense that my wife said
that even someone who lost their sense of taste from covid could taste it. Other pies include classic Margherita, Greek,
clam, or broccoli and cheddar—it's sort of Neapolitanish with thin slices and
slightly charred crust but doesn't have that yeasty aftertaste. But Humble Pie is much more than pizza—we tried
an exquisite French onion hand pie which was an incredible savory pastry like
an empanada, a silky foie gras mousse and crab hushpuppies. For dessert, we had our minds blown by pastry
chef Carelys Vazquez, her chocolate mudslide pie crowned with hazelnut cream
and chocolate cookie crumb.
Humble
Pie architecturally and design-wise is a stunner: a 2-level, open-air, high-ceiling space that is
flooded with natural light, hipster house plants and lots of positive energy. It's not open in the buzzing Interlock complex
on Howell Mill and 14th and is rounding out one of the most
impressive blocks in any city. Another cool
element of Humble Pie is that they give all their hourly kitchen staff 3.14% of
all sales (get it-- Pi π= 3.14%). This is probably
not only a great way to motivate staff but addresses an ongoing conundrum in
the hospitality industry of alleviating pay disparity and providing a living
wage.
So check
out Humble Pie and good luck to Chef Hsu in his quest to win the James Beard
award this year!
