Review: Feral Pizza – Food

“Feral” isn’t the first word we typically use to describe pizza. It’s not even the thousandth word. This adjective – defined by Merriam-Webster as “resembling or evoking a wild beast” or “not domesticated or cultivated” – conjures up images of ferocious coyotes or packs of wild dogs, not artisan pies prepared with care and attention . But owners and pizza makers Amy and Finley Hunt decided to build their pizza brand around that second definition, relying heavily on wild fermentation and locally sourced ingredients to make sourdough pizzas that straddle the line between low intervention and careful selection.

Feral Pizza sets up shop in the parking lot of Duval Market, a nondescript convenience store offering a deceptively high-end lineup of products, including natural wines, craft beers, and plenty of snack options for vegan and gluten-free customers. This humble-on-the-outside, refined-on-the-inside theme is consistent with Feral Pizza, which operates out of a cozy food trailer just big enough to accommodate the two hunts as they prepare the day’s orders. Due to the small size of their space (and team), Feral Pizza tends to sell out quickly, so customers are encouraged to order in advance through the Feral website. That’s exactly what we decided to do, placing our pie requests at 10pm the night before. Feral accepts walk-in orders on a limited basis, but once they’re sold out, they’re gone.

The pizza sauce sings with sweetness, acidity and tomato umami.

The order-ahead system lets you choose a pickup time and offers text notifications to let you know when your pies are ready. So we had no difficulty acquiring the pizzas while they were still hot and fresh. The Hunts provide warm, genuine hospitality, answering questions with a smile and informing us of the dipping options (like ranch and hot honey) available a la carte. As for the dining room, everything is quite simple; Picnic tables in a convenience store parking lot don’t provide much atmosphere. But on a warm evening and with a bottle of wine or a six-pack from Duval Market ready to go, it can make for a pleasant evening with friends or even a casual date. The stamped art on the pizza boxes, which depicts a sassy, ​​wild cat with a slice of pepperoni sticking out of its mouth, evokes an appealing “don’t take yourself too seriously” attitude, which we found refreshing.

Now let’s move on to the pizza. The Hunts strive to use quality ingredients in their sauces and topping choices, and that focus clearly shines through. The pizza sauce sings with sweetness, acidity and tomato umami. Mozzarella and pecorino cheeses have all the creaminess and nuttiness (respectively) that we look for in these products. And the toppings, from pepperoni cups to fresh vegetables to house-made sausage, betray no shortcuts or less-than-ideal sourcing.

For the simplest pies, like the standard cheese pizza, the cheeseless tomato pie, and the white pizza known as Kevin’s (no sauce, lots of garlic oil, dollops of ricotta, and some spinach) , the Hunts’ restrained hand with the topping quantities gave the sourdough crust an opportunity to make its presence known. That said, we would have liked a stronger flavor, and in pies with more assertive flavors – like the Ankle Biter, which includes red sauce, pepperoni, garlic and jalapeño slices with the cheese – sourdough has completely disappeared. Texturally, we enjoyed the bite of the thin crust and the toppings were flavorful and appealing. But when sourdough is at the heart of your concept, we want a “show, don’t tell” approach, and we haven’t detected enough of those nuanced sourdough notes in the final product.

In addition to its standard pies, Feral serves grandma-style pizzas, and while we enjoyed the very thin rectangular slices (especially when we added Feral’s luxurious ricotta to the red sauce and cheese toppings), we We once again felt a slight pang in our hearts. thwarted expectations. Some of the most appealing attributes of a grandma’s pie are the crisp, almost burnt cheese that collects at the edges and the blackened glaze at the bottom of the crust, as well as a butter-like texture. focaccia in the bite. Feral’s Grandma’s Pie was more like crackers, with a golden blonde tint to the crust and none of those cheesy oily flares around the perimeter.

North Loop residents and regular visitors can and should find much to appreciate in Feral Pizza’s attention to detail, flavorful pies and courteous service. Whether this truck is a good fit depends on your particular pizza preferences, but we think this promising newcomer, still in its first year of operation, still has plenty of time to explore its concept further and find new ideas. new ways to expand its flavor profiles and push the boundaries of Austin’s pizza culture.

Wild pizza

500 E. 51e (Duval Market)

feralpizza.com