Pies & Pints gives pizza night at Carmel’s Clay Terrace a sweet-savory turn. Its Roasted Pear Pie combines roasted Asian pears, caramelized onions, bacon and goat cheese, finished with roasted pear reduction, thyme and black pepper. This moderately priced pizzeria chain also offers outdoor seating and space suited to groups, making it an option for family meals as well as a pizza-and-beer dinner.
The starters take similarly substantial forms. Pizza Skins load house-made pizza dough with roasted garlic mashed potatoes, cheddar, applewood-smoked bacon, scallions and sour cream. Char-grilled hot wings come with sriracha, lime, garlic, cilantro and spices, plus creamy gorgonzola. For a lighter counterpoint, the Caesar brings romaine, Parmesan and house-made croutons; diner feedback singles out its tangy dressing and shareable portions.
Craft beer is central to the draw, though wine, cocktails and draft root beer are also served. Weekday happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m., with $1 off select pints and house wines and $2 off appetizers. Diners repeatedly praise the pizza, while accounts of service range from attentive to slow. Some also report a 3 percent surcharge, describing it variously as an administrative or credit-card fee.
Find Pies & Pints at 14550 Clay Terrace Boulevard, Suite 100, Carmel. It opens daily at 11 a.m., closing at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Reservations, takeout and delivery are offered.