Noshing Out – Mad Pecker

                Ok, so I realize that the title may be a little misleading. Mad Pecker is the name of a pizza and beer dive in San Antonio. After a long day at work, in the last weeks of this project, the team and I decided to check Yelp and head out. Located in the back end of a small strip mall, it easy to miss the place. The sign is of a dapper steampunk gentleman and the interior is all wood. It has almost a western tavern feel, with open space and square wooden columns dotting the dining room. Above the large bar are two TVs, one playing “the game” and the other on a presentation loop, describing the beers on tap.

                We sat in the middle of the room on metal chairs with thin cushions. In each corner of the dining space, at a 45 degree angle, were more TVs depicting the same game. We started by ordering a plate of nachos, the thick, triangle chips covered in a gunky, cheese sauce. I overheard the bartender mentioning that there are plenty of cheap cheeses that they could use, but they spring for “the fancy stuff,” whatever that means. The nachos came dressed with pulled pork, small chunks of tomato, and diced green onion, mostly haphazardly tossed about the tray. The pulled pork was likely not made in house as it seemed like it was recently warmed up, chunks of fat still throughout, and the cheese sauce was heavier than it looked, and tasted as unnatural as its yellow/orange color.

                We ordered two pizzas, a supreme and a meat lover/Hawaiian. The dough had the characteristic unevenness of being hand-tossed, the outsides crispy with a bit of char. As pizza should, it was almost like a bagel or baguette, crispy on the outside, yet chewy in the middle. The cheese still stringy, it was clear that these had been made to order. The dough had almost a whole wheat heartiness yet was still thin, the small grains still crunching outside of the singed crust. The pineapple on the Hawaiian was clearly from a can, and the ham looked like it was cubed from a “ham, water added for $3.99/lb” from Cosco. The other toppings were freshly cut, but the flavors didn’t seem to meld. The toppings sat above the cheese, each standing out on its own.

The wait staff was knowledgeable about their impressive beer selection, the most interesting of which was The Salty Lady. A gose beer brewed in Fort Worth TX, it had natural tasting lemon flavors with a salty texture. It was similar to a salted lemon drink from India, or a Pocari Sweat from Japan. The liquid had a viscosity and effervescence, with a tart bite. A unique beer (for me) that was the most memorable part of the dinner.