Two pizza places are now open in MiMo. The Mellow Mushroom and Ashland Midtown Pub recently opened on the same weekend. I have already eaten at the Mellow Mushroom twice, which is located at the Loop just west of the railroad tracks. It is a spacious place with at least double the room of the location near USA.

There is also an expanded menu beyond the pizzas and hoagies. On Sunday, we arrived just before the church crowd and began with bruschetta – marinated chopped tomatoes, basil, feta and balsamic vinegar with crispy toasts to top. The balsamic and feta provided a perfect foil for each other that resulted in a tasty combination. We ordered four small pizzas to share – my all-time favorite, the Magical Mystery Tour (feta, portabello and a couple of other kinds of mushrooms, pesto base and jalapenos); a Hawaiian with Canadian bacon and pineapple which was my second favorite; Chicken BBQ with carmelized purple onion and tangy bbq sauce and the Mighty Meaty with every kind of meat you can think of.

The next day I joined a friend for lunch and tried a delicious cup of tomato bisque while he had a zesty tortilla soup with chicken. I love their Greek salad and had one of those as well. The main appealing addition is that you can now create your own salad from a plethora of options. You can select from mixed, Romaine, spinach greens and add from a long list of vegetables, cheeses and meats. Some of the meats include jerk chicken, pesto chicken and even tofu.

I dropped by Ashland Pub to say hello to my friend Corte Inge. It was packed. The décor is serene, casual but friendly. I especially like the rotating Pabst Blue Ribbon “crystal” light fixture next to the bar – my grandparents had one of those at their beach house before Hurricane Frederic washed it away. Corte’s business partner Jennifer Hunt did a beautiful job mixing primitive furniture with modern bar stools and bistro tables.

Corte is particular about his pizza – they come in one size – BIG. There are a couple of gourmet type pizzas found on a chalk board, or you can make your own. I had him make me a traditional pepperoni that had the crunchiest crust around. Piled high with fresh cheeses, the sweet marinara and salty pepperoni all combined for an excellent pie. He made me eat one in my car before it got the slightest bit cold. I am sure I looked like a fat pig driving down Old Shell Road munching on a slice. He threw in a very nice Caesar salad with roasted mushrooms and cheese bread.

Joe Cain’s opens

The Joe Cain Café at the Battle House Hotel recently opened with Joe Cain and his Merry Mistresses in attendance. It is a lively place serving casual food for breakfast, lunch and an lighter, more appetizer-like fare at night, with a nice bar. I hear sandwiches, salads and light breakfast foods are what you will find. This is a nice alternative to the more expensive, leisurely Trellis Room. The Trellis Room is now serving a Sunday Brunch that has some nice selections that include three courses.

Sushi at the Bakery

Speaking of more new additions, during one of my frequent lunches at the Bakery (I always get the Bakery salad with seared tuna and it never disappoints), they are now making sushi on Thursday nights. I misplaced the menu, but there are two appetizers and about seven or eight rolls – a few of the normal type but with twists, and some tempting new combinations. I hear their rolls compete with the best.

Growing Alabama

I hope everyone is taking advantage of our two farmer’s markets – Cathedral Square and at the Museum of Art. Corn, tomatoes, peaches are all coming in along with the delicious breads, seafood and flowers. Editor Rob Holbert put me onto a man selling vegetables and what Rob says is the best watermelon in town who works out of a cart downtown on St. Joseph Street across from Wachovia Bank.

Another source for year round, Alabama grown, organic fruits and vegetables is a project out of Birmingham called Grow Alabama. One of my close friends in Birmingham has been using this service for several years now. Each week she picks up her basket for her family of four at a drop off point. While you can select specific items, she likes the surprise of it all and raves about the quality and taste. Some Mobilians are trying to bring this service to town and need 20 people to warrant a truck coming to town every two weeks.

Another friend of my Birmingham one writes, ” I got my first shipment last night. It will soon be too hot for UPS to deliver without ruining everything. My stuff was fantastic; only things ruined were three peaches. The food is unbelievably fresh; AND, they clean it! No cabbage worms in the broccoli etc. Right now we need 20 people to sign up and pre-pay for at least two months Anyway, please sign up now by calling Shirley (the organizer) and giving her a credit card or mail her a check; this will get them to send us a shuttle truck from the Montgomery drop off point. Thank you for becoming a member.”

From Shirley back to our reader: “We deeply regret waiting to send you vegetables until we can get the Mobile Shuttle going, but with the description of the arrival condition of the last box that was shipped south, you would not want it and we do not want to be known for that quality. Special thank you for being a drop site in Mobile and especially thank your for getting us new members. Send me new members with their checks for at least the first two months including $10 surcharge per delivery in addition to the Web pricing and their names, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mails and I will call them to confirm and answer any questions they may have. I will then set up their account awaiting the time when we have at least 20 new members so we can start a shuttle delivery from Montgomery to Mobile. We will put their monies in the Mobile Escrow account until then. I do not think that it will be long.”

Silver share per month 98.75 plus 40.00 per month surcharge

Gold Half Share per month 98.75 plus 20.00 per month surcharge

Gold Full Share per month 156.75 plus 40.00 per month surcharge

Shirley continued: “we will definitely reward you for dropping the boxes at your place of business. I will have to catch Jerry again and we will work out something either on an exchange basis and/or fee paid.”

Take a look at www.growalabama.com, contact Shirley if you are interested and tell her that you are a part of the Mobile Mission.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

Archives