Here’s the scoop on the Doughboy Pizza in MiMo, opening in the former Attitudes Hair Salon location at Old Shell Road and Upham. A few weeks ago my children and I met Rob Vatcher – owner of Doughboy – at the site. If you haven’t been inside, it’s the perfect space for a restaurant. The glass block windows high up the wall and store front panes bathed the room in light even at 5:30 in the afternoon. The walls are painted a rustic brown and the soaring ceilings will hopefully tolerate noisy crowds. So what are his plans?

The kids and I were invited to try out with Rob and several of his staff some gelatos and sorbets being sampled from a vendor, to see if they would be up to par. Of course my kids were excited that we were going to have “ice cream” for dinner and we were all surprised to arrive and see we would be sampling over 24 varieties.

The vendor is Palazzolo’s, a highly sought after gelato and sorbet firm located in Michigan. So much so that Oprah featured them in her “O List” in the July 2004 magazine, as one of the things that she “just thinks are great.” They sell to the wholesale market and make them “using the highest quality ingredients,” according to their Web site, www.4gelato.com. Not to go on about them instead of Doughboy’s, but I can attest to the fact that the ingredients are top quality, evident by the taste.

Gelato is a European-style ice cream, with very little air whipped in and is made from a lower butterfat cream than ice cream. It is richer, thicker and more dense than ice cream. There is no way to tell you how great they are – not a single one was bad. We all left with sugar high and sickness.

Here are several to look for. The overall favorite was “Turkish roast” – Italian espresso ground and steeped with fresh cream and ground coffee specks throughout. It was like the best cup of coffee you have ever tasted. Or how about “white chocolate raspberry – French white chocolate with chunks and whole red raspberries folded into fresh cream. Quite decadent.

And all of the sorbets were good as well – each made with pureed and reduced whole fruits and pressed fruit juices. I could have written a whole column on this.

Anyway, the front of the store will feature an espresso/gelato/sorbet bar for pop-in service. His plan is to have coffee and espresso drinks beginning in the morning with fresh pastries, and the remainder of the day and night with the frozen items.

There will also be a bar that will bring an upscale watering hole into the neighborhood. Now the intent is not to create a boisterous bar, as the restaurant will cater to families as well.

The majority of the space will be for dining. At the moment, Rob is beginning work on installing a kitchen and ovens similar to his place in WeMo. The menu will feature the same well-crafted pizzas made from fresh tomatoes pressed daily into sauce, and crispy thin crust. The pastas at his WeMo restaurant I have not experimented with much, but the ones I have tasted are quite good. I expect that these will be relied upon and ordered more heavily in the MiMo outlet.

MiMo and the area around Old Shell Road has really taking a turn for the better. Every month brings more news of restaurants, markets and shops opening up for us. They say the Hill is drying up, but MiMo is alive and thriving. Look for him to open in several months.

Chef Fight

The Bay Area Food Bank will host the Eighth Annual Gourmet Chef Challenge on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 at the Arthur R. Outlaw – Mobile Convention Center from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Over 25 of the most talented chefs from area hotels, caterers and restaurants will be competing for bragging rights for the best chef in each gourmet category such as seafood, barbecue, desserts and soups.

At press time, some of the participants include Blu Bistro, Naman’s Catering, Wings Grille, Saucy Q and Cakes by Judi. There will also be a silent auction and jazz. Proceeds from the Gourmet Chef Challenge benefit hunger relief programs administered by the Bay Area Food Bank. Tickets are $35 per person or $350 for a reserved table of 10. Advance tickets and tables are being sold now and at the door.

For more information, to purchase tickets, or to donate an item to the silent auction, please contact Anita at the Bay Area Food Bank at (251) 653-1617.

Volunteer Mobile Shrimp Cook-off

If you have not already done so, get your tickets now for this weekend’s Third Annual Volunteer Mobile Shrimp Cook-off, to be held in Bienville Square. This event, held Saturday, April 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., will have 40 teams in three divisions – Amateur/Corporate, Professional/Restaurant and Political compete for the best Shrimp recipes.

Each team is provided 50 pounds of shrimp to serve as the base for their entry. You can try them all for only $10 per person in advance or $15 at the gate. The cook-off attendance and fun is beginning to rival other more established cook-offs held in town.

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

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