I was excited to
visit The Picklefish Pizza Pub today to have a sit down with the owner Spencer
Allen. I was embarrassed to admit that I
had not patronized the restaurant in the past; however after tasting what has made
the restaurant a favorite among locals, the pizza, I mentally kicked myself for
not stopping in sooner.
Before we get down
to the nitty gritty of the interview with Spencer I absolutely must share my
opinion about the pizza. No, I'm not a
pizza connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination however I must say that the
pizza was absolutely divine. Picklefish
strives to make their pies as close to a New York style pie as they can
get. I've never eaten a New York style
pizza (I hope to do so in a few weeks), but I can't imagine anything coming any
closer. The crust was thin and crisp, yet not cracker-like. I typically don't eat the back crust on pizza
(never have), but I had to devour this one.
All of their pizza crusts are brushed with garlic infused extra virgin
olive oil. As I sit and type this post I
can still smell the aroma of the pizzas wafting in the background. I can't wait to dine there again. Now, on to our interview with Spencer Allen.
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| Spencer Allen (Lt. Green Shirt) Photo Credit: Treasured Moments Lifestyle Photography |
Spencer: Well I would have to say it all begins with
using fresh ingredients. All of our food
is made from scratch and we use local produce.
Our salads are made using Romaine lettuce. Our burgers are made from Angus beef and are
handmade.
MoCo: I could detect something special in the
pizza. What was that?
Spencer: Our dough is made from scratch every
day. We make it in the afternoon, let it
rise and then we knock it down and place it in our cooler for a long, slow rise
overnight. I must have tried 25
different recipes until I settled on this one.
MoCo: How many pizzas would you say you make in a
week?
Spencer: In a week?
Oh wow! A lot. We average 20-30 per day so multiply that by
7: (Roughly 140-200 each week).
MoCo: Now that's a lot of pizza. What are some of the varieties?
Spencer: The most popular are
the Great White pizzas. These pizzas are
made from our original White
Sauce (made from extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic with Italian herbs),
basil, spinach, feta, parmesan and mozzarella.
Other favorites are the Thai Chicken and the Buffalo Chicken.
A patron and marketing specialist from 92 Zew radio, Steve
Kingsmore said Picklefish is a Mobile tradition not only for Mobilians but for
his daughter in particular. He said,
"Whenever my daughter comes to town for a visit she always asks if we can
make time to stop by Picklefish for a pizza.
The folks here make you feel special.
You can order your pizza with different toppings on each half or even on
each quarter. Now how many other
restaurants are willing to do that? This
makes it feel like they're doing it just for you."
MoCo: I noticed that your menu offers a wide
selection of beers - many of which I am unfamiliar.
Spencer: This is another specialty we like to offer
our customers. We have a large selection
of beers and I'm proud to say that we are able to offer beers that complement
our pizzas. For instance we have a large
variety of craft beers. A few that
readily come to mind are the Bengali IPA, Fat Tire and Westbrook White Thai. This one is brewed with ginger root,
lemongrass and Sorachi Ace hops.
MoCo: Before we conclude, would you mind sharing
with MoCo how you came to own Picklefish?
Spencer: Sure.
I always loved their pizza and I used to eat here often before I bought
it. I'd owned businesses in the past
(liquor stores and bars), but never a restaurant and I've always had an
entrepreneurial spirit so when the opportunity came up to buy Picklefish I will
just say that it was a blessing that came about.
MoCo: Last question, I promise - Where do you
foresee yourself and Picklefish in five years?
Spencer: I would like to have another location in
either Midtown or downtown or maybe a food trailer.
About Picklefish:
Spencer
Allen, 40, purchased Picklefish in 2010 and currently employees 11 people. He is a native of Hattiesburg, MS and is an
alumnus of the University of South Alabama.
Location:
5955 Old
Shell Road (Across from the USA Campus)
Mobile,
AL 36608
251-344-9899
Check out
their website for daily lunch specials.
Like 'em
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pickle-Fish/166131963434441?fref=ts
Tweet ‘em
on Twitter: @ThePicklefish
Be on the Lookout - You Never Know Where We'll Pop Up!
Until next time - Stay Safe.
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