“John and Mitchy were getting kind of itchy…” wait….. “Sal and Mookie were feeling kinda ooky..” Sorry. Really obscure and I’m dating myself.
So apparently these two guys were in the restaurant business in Jackson, MS (a hotbed of dining lately, really) and they decided they wanted to go into the NY style pizza biz.
According to their own information, they worked on different recipes til they felt they had it down and THEN went to NY to see how their pies compared. They were satisfied.
Restaurant opens. Success. Pizza, ice cream parlor, sports bar, adult area, all in one.
Met people who wanted to take the concept to the Gulf Coast. Made a deal. Opened. Successful. Just off the coast highway, across from the Hard Rock in Biloxi. Spitting distance from the Gulf.
So I wandered in about 7:30 or so on a weeknight, and there were perhaps six couples dining and a gaggle of uncleared tables, must have been kinda busy earlier.
Hostess is awol. Chef in kitchen behind big glass window overlooking the hostess stand. Nada. Blank stares.
Seems like finally a light bulb goes off and he goes to look for someone. In the meantime, I’ve located the bartender and he shows me to one of the few “clean” tables. Cleaned as in “cleared,” when the server did show up, she felt compelled to give it a wipe down.
Drinks ordered, delivered after a little delay. (Was there an employee poker game going on in the back or something?)
Pizza ordered, 14″ “Classic New York” with sausage, mozzarella, and provolone.
Pizza delivered fairly quickly. (By this time, I was the only customer). Sal and Mookie’s brochure states that they use the finest ingredients: King Arthur Flour, Kosher Salt, Filtered Water, Fleishman’s Yeast, EVOO, whole milk mozzarella and imported Italian plum tomatoes. Admirable, but I doubt the average pizza eater can tell the difference. I mean, hell, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, and Dominos are the largest chains in the world, and people seem to be satisfied with the crap they put out.
So do I tell you my opinion about this as a pizza in general, or as a “New York style” pizza?
If I lived here, it wouldn’t be my ‘go to’ pizza, tho this isn’t a part of the country that lends itself to great pizza. I lived in New Orleans for eight years and pizza there was mostly meh. I understand they’re working on it.
On Sal and Mookie’s desire to make a New York style. Crust is too thick, puffy doughy edges, reminiscent of one of the grocery store self-rising things. Sausage is sliced pieces of links, that’s very New York-ish. But the sausage selection isn’t very flavorful. (There’s a small producer down the road in Chalmette, Marciante, you should go sample theirs). I didn’t look close, but there was a lot of garlic on the pie, so I can’t say whether it’s in the sauce or was diced bits on top. I’m ok with that, some people might now be.
I’d personally prefer more cheese, but then real NY pizza tends to be skimpy on cheese. Distribution was a little lop-sided for some reason.
If you’re an occasional reader, you know the true test (for me) is how tasty the pie is the following morning, after sitting out all night. This one passes that test.
Would I go again? Don’t think so. In addition to the reasons above, it’s a little spendy, but then it’s sitting right in tourism central. Total time invested, 75 minutes, surrounding tables still weren’t cleared or cleaned.
I think it’d be a fun place if you’ve dragged your entire family and in-laws to the beach, and wanted a pizza and ice-cream party, with lots of room to spread out. They also have salads and sandwiches, a few pasta dishes and a kid’s menu. Full menu is right over here. Non-smoking. They cater.
Sal and Mookies Pizza Review
Sal and Mookies Pizza Review