Photo by Jason DeRusha
I think you’re going to love Mothership Pizza Paradise, the soon-to-open restaurant from the team behind Mr. Paul’s Supper Club. I got a sneak peek and a sneak taste from Chef Tommy Begnaud, his wife Carrie Erickson, bar manager Aynsley Jones, and restaurant vet/GM Sam Rosen. It feels lived-in. Neighborhood-y. Welcoming. Bring your kids, bring your friends.
It started two years ago when Begnaud and Erickson bought the back bar at Architectural Antiques. Begnaud said he negotiated them down to half the asking price, but he’s been paying to store it for $150/month for two years, as it took a lot longer to move into the space than planned.
Photo by Jason DeRusha
The second piece they bought was this stunning, huge stained glass light fixture from Hunt & Gather (that one’s been staying in their garage). Notice some of the paint on the walls with the cracked design—that’s from Arezzo Ristorante, a nod from the Mothership team to the love many in the neighborhood had of that restaurant. They painted pink stripes over the old design.
Just 60 seats here. Yes, that is Elvis in the upper left corner of this picture, and there are two large TVs flanking the bar. Sports bar? Not really, just a neighborhood spot. The pizza oven is new—apparently Arezzo’s owner took out the old oven and the venting. You have to admire the venom that apparently came out of a business dispute, as detailed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
How’s the pizza? Pizzas are all named after the moms of the team running the restaurant— there are two named Kathy, so the “Kathy” is pepperoni ($20) and the “Also Kathy” ($22) is white sauce with chicken, bacon, and ranch. I loved the Connie ($21) —a creamed spinach pie topped with crispy shallots.
The dough is closest to a Neapolitan-style but not like a Punch Pizza crust. There’s a big, airy crust at the edge, almost like a breadstick, and the main part of the pizza is thin. There’s a little bend to it, but not quite like a traditional New York slice. The dough spends four hours fermenting on the bench and then another 24 in the cooler. There’s a little Peroni beer in there to add to the aroma and flavor of fermentation—68% hydration for my pizza nerds out there. The inspiration was Roberta’s in Brooklyn, New York, where Sam Rosen spent almost a decade working before he came back to live in Minneapolis.
The menu is larger than I expected—lots of small plates with a bar vibe. Think garlic knots, meatballs, wood-fired veggies. I tried arancini sitting in a fontina cheese fondue, decadent and creamy ($15). Is calamari back? I’ve seen it popping up—this is about as perfect as I’ve ever had. Rings and tentacles with garlic, lemon, and artichoke ($15).
The chicken wings are meaty, and you can pick Italian, garlic-parm, or a wet Buffalo. ($17).Tons of homemade pastas as well – I loved the rigatoni bolognese pictured above ($24).
The cocktails are excellent—welcome to the border of Minneapolis/Edina because there is espresso martini on a nitro tap ($16), and it’s perfect. Jones is making my favorite kind of martini, the 50/50—equal parts Occitan Gin and Bordiga Dry Vermouth with a little parsley oil and a twist of lemon. Citrus, gin, earthy, luxe, I loved ($16). And there’s a cool lunch/brunch drink called the Garibaldi ($13) which is campari and orange juice juiced with a high-speed juicer that gets it a nice and fluffy consistency. That goes down way too easy.
All week they’re doing friends and family and training service, but they’ll open Tuesday, Oct. 29. Lunch and dinner, closed on Mondays. They’re walk-in only and expect that people will walk up the street to wait for a table at Barrio or Pajarito or their other spot in Nolan Mains, Mr. Paul’s.
Mothership Pizza Paradise, 5057 France Ave. S., Minneapolis, mothershippizza.com
