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UM Business Grad Wins Rave Reviews Who is craving unique cuisine? By David Holloway Mobile Press-Register Food Editor Courtesy of the Mobile Register 2009 © All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
Photos by Victor Calhoun, Staff Photographer, Mobile Press-Register
Take, for instance, the idea that truly unique, interesting cuisine is found only in downtown or midtown Mobile. There is plenty of good food way out in Ultra West Mobile and this rising tide of suburban cuisine is personified by the offerings at The Hungry Owl. What, you logically ask, is a Hungry Owl? It is a tiny storefront eatery located in the Winn-Dixie shopping center at Schillinger and Cottage Hill roads that features a diverse menu of homemade goodies. The small interior is deceiving; it is a truly fine eating experience. Owner/chef Tony Nicholas is a graduate of the prestigious culinary arts program at Johnson and Wales University. His dishes are uniquely his and reflect his sense of adventure with a slight hint of folly. (He also has a 2006 business administration degree from the University of Mobile.) Take the Stuffed Tony Burger as an example. It's a huge slab of fresh ground beef that has been stuffed to the gills with red onions, peppers and three kinds of cheeses. If that weren't enough, it also sports a good serving of Conecuh sausage in its midsection. The whole thing is seasoned and grilled to perfection. For an extra 30 cents you can get more cheese on top and bacon; you know me, I did. It is served on a fresh onion roll along with tomato and lettuce. "I generally cook the burger medium/well to well-done because they are so juicy in the middle," Nicholas said. Two side dishes come with it and the choices include baked potato salad, John's Spicy Coleslaw, macaroni and cheese, redskin homefries, a side salad, rice and gravy and mixed veggies. Special sides are added to the mix almost daily. The open kitchen inside the small eatery allowed me to watch as Nicholas cooked my meal. Space, as you might imagine, is at a premium. But Nicholas said such close quarters led to one of his best concoctions. "I wanted to serve cornbread, but the lack of a warming oven was problem," he said. So he decided one day, just for grins, to toss a chunk of cornbread on the grill. The cornbread completely changed into something unexpected and special. The grill imparted a smoky flavor and the grill marks provided a crunchy layer to the both top and bottom. The burger was, in a word, great. I sliced it in half to view the innards and found, as advertised, a layer of gooey cheese and smoky sausage. As you might imagine, it's a thick burger, but with a little doing I was able to take a bite. The onion roll - which had been grilled slightly - was a nice counterpoint to the smoky beef/sausage combo. The potato salad made from baked potatoes was incredibly rich and the turnip greens were slow-cooked to death, as any good green ought to be south of the Mason-Dixon Line. If you are in the mood for some good Gulf shrimp, Nicholas has concocted his own twist on an old standard. He seasons plump local shrimp in his own special Creole sauce, then sautees and serves them on a po-boy. Seafood entrees also include Asian-style shrimp, baked tilapia and seared tuna that is served with a house-made honey ginger sauce. The Hungry Owl also offers an intriguing, eclectic line of flatbread pizzas that include such regionally popular toppings as Conecuh sausage. Another features Creole shrimp with Chef Nicholas' spicy barbecue sauce. And what about that name, the Hungry Owl? Why not Hungry Nutria or Hungry Heron? Nicholas said he came up with the unique moniker as a way to pay homage to one of the region's best-known birds, the Barred Owl. (Or Hoot Owl or Swamp Owl.) He said he found that the owl's distinctive call or "hoot" was characterized by the phrase "Who cooks for you, who cooks for you all." Whatever the name, the food is outstanding. The menu isn't what you would call large, but it reflects Nicholas' love of grilling and smoking. "You just can't beat char-grilled flavor, it's a flavor you can't get without an open flame. That's a flavor that I love," he said. As for signature dishes, Nicholas said the burgers are very popular in all their various forms. "We're not a burger joint in the classic sense, but I guess we're pretty close," he said. The shrimp dishes - made exclusively with wild Alabama shrimp - are also gaining in popularity, he said, along with his fresh-made soups. The Hungry Owl opened last November, but before that the 32-year-old Nicholas did a stint as a saucier for Emeril Lagasse in his New Orleans eateries. The location for his new business was easy. "We (he and his wife) just live right down the road, so we're close to work. That was a no-brainer," he said. As for the future, it's whatever Nicholas wants it to be. "I love doing this; that's why at 30 years old I decided to go back to school to learn how to do it," he said. He also plans to continue "fiddling" with the menu and will add more smoked and grilled dishes. "We'll see where it goes," he added. LET'S EAT! What: Hungry Owl Where: Cottage Hill and Schillinger Road (Winn-Dixie Shopping Center) Contact: 251-633-4479 Holloway's Picks: You can't go wrong with a huge Stuffed Tony Burger. The spicy Creole BBQ Gulf Shrimp are also very tasty and the homemade soups are not to be missed.
Last modified :
Thursday, April 16, 2009 10:24 PM
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