Lovely's Fifty-Fifty Mostly Lives Up To Its Adjectival Name

Just before the end of the last decade, Mississippi's Lovely Hula Hands announced that, after New Year's Eve, they'd be closing. Owners Sarah and Jane Minnick, undeterred, announced that much of the same lovely style could be found at the next-door pizza/ice cream shop named Lovely's Fifty-Fifty, which opened last month. Let's take a spin around the chatter and see how it's all going, shall we? All together now:

The Good--And Super Food Porny--News: "The melted leek tart with arugula was divine, so rich and creamy, speckled with fresh herbs and peeking out from beneath a tangle of crisp, well-salted arugula leaves and a dollop of creme fraiche. Speaking of melted, the buttery crust almost did so in my mouth." [Under the Table With Jen]

The Good--Though Inspiration-Questioning--News: "We finished the meal with a sampling of four of the six house-made ice cream flavors, including salted caramel, bourbon vanilla, chocolate, and mint stracciatella. All were satisfying, but I must make special mention of the salted caramel as the standout of the bunch. Its sweet/salty contrast reminded me somewhat of an icier version of the sea-salted butterscotch budino at, yes, Mozza in Los Angeles. By this point of the meal I was positive the chefs had drawn considerable inspiration for their menu from LA's finest pizzeria, and I have no problem with that. And if it's a coincidence, well, it's a pleasant one." [This Is Pizza]

The Curious--And Scientific--News: "Look at the hole structure of the crust. This was the piece with the most open crumb. Uzideth was right. The crust is almost like foccacia, very much in the mold of modern American pizzerias, but perhaps a little slimmer. I'd guess there's both sugar and oil in the dough from the flavor and texture. It's a little sweet, without any tanginess and no crispness. It's both soft and chewy. It doesn't have that bread/wheat flavor that I look forward to from a hot oven pizza. (It could use some salt, too.) From the hole structure, the thickness, the style of dough, and the minimal amount of char on the bottom, I estimated the oven to be closer to 600 than 800." [Portland Food]

The Comparative--And Bad--News: "The disappointment was the spicy sopressata with oregano. This is a standout pie at Ken's, but here, we had to send it back to the kitchen. Not a person at the table could stomach the sopressata, which had turned gamey and oily upon cooking. It ruined the palate." [Yelp]
· Lovely Hula Hands Closing--For Good--This New Year's Eve [EaterPDX]
· Plywood Report: Lovely's Fifty-Fifty [EaterPDX]
Image of Lovely's Fifty-Fifty courtesy This Is Pizza