Neapolitan pizzeria set to open in Lane Parke

For better or for worse, pizza is America’s favorite food, Lane Carrick said. And in June, he and fellow developer Mark Pender will open MidiCi, an upscale Neapolitan pizzeria, in Lane Parke.

The restaurant will be one of MidiCi’s first franchise locations in Alabama. MidiCi was started by the leadership team of Menchie’s who grew it into one of Forbes Magazine's “Top 100 Most Promising Companies”

“Pizza is sort of the last of the major food categories to undergo this sort of dislocation,” Carrick said. “The old line of pizza businesses are being disrupted where young upstarts are coming in with ‘build-your-own’ [options].” 

In addition to build-your-own and specialty pizza options, they’re looking to bring the essence and atmosphere of MidiCi to Mountain Brook, Carrick said.

“It’s not just the menu,” Pender said. “It’s our space.”

Upon walking into the restaurant, Carrick said, guests will see high ceilings and a live, mature olive tree rooted in the floor of MidiCi. 

“The olive tree is an unusual tree to see in a restaurant,” Carrick said. “Most of our ingredients come from Italy. … Having the olive tree there is just another way to connect with what we are, which is a true Neapolitan pizza that came from Italy.”

Another main element of the restaurant, Carrick said, is the open-air kitchen outfitted with two handmade, wood-firing ovens, each of which weighs about 6,400 pounds, and is covered in gold mosaic and is shipped to the United States from Naples, Italy. 

The “heart” is part of the restaurant’s “functional art” component, Carrick said, which lends itself to the ambiance. The ovens also make it possible to cook a pizza over a wood fire in 90 seconds. 

Pender said, too, that there’s a difference in taste between American and Neapolitan pizza — which is a thin-crust pizza — as well between gas and wood ovens. 

“Just everything we use is top-quality ingredients,” he said. “The hams, the cheeses, they’re all top-quality brands that a lot of people don’t use.”

But that doesn’t mean the prices are goingto be expensive, Carrick and Pender said.Their pizzas will be priced under $10, and other menu items, such as salads, appetizers and drinks will be available as well. 

While there isn’t a standard kids menu, Carrick said more typical pizzas such as cheese and pepperoni are always up for grabs. After all, it’s supposed to be a social, kid-friendly and family-friendly space with options for creativity, he said.

This will be the first MidiCi location in Alabama, Carrick said, and their first franchise location, but they’re looking forward to opening in Mountain Brook. As part of a multi-unit developer, the two traveled to many locations before finding the space they wanted to call home. 

“We picked Mountain Brook because we just love the Birmingham market,” Carrick said. “We think the Mountain Brook development, specifically, is a great spot of us.”

“It’s always fun to open in neighborhoods,” Pender said. “You want to be an employer that gives back to the community … We’re excited about opening in Mountain Brook.”

MidiCi will be open at 270 Rele St., Sunday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

For more information, visit mymidici.com.

Editor's note: This article was updated on June 6 at 3:25 p.m. to provide accurate information regarding the founding of MidiCi's and the weight of the oven.