Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Slim’s Pizzeria in Crestline Village.
Slim’s Pizzeria, turning three this spring, combines unique, local ingredients with a retro vibe in its Crestline location.
Co-owned by portrait photographer Miller Mobley and local restaurant veteran John Rolan, Slim’s came together in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic through the work of two men looking to create a place that blends the past with the present.
While Mobley may be the celebrity co-owner — he has photographed first ladies, pop idols and movie stars — Rolan is the genius behind the food at Slim’s.
Rolan got into the restaurant business while pursuing a bachelor of fine arts degree at UAB in the mid-1990s. He first started working at Arman’s at Park Lane in Mountain Brook’s English Village — now the site of Little
Hardware — before moving to Azalea at Five Points South.
Rolan eventually found his way to a job working in the kitchen at Bottega, learning about the restaurant business from owner and James Beard Award winner Frank Stitt.
After becoming a sous chef, Rolan was named chef de cuisine at Bottega in 2001, running the dining rooms and kitchens at Bottega and Bottega Cafe for more than 20 years. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 disrupted operations at all of Stitt’s restaurants, and after some time operating curbside takeout at Bottega, Rolan started looking for a new opportunity.
“That's when I met Miller, and we started discussing the idea of having a good local place here in Crestline and having just a really nice neighborhood joint," Rolan said.
Rolan and Mobley found the perfect spot: the former location of Vogue Cleaners on Church Street, across the road from Crestline Pharmacy.
“I like the fact that’s sort of an escape from the neighborhood. It’s an escape from where we live and what we do, but it’s still a big part of it,” Rolan said. “It speaks to your memories, it speaks to your ideas of a brasserie or a small French bistro, but it also has New York vibes going on.”
"The neighborhood has been fantastic. They have embraced us and really been a big part of what I think has made us successful, being a fun restaurant,” he added. “I think it's really nice to have people feel comfortable and be able to relax and shed away their rough day and have a good pizza, a cocktail and good service.”
As for the pizza, Rolan sources as many local ingredients as possible for his pies through the relationships he built with farmers around the state during his time working at Bottega. The flour that is the basis for Sim’s unique pizza crusts is milled in Ensley.
“We use an artisan blend, and we take that four and do a three-day ferment on it, so our dough is quite different than most other doughs because it approaches a sourdough with that fermentation,” Rolan said.
The menu includes a number of specialty pizzas, such as the hot honey, which features honey from Eastaboga, along with pepperoni, mozzarella, chili and jalapeño. The puttanesca, a Sicilian pasta dish, is made with shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico and Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes from California.
The drinks menu at Slim’s features classics such as the French 75, martinis and, of course, the Manhattan. Rolan also works with local companies Golden Age Wine and Big Spoon Creamery to develop the wine menu and the restaurant’s selection of ice creams for dessert.
Slim’s is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information, go to slimspizzeria.com.
