Kokomo is undergoing a “beautification” project; it was started during our city’s previous administration and the current mayor has continued with the project in a smaller, yet still noticeable way. Our city has never looked cleaner and our roads have never been more appealing. However, the cost of beauty is sometimes function. So, when Apperson and Home Avenue got the green light on their beautification plan, much of the city could NOT have anticipated the hell it would put the businesses atop that hill through, Mulligan’s included.
What was once a wide, expansive roadway began to be invaded with patches of grass and dainty trees. Once four lanes wide, the streets in front of what was Mulligans when A Slice of Kokomo first visited now became two thin pathways fit for compact cars, not a city flooded with Jeeps and trucks lifted sky high. Each street on either side of Mulligan’s delta among the river of cars now became condensed and detrimental. Traffic would go on to become a confusing conglomerate of small cutouts in the grassway, where u-turns are damn-near impossible and large vehicles are unwelcome. In fact, I watched in agony as a semi attempted to make a delivery to Mulligan’s a couple years ago, and I sat behind him, trapped between his perpetual struggle and the line of agitated cars honking behind me.
It is no wonder Mulligan's is no more.
That’s right, folks. Mulligan’s no longer stands between the bustling flow of Apperson and Home on an awkward plateau surrounded by blown-out factories. Despite a facelift just made in 2015, Mulligan’s name no longer graces the building. What stands there now is not a vastly different take on the hometown bar, but rather a reimagining of Mulligan’s Sports Bar for the 2021 business-scape.
Introducing: Kokomo Alehouse.
Just a few months ago, Mike and Mari Mund took sole ownership of the former Mulligan’s and quietly transitioned to Kokomo Alehouse seemingly overnight. I had been to Mulligan’s a number of times before: it was primarily a Chrysler bar, littered with the afterwork 2nd Shifters looking to blow off steam after a workweek fraught with humid temps in a plant severely lacking adequate ventilation. Mulligan’s was the dark, stereotyped sports bar you could easily drive down to after your shift and could be welcomed like an old friend to the barkeep. Pool tables clacked in the back, chairs quickly filled up with hungry and sober patrons, and you could feel the community of Kokomo settling in for a night of debauchery and booze-fueled hijinks. Mulligan’s WAS known as one of the best places to be on a Friday night, and I attended a number of them myself. The good ole’ days.
Vibes can change easily.
Kokomo Alehouse finds this weird space in between a drunkard bar and a classy brewhouse. After a bit of redecorating and a remodel befit a new business, the Alehouse now sports a much more appealing interior that is both welcoming for newcomers and homey for the regulars. Advertising often for “Wine and Canvas” events alongside regular trivia and music bingo nights, Kokomo Alehouse seeks to take the traditional “hometown bar” and morph it into something more than just the afterwork crowd can enjoy. Yet, walking in to test out the now-condensed pizza menu on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I could still feel the dive bar reputation glowing in the background. Kokomo Alehouse was occupied by only two other patron who blared the same country track--about a cheating wife and a dog and prison--over and over again through the TouchTunes jukebox. Sparse dart boards and pool tables still lined the walls. Despite a glow-up, the dive charm couldn’t really be extinguished.
This time, I brought some friends to help me grade the pizza. And whenever you are in a group of four, pleasing everyone’s palates is going to be a challenge. The only safe bet on Kokomo Alehouse’s menu for my group (apart from going strictly cheese, which is no fun) was the very straightforward speciality pizza, Carnivore. All the meats, none of the contentious vegetables. And we all had opinions to share on this pie.
We all agreed it was big enough for the party without much effort. The four of us tore into it quickly and said very little. My friends are not much for food critiquing, but I did manage to pry some valid points from them as we all stuffed our faces over a round of darts. We all vehemently agreed the sauce was perfectly minimal for this pizza. It was almost non-existent. Hidden beneath a dense layer of cheese (which did not stretch at all, sadly, perhaps due to the heaping mounds of meat choices), the marinara gave each slice just enough lubrication. It had a job to perform, and it did so. It never stood out, and practically offered nothing to the overall taste. It was the senior employee six weeks from retirement, carrying the entire department on their shoulders, but no one would notice them until they were gone. We all noticed the sauce, but none of us really appreciated it at the moment.
However, the massive cupfuls of meat left us with something memorable. Sometimes spicy, sometimes oddly sweet, each bite is kind of a mystery. Kokomo Alehouse advertises that the Carnivore comes with a mixture of diced ham, diced pepperoni, bacon, and Italian sausage. The toppings were sometimes crunchy, sometimes tender, but never disappointing. For bar pizza, this hit the spot. Even though we all ate our share, we still managed to walk away with a doggy bag for later.
I don’t want to oversell the pizza: the food was good, but most pizza is. I cannot say it was without its flaws. Similarly to the sauce, the crust served a purpose, but that wasn’t flavor. It was the vehicle the toppings needed to survive. It was a bit sweet, which is ok. And if you love sweet pizza, this is it! But, for myself, the unnatural sweetness detracted some from the experience.
That being said, Kokomo Alehouse is a great little bar in the heart of our fair city. And it serves great bar food. I know this is currently just a pizza blog, but I am going to step outside of my genre a bit just to mention that they have superb wings (try the PB&J Wings...just do it), the cheese dipping sauce saves the crust easily, and the fried appetizers are also fantastic with a cold beer or well drink. Kokomo Alehouse isn’t a pizza place, per say, but they easily could throw their hats into the ring, and would score aptly. They do their duty in the pizza ring.
What defines a great pizza joint in Kokomo? Is it having the best ingredients in the city? Or perhaps its being that zany place that throws oddball toppings in the mix and sells some monstrosity called “The Kitchen Sink”? I am still trying to figure that out. I think, though, that a good starting point is the pizza place that has you coming back for more. Just a week after that outing with friends, I went back to Kokomo Alehouse solo. With a personal cheese pizza just for me underarm, I went back to my dayjob just a little happier; with globs of melty cheese to keep me company.
And I will be back again.
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