Mellow Mushroom

I do not try to avoid West Mobile; it just is not always a convenient place to dine when you live in Midtown. Traffic, long waits and chains all irritate me and ruin my experience. For over a year I have been meaning to try the Mellow Mushroom. However, their reputation for long wait times had made me wary. My first experience was full of preconceived notions.

One recent Sunday night visit shattered this fear. My in-laws wanted to meet up for a family dinner. We needed a place that was kid-friendly and could comfortably seat seven. I have eaten in Mellow Mushrooms in other cities and had a great meal. Each Mushroom seems to have it’s own mellowness, some of them more laid back than others. The atmosphere and food do not scream chain. Maybe the lack of industrial microwave ovens warming up prepackaged food makes a difference.

The seven of us bound for the restaurant was a scary thought to me, but my wife called and was assured of no problems with a quick seating.

Oversized, colorful fiberglass “shrooms” dominate the patio seating and entrance to the restaurant. The patio looks like the perfect place for college students and country club tennis types alike to chat-it up (or maybe hook up) on sunny days. The mixture of patrons here affords opportunity for the next Mrs. Robinson moment in the making. It was cold, and dark so we went inside and were immediately seated in our own little area near the back. The place was crowded and busy, but not overburdened.

Funky, bright and entertaining posters, artwork, clocks and colors abound in the tight-yet-well-planned serving area. Most seats offer a view of the kitchen at work and can be a great babysitter for kids. Televisions are at every sight line. This could be, but is not annoying. Usually when someone tells me a place is “laid back,” it sets off an alarm. That to me says service stinks and good luck finding a server, much less one who knows what is going on.

For me this was not the case. The staff was laid back but knowledgeable, friendly and NOT IN MY FACE. It was like being waited on by an acquaintance. Casually, everything was presented to us in order and nothing was left out.

The menu was overwhelming, with many choices of hoagies, salads and pizza. The sandwiches sounded appealing, but the size of our crowd demanded pizza. We each ordered salads that come in small and large (meal size) versions. Most of us ordered the small Caesar salad ($4.50) and it was the usual romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese and croutons. The croutons were made from pizza dough, crunchy not the typical crown breakers often found in prepackaged places. The dressing was light, not creamy but it did not have enough garlic for my taste. I like a lot of garlic however. Others ordered the small Greek Salad ($5.95) - lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, onions, green peppers, mushroom, feta cheese, black olives tomatoes, pepperoccini and banana peppers; or the small Spinach ($5.95) - spinach leaves tossed with Parmesan, shrooms, tomatoes and bacon. Both of these salads came with an esperanza dressing, which is tasty, zesty creamy balsamic vinaigrette. The price was a little steep, but the salad was more than the usual side salad. It was not enough for a meal for anyone, but the ladies could not finish and still eat pizza.

Pizzas come in three sizes—10, 14 and 16 inches. The 14” is plenty for four. The crust is chewy, is made with spring water with an almost honey taste. It was also not too thick to eat like a doughboy. All of our pizzas were made with toppings close to the edge and generous sauce.

The Kosmic Karma (14”, $14.75) is prepared with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, feta, fresh tomatoes and pesto. Pesto was drizzled atop each slice. Fresh and zesty, this pizza was light but not wimpy. The four of us ate well from this tasty pizza, but my father-in-law and I ventured out to taste the others.

My sister-in-law ordered the Gourmet White (10”, $8.75) which has an unusual (as in, not found a lot around here) olive oil sauce, minced garlic, sun dried tomatoes, provolone, mozzarella, feta, fresh tomatoes and onions. There were a lot of flavors competing on this pizza, and the olive oil sauce served as the perfect neutral base. The provolone was odd to the mix, but with the biting taste of feta and chewy mozzarella combined for a nice taste.

We also ordered a small Pepperoni (10” $6.60) for the kids. Kids’ food almost always turns out to be the best. This was my favorite pizza of the trio with lots of real pepperoni. The real test to me of a good pizza place is the amount of toppings and cheese. There was plenty of high quality cheese on all three pizzas.

For a laid back, high quality pizza experience, try the Mellow Mushroom. They are open for lunch and dinner, seven days a week and have an impressive wine list along with a full selection of imported and domestic beers.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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