This week we had our biggest entourage year-to-date. The pizza bus was stuffed to the gills, and our party of 8 headed to Fort Worth to enjoy the eclectic pizza stylings of Mellow Mushroom. Located right down the street from TCU, Mellow Mushroom has a prime location for a great business. As the bus pulled up after a long 40 miles, the troops were getting restless and hungry for some pizza! As we've said all year long, if you can plan to go out on a Sunday night you will enjoy the zero minute wait as you are taken immediately to your table.
Mellow Mushroom, as one could probably assume by the name, is a hippy inspired pizza restaurant that offers more than some "munchies." The menu is loaded with sandwiches, appetizers, salads, and a beer selection not suited for the amateur beer drinker. After we situated our huge party of 8, the afro-sporting server arrived to take our drink order and get in our appetizer order. We opted for a full order of soft pretzels (parmesan and salted), and some hummus dip. There is no shortage of pizza toppings and specialty pizzas at Mellow Mushroom. One thing was for certain, we had a lot of stomachs to fill, which gave us an opportunity to get several pizza options. It was quickly decided that 3 medium specialty pizzas and a small plain would be sufficient to feed us all, but which selections should we make? Each couple picked a favorite, and we ended up with a House Special, Kosmic Karma, and Funky Q. Chicken. Not to mention a couple delicious beers to wash it all down. For the first time this year, my wife and I had such vastly different opinions of the pizza that we had to each write our review of the pizza separately:
Mine: Was the pizza at Mellow Mushroom the best I've ever had? No. But you could blindfold me and I would be able to pick it out of a lineup of 50 different pizzas. The crust was different than your standard pizza shop - it was pretty thick, chewy, and airy. It was also lightly dusted with parmesan cheese and garlic butter, and had a slight sweetness that is quintessential Mellow Mushroom. The three pizzas all had different base sauces (pesto, bbq, and regular pizza sauce) which made them hard to compare. Sure the pies coming out of the oven weren't gourmet Neapolitan pizzas, but for your basic pizza joint they were extremely satisfying. One word of caution: the price of a medium (14") pizza was about $20, so plan on cleaning out the piggy bank when you leave the house. When all was said and done, I really enjoyed the unconventional atmosphere, tasty beers on tap, savory pizza, and great company. Now what else could I have asked for?
My Final Report: 7 out of 10
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| House Special |
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| Cheese |
Hers: With it's "colorful" interior design and a staff that just walked off the streets of Berkley, I expected the Mellow Mushroom to serve unique pizza. I was looking for strange toppings, possibly healthy alternatives, and all-in-all just something different. Besides the option of a gluten-free crust, my expectations were completely wrong. While we waited and waited (and waited) for our pizza, I stared at the colorful paintings of mushrooms anticipating great things. I can wait a long time for great pizza - but when it looks and tastes like DiGiorno, I shouldn't have to wait longer than it would take me to go to the store, bring it home, and bake it myself. The crust was dense and far too chewy. The cheese, to me, just didn't taste right. And the toppings were ok. But just ok. The service from the Berkley transplants was pretty lacking as well. I might have been having a rough day or something, but my final thought on the Mellow Mushroom - disappointment.
My Final Report: 5.5 out of 10 (an extra .5 for the pretzels - they were pretty tasty)
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| Kosmic Karma |
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| Funky Q. Chicken |
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