Mellow Mushroom is easy place to enjoy a meal

By: John Batchelor | Winston-Salem Journal
Published: September 09, 2010

The Mellow Mushroom restaurants originated near Georgia Tech in Atlanta, where Marc Weinstein, Mike Nicholson and Earle Reeves observed that fellow students tended to conceive of pizza and beer as essential food groups. Now a franchise operation, more than 100 locations have been established since the first in 1974. North Carolina properties include most major cities, in addition to Winston-Salem, where Jim and Cindy Waters own the franchise.

The chain's website has a lot of cutesy-active graphics, but it fails to provide some information that I consider essential: hours, prices and credit cards accepted. On the other hand, you can get a good idea of what to expect before you go.

Some people would call the ambience energetic. I would call it noisy. Concrete floors support casual seating. Orange, yellow and vermillion wedges look down from a black ceiling flanked by black walls. A colorful tile mosaic decorates the back wall. One side of the dining area is open to the kitchen.

An abundance of artisan beers are available on tap or by the bottle. The wine list is small, with noteworthy attention to Yadkin Valley wineries.

First courses are termed "Munchies" on the menu. An unusual construction of Bruschetta ($5.50) uses chopped tomatoes, which tasted pleasantly ripe and fully flavored, along with bits of fresh basil (I yearned for more), blended with pieces of mozzarella cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

A Stuffed Portobello ($6.50) melts mozzarella cheese over a large cap, surrounded by artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and mixed leaf lettuces, ladled with balsamic syrup. The flavor validates the "mellow" in Mellow Mushroom.

Hoagie style sandwiches are available in half and whole portions. The Steak and Cheese ($4.50/$7.25) uses thin slices of beef that emit good flavor, augmented by fresh onions, green peppers, button mushrooms, Provolone cheese, and bacon. The Italian ($4.50/$7.25) combines ham, salami and pepperoni, with fresh mozzarella cheese, sautéed onions, tomatoes, basil, and lettuce dressed in a vinaigrette. Irv's Sausage and Peppers ($4.50/$7.25) uses particularly flavorful Italian sausage, plus sautéed onions and green peppers, Provolone cheese, lettuce and tomato. Whole wheat as well as white sub rolls are available.

I especially enjoyed the calzones. Chicken and Cheese ($9.20) uses thick slices of real breast meat, plus mozzarella cheese, fresh mushrooms, onions, and green peppers. The House ($7.90) incorporates spinach, tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. These benefit from a tasty crust.

Pizza comes in three sizes -- 10-, 14- and 16-inch. (Prices cited are for 10 inches.) The House Special ($12.50) is based on ground beef, which produces good flavor of its own, along with a little pepperoni, ham, bacon and sausage, plus fresh onions, green peppers, mushrooms, black olives and large tomato slices.

Gourmet White ($12.25) was my favorite -- the intense flavor of sun-dried tomatoes blends with Provolone, mozzarella and feta cheeses, joined by olive oil and garlic, plus slices of fresh tomato. Philosopher's Pie ($12.25) requires little analysis for enjoyment -- just savor the Portobello mushroom flavor in the context of those same blended cheeses, along with artichoke hearts (which seem a bit incongruous) and thinly-sliced beef.

Pizza is an abused species in many restaurants. Often, what masquerades as meats are highly processed chemical imitations of meat, and vegetables -- especially mushrooms -- are often canned. Mellow Mushroom does a better job than most, using real food on flavorful crusts.

Although these pizzas do not rise to the level of so-called "gourmet" pizza, as served in some high-end restaurants, they nevertheless taste good. I find Mellow Mushroom the sort of place that is easy to enjoy.