It is a truth universally acknowledged that a vegetarian in possession of good taste must be in want of a decent pizza recipe. Yes, we unashamedly began this article with a Jane Austen rip-off, but there’s a good reason why. Our relationship with this pizza is a love story worth telling. When we started our search for a delicious vegetarian pizza, we weren’t content with merely the totally traditional and decidedly uninteresting.
Long gone are the days of being satisfied with plain cheese or scraping off toppings when you’re dining with mostly carnivorous friends – we wanted a pizza that can be shared in perfect harmony. And we found the Holy Shiitake Pie at Mellow Mushroom.
There’s a reason that the name of this pizza is a wild exclamation – you’ll be shouting it with your first bite. The pie starts with an olive oil and garlic base and is then topped with (as the name implies) a generous helping of shiitake, button, and portobello mushrooms.
The mushrooms are joined by caramelized onions, mozzarella cheese, and Montamore – a slightly sweet, creamy, and fruity cheese. The pizza is finished with a garlic aioli swirl and a drizzle of black truffle oil, a sprinkling of fresh chives and a healthy dose of shaved parmesan.
The distinct taste of each mushroom variety brings the dish a unique flavor. You get richness from the shiitake, earthiness from the button mushrooms, and meatiness from the portobello. Combine all that with the sweetness of the onions and the creaminess of the cheeses, the bite of the truffle and the aromatic garlic, and we’re in business. We all love our classic pizzas, but this pie has more complexity. It feels purposeful and designed. It’s a dish to be savored.
Now mushrooms tend to divide the room, and we know some of you probably looked at the picture and thought, “Mushroom pizza and I are never going to happen.” And we get it. But this pizza might just have you renouncing your anti-mushroom ways. So take a chance and grab a slice – because we’re sure that you and this pizza are a match made in heaven.
Mellow Mushroom is located at 410 Anastasia Boulevard. Learn more about them by visiting www.mellowmushroom.com. Photography by Brian Miller.
