Delicious combination of oily squishy mushrooms and savory cheeses. This original pie has surprising flavor complexity.
After Chris' heartbreaking (and unnecessarily long) post about Mellow Mushroom, I have some good news to share - Mellow Mushroom nailed their Holy Shiitake Pie. One of the most satisfying mushroom toppings I've had hands down.
I agree, when I walked in the door this time at Mellow Mushroom, it seemed lonely and dusty, like going back to Chuck-E-Cheese as a teenager for a younger siblings' birthday. Nevertheless, I knew I could get a specialty pie here and try something original that I couldn't get anywhere else. I figured with mushroom in the name, they surely can do a 'shroom pizza right.
The Holy Shiitake Pie consists of olive oil and garlic base, shiitake, button and portobello mushrooms, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and MontAmoré®. Finished with a garlic aioli swirl and a spritz of black truffle oil. Garnished with fresh chives and shaved parmesan. I had to look up MontAmoré®, I guess it's white cheddar that tastes like parmasean.
It had amazing oily mushrooms - and the mushrooms are truly the star and main flavor, but is also has a sweet kick from caramelized onion. Perfect harmony where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but you can also taste each individual ingredient in waves. Mouth-watering squishy mushrooms, and also great appearance with the swirl. I mean aioli is basically mayonnaise without eggs so you can’t go wrong haha. You even get a hint of chive as an aftertaste so you really taste everything.
The crust is reminiscent of pretzel - it is a dense yeasty dough with a harder crust that forms on the outside. It sometimes gets a little tough toward the edges, but it has its own distinct flavor and pleasant sweet aftertaste. This dough is filling!
I'd say this pie is up there with the Street Corn Pizza from Pies and Pints because it has a lot in common, it's vegetarian, you get waves of complex flavor and can taste each ingredient, and it has a drizzle of sauce. I'd love to try this as a whole pizza rather than the personal size.