By Susie Timm, Head Cheese
It’s been a long time since I ventured down to Mill Avenue. I have many, many college memories of that street.
From minty chocolate mochas at the very sadly defunct Coffee Plantation to wacky t-shirts at Duck Soup to Bath and Body Works, Mill has always held a special place in my heart.
For a host of reasons, much of Mill Ave has died off in recent years leaving a near ghost-town type feel.
Luckily, no one wants Mill to go the way of the Buffalo, so in recent months, new businesses have been popping up in a mad attempt to save this AZ landmark.
One such business is Mellow Mushroom. I was invited by the owners of the franchise license in Maricopa County to enjoy lunch and try out the Mushroom.
I had no real preconceived notions of what I expected from Mellow Mushroom. I had heard about it from a friend who lives off of Happy Valley Rd in North West Phoenix has raved about the pizza goodness.
Both AZ locations are owned by Jay and Diana Beskind, a lively couple who are incredibly passionate about pizza.
Mellow Mushroom was originally started in 1974 near the campus of Georgia Tech. It was started by three dudes who were evidently, pretty “mellow” in their time (read: high).
Thus many of the restaurants reflect the late 70s neon, swirling decor much beloved by aging hippies and hipsters alike.
The Mill Ave location is more “skater chic” as it has the largest collection of graffiti art in Arizona including custom skateboards.
The space is very large and suitable for a quick lunch, happy hour or dinner with friends.
I was fortunate to sample a variety of items from their menu. For starters, I sampled homemade meatballs served with fresh mozzarella, basil and marinara. They were superb! I also tasted the gigantic stuffed portobello mushroom and the capri salad. All three left me lip-smacking and looking for seconds.
The Beskind’s clearly thought I looked famished, so they ordered about 27,000 varieties of pizza for me to taste.
Here’s a few of my faves:
House Special: A classic “works” pizza piled high with a plethora of meat and veg–tasty, but not overly unique
Gourmet White: Topped with a olive oil and garlic, this cheesy pizza was rich, salty and delightful.
Thai Dye: A twist on Thai cuisine, this baby is flavored with curry, sweet pepper sauce and veggies. It was spicy, sweet and very unique.
Fun-guy: My absolute favorite–5 kinds of mushrooms on a pizza. Crunchy crust. A winner on all levels.
The Mellow Mushroom dough is sent daily from Georgia to AZ and made with special “Georgia Water” to which they credit the crunchy, crispy and chewy texture.
They’ve also got a TON of beer on tap and happy hour specials that will bring a smile to your face. Read more about them here.
I was very pleasantly surprised and overjoyed by my experience at Mellow Mushroom. The pizza is really, really good.
I’d drive down to Mill Ave to rekindle some old memories, and start some new ones at Mellow Mushroom anytime.
