By Mike Cassidy, Guest Blogger, Foodies Like Us

Take a trip to the Mellow Mushroom

I am by no means a certified “foodie”.  My dining selections have frustrated and endeared my lovely Italian bride (who can really cook).  I’ve dragged her to diners throughout Northern California and waffle joints in Florida.  I’m far more interested in the atmosphere and people (staff and patrons) than the food.  To live we need food, so I eat.

During my Christmas shopping foray today – yes, I know despite my wife picking things up in July, I happen to wait until December 23rd, go figure.  I ran into a new restaurant called the Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers.  Hhhheeeyyyy dddduuuddddeee, I though I’d try it.  Not until I looked online did I realize it’s a franchise operation, info here: http://www.mellowmushroom.com/

It is however, the first in AZ – over at Noterra on Happy Valley Road.

Being the introverted diner that I am, I dined alone, just me, my journal and Blackberry.  The hostess seating me asked if I’d ever eaten a Mellow Mushroom and when I replied, “this is my first trip”, she said “you’re going to love it!” (she either didn’t get my pun or didn’t think it was funny).  I was seated at the bar – where restaurants usually segregate solo diners (so we don’t scare paired diners).

I ordered the tomato bisque and their Thai-Dye 10 inch pizza (sans onions).  When I order the Thai-Dye another staff member walking by said, “That’s my favorite, you’re going to love it.”  Nice when your staff are fans.  The bisque was fine, well presented and very pretty.  It was natural tasting (how’s that for sophisticated lingo), though not much more than pizza sauce.  Now, the Thai-Dye pizza was out of this world – a fabulous curry sauce, delicious chicken and cucumbers.

Well worth the trip and the stigma of being a lone diner.  It was like California Pizza Kitchen with a hip edge that I liked – one staff t-shirt read “baked and sauced since 1974” and I like really liked the food.  I’ll return to dine there and maybe someday I’ll bring the fam so I can sit at a table with the big kids.