{Gluten Free Review - Mellow Mushroom}

The hubs and I are normal patrons of our local Mellow Mushroom.  This weekend was our first time venturing to Mellow since my recent gluten sensitivity diagnosis.  We went with some of our World of Beer-North Hills friends, Todd and Michelle.  

I had heard varying opinions about their gluten free dough, and I was looking forward to trying it for myself.  The first question I asked our buddy and server, Monica, was whether or not the pretzels could be made with gluten free dough.  Unfortunately, her answer was no.  (If you haven't had the pretzels at Mellow Mushroom, do it - I promise you will not be disappointed!)

I ordered the House Special pizza on gluten free dough.  The House Special comes with lots of meat and veggies.  Yummy!  When my pizza came out of the kitchen, it didn't look much different than a flatbread style pizza.  The crust was not as "fluffy" as the regular Mellow crust.  I do have to say that it would be virtually impossible to duplicate the regular pizza dough flavor from Mellow Mushroom.  There's just something about their dough that's addicting!

All in all, I enjoyed it.  The best part for me was being able to eat three slices of pizza without feeling terrible!  As soon as we were done with dinner, I texted Margaret and said "Ah hell...  Is this what eating is supposed to feel like?  Ate pizza with no tummy yuckies after!"  Seriously, I ate three pieces and felt full, but not sick-full.  It's hard to explain, but so awesome to not feel gross after eating!

I have to admit that I miss my regular old Mellow Mushroom crust, but this is definitely a fine substitute for those that have to follow a gluten-free diet.


Pros:

• It's available!  Mellow Mushroom on Peace Street has recently changed their menu.  They even put in a little gluten free menu insert in all their menus (thanks guys!)
• The staff at Mellow Mushroom does take precautions to avoid cross-contamination.
• Tastes pretty damn good!

Cons:

• Only comes in a medium (too much for one person for a single sitting)
• Slightly odd/different flavor than the regular Mellow Mushroom crust - kinda reminds me of a frozen grocery store pizza crust
• They cannot make pretzels or calzones from the gluten free dough.