Mellow Mushroom "The Caesar" of Pizza

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It was a late Sunday night journey to Mellow Mushroom in downtown Raleigh, that had my mouth watering this week! My Dad, my two friends, and I made dinner plans at Mellow, located off Glenwood Ave and Peace Street (601 West Peace Street, Raleigh 27605). It's always great when I get to start off the week with pizza.

The atmosphere engaged me at once. I was welcomed by giant, over-sized mushrooms, featured out on their patio and a friendly, easy-going staff. Before even entering the restaurant customers can enjoy the vibrant and groovy environment. Everything is colorful and all the artwork has a 70's, psychedelic feel to it. The lighting is dimmed to give off a relaxing, "chilled out", vibe to the customers who dine there. It's a very unique atmosphere, not one you would expect from an average pizza joint. It's a restaurant that not only welcomes the college crowd but also families and locals. Mellow proved from the moment I entered that it is far from average, because what makes it different is what makes it so charming. 

MellowMushroom.com

I was instantly bombarded with choices while looking at the menu. With 15 specialty pies, signature hoagies, and calzones, I was overwhelmed by delicious-ness. So many tasty options with very unique qualities, nothing was boring or ordinary. We started with one of Mellow's popular appetizer's, the garlic cheese bread, with a side of the restaurants signature marinara sauce. I gobbled up the appetizer, with the help of my two friends. The warm stringy cheese and subtle garlic spice made for a yummy start to my meal. The sauce was so appetizing I couldn't get enough of it, gross or not I could have drank it like soup! Their marinara sauce was off the charts in comparison to the other pizza places, it was tangy as the sweetness and spicy ingredients blended together. The sauce was unique, a slightly spicy after-taste, which resulted in the perfect blend of sweet n' spicy to make it the most delectable sauce yet. 

I decided to branch out and try something different this time. I needed something other than cheese to give this place the critique it deserved. What it came down to was the Mellow Mushrooms specialty pizza, "The Caesar". This pizza had an olive oil and garlic base, layered with mozzarella and feta cheese, pesto marinated chicken, topped with caesar salad and Roma tomatoes. The caesar dressing was flawless and added just the right amount of flavor. The refreshingly cold temperature of the salad over the warm, array of cheeses, and pesto marinated chicken was an unbeatable combination! 

The crust on all of Mellow Mushroom's pies is another part of what makes their pizza stand out. The crust is not too thin, soft, with just the right amount of chewy-ness. It melts in your mouth as the warm dough and various toppings mesh together. The crust is also lightly dusted with parmesan cheese, making it a part of the pizza you'll never want to leave out. 

The price paid for the little 10 inch personal size caesar was completely worth it, although not exactly inexpensive. The small size caesar pizza cost $10.26, not horrible but not totally cheap either. Regardless, I had a great dining experience at Mellow Mushroom as many customers do. Mellow Mushroom customer and frequenter, Deric Travers, 20 told me he loves Mellow Mushroom. "It's my favorite place to chill and eat pizza in Raleigh," he said. 

The artwork display over the kitchen.

Vic's Pizza not so Vic-torious

Large wall painting in Vic's dining area.

 It came down to the wire and my hopes for Vic's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant were high. Vic's is located downtown Raleigh, at 331 Blake Street. It's a very quaint location, in the heart of Raleigh's City Market. The perfect atmosphere for couples looking for a date night. On Tuesday night, my friend and I ventured to Vic's to give their pizza a Slice of the Triangle taste test. Unfortunately, my taste buds were not impressed.




The toppings were generic, neither fresh or flavorsome. We ordered "The Vegetarian", a specialty pizza that consisted of mushrooms, black and green olives, green peppers, and onions. Surprisingly, regardless of the vast array of toppings, the pizza was very bland. Even the sauce and cheese could not bring me to say it was anything "special".

Wine selection and inside decorations.

The crust was also plain, a thin crust dough with absolutely no zing to it. It was a typical New York style pizza crust. The cheese was mozzarella and probably the best part of the pizza, but that might just be my personal bias because I love cheese. I felt like the toppings were boring and not fresh at all. The sauce tasted like it was Ragu or something that came out of a jar, not at all what I would expect from an Italian owned restaurant. 

The prices however, were very reasonable. The specialty pizza we ordered was an 18 inch pizza and totaled to only $15.60. My friend and I were actually surprised because many other entrees on the menu you were a little pricey. For two broke college kids, it was nice to get our money's worth, in quantity at least. I feel like I'm being harsh but I have high expectations for my pizza. Vic's pizza wasn't terrible but it wasn't anything to drool over either. 

The View from outside Vic's.

Although the atmosphere and "Little Italy" feel was engaging, the pizza itself fell short of anything spectacular. If you're looking for a small, Italian, wine and pasta oriented restaurant, I'd say Vic's might still be worth a try. "I loved the atmosphere, but found the pizza to being kinda of plain," said friend Jenna Iannucci, 19. "Vic's is definitely where I'd like to go on a date but I wouldn't order the pizza," said Iannucci. Still, I wish your taste buds good luck in finding anything remarkable about Vic's pizza. 

Chow Down at "Chow Pizza and Burger Joint"

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Although I had another place in mind for my Monday night pizza stop, there was a change in plans! Instead I decided to go Chow, a pizzeria and burger joint that looks more like a sports bar. Chow is located at 8311 Creedmoor Road, off the corner of Strickland Road in Raleigh.  You'd never know it but Chow is known for it's excellent pizza. I was skeptical at first but my doubts were quickly put to rest.

My view of the bar from a booth.

I had never been to Chow before but heard only good things, and after my visit I will definitely be going back. I was sat by a Hostess who lead me to a booth near the bar. The bar at Chow to my surprise was pretty big, taking up at least half of the restaurants space. It was also the more popular part of the restaurant, several customers had sat there to enjoy some beer and watch College basketball off one of their many big screen TV's. It was an attractive little night time fun spot.


I was so excited to try the pizza I skipped the appetizers and headed right toward the pizza menu. I decided to be more traditional and just go with cheese, but trust me it was far from boring once I took the first bite.

Half Cheese/Jalapeno Pizza we ordered.

The pizza I ordered was a large size, half cheese and half jalapeno (my friends decision) pizza. It wasn't a specialty pizza but my taste buds were pleasantly surprised. What I noticed almost immediately was a strong yet delicious hint of garlic, but I had no idea where it was coming from! At first I thought it was in the cheese, or maybe the crust, but I couldn't quite figure it out.


After talking to one of the Chow Employees, who preferred to remain anonymous, I found out that all of Chow's pizzas are basted in a butter-garlic olive oil. That's where that delicious taste was coming from! "Our pizzas are hand tossed and our ingredients are picked fresh and local daily," said Anonymous Chow Employee. "Chows Specialty Pizzas are to die for, it's heaven on a plate!" The invigorating taste of the butter-garlic oil, savory cheese, and pungent tomato sauce made for a flawless mixture that had my taste buds screaming for more. Lucky for me, I couldn't finish my half of the pizza and got to take some home to have as yummy left overs.

I was also amazed at Chow's affordable prices. I got a large pizza for only $16.70, much cheaper than last weeks visit to Lilly's. Needless to say, I will most definitely be going back for another chance to get my Chow on!

Learn more about Chow from their video: http://bcove.me/uxc74ouk

Lilly's is for Lover's!

On Friday night I had my usual craving for, you guessed it, pizza. So I decided to take a trip with my boyfriend, downtown Raleigh, to Lilly's Pizza off of Glenwood Ave. Lilly's is a small pizza parlor recognizable for it's flashy art display and unique interior atmosphere. Fortunately, we got there just in time before the rush of people came barreling in to get their Friday night, pizza fix.

Lilly's is dedicated to its passion and unique taste for art. The restaurant provides local artist's wall space at no charge on a bi-monthly schedule. The current featured artist is Kathleen Hughes, according to Lilly's website (Contact her at kathleenannhughes@gmail.com). I enjoyed looking at several pieces of her work as I ate my pizza. It's a really romantic and engaging atmosphere, a desirable location for date night with a loved one!

Artwork by Kathleen Hughes. Courtesy of LillyPizza.com

This is my second or third visit to Lilly's and I have yet to leave unsatisfied. The pizza we ordered was beyond delcicious. Needless to say, it hit the spot! The only complaint I had was the size of the restaurant, along with the seating, which is not nearly compatible with the rush of people Lilly's attracts on a daily basis, especially on the weekends. Due to the rush of customers, it was difficult for the staff to find time to speak with me. However, from my perspective they did an excellent job serving and satisfying all their customers needs.

More of the featured artwork on display.

We ordered "The Big Shindig", a specialty and quite popular pizza at Lilly's. The pizza consisted of Lilly's homemade organic tomato sauce, prepared with only organic veggies and organic vine-ripened tomatoes. 

Specialty Pizza. Courtesy of LillysPizza.com

On top of the zesty tomato sauce was Lilly's fresh and flavorsome assortment of veggies, consisting of cremini mushrooms, organic green peppers, organic red onions, pepperoni, ground beef, black olives, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. It was some of the best pizza I've had in Raleigh, NC. The perfect array of mouth-watering  toppings, flavorful sauce, and melty cheeses, is what Lilly's provides all of it's customers. 

Lilly’s dough contains only 100 percent organic, stone-milled, whole-wheat flour. The vast majority of the restaurants selected vegetables are Certified Organic. All of Lilly's Chicken and Beef toppings are cut fresh to order and are completely natural with no antibiotics, hormones, coloring agents, or preservatives.

As much as I dislike sounding like a cheap-scape, I am after-all, a college student and I enjoy lower prices as much as the next person. Lilly's "had me at hello" with their affordable prices. A medium specialty pizza cost us only $18.50. Talk about a deal. We weren't even able to finish off the whole pizza, so there was plenty for left-overs. "I was pleasantly surprised at how much we got, for how little we paid. You won't find a specialty pizza at that price at many of the pizza places I'm familiar with," said Ryan Boss, 20. Slice of the Triangle rate's Lilly's an A++, in every department! Check them out at Lilly's Online.

Hot Box Pizza Is A Bust

Tuesday night I ventured to one of Raleigh's newest pizza hot spots, Hot Box Pizza. Hot Box is located right off Hillsborough Street, across from N.C. State University campus. You can follow Hot Box Pizza on twitter, or like them on Facebook!

This is the chains first restaurant located outside the state of Indiana. Hot Box has become rather popular in the local Raleigh area, drawing in the near-by college students and families by providing a low-budget, family-friendly atmosphere.

The restaurant had a very easy-going staff, who were fun and friendly towards customers. I struck up conversation with several of the employees who were more than willing to cooperate in helping me with my review. Driver, Kevin Smith, made a point of telling me "We drive for tips because gas isn't cheap, but if you want some pizza you can always count on me!" - a personal motto of his.


As my three friends and I sat down to wait for our pizza, we noticed the up-beat college environment, compiled of big screen TV's, and of course lots of NC State regalia. The atmosphere definitely catered to the typical college town scene.

View of the restaurant from where I was sitting in a booth.

In fact, one of the restaurants' most popular attributes is the unique beer stand they call a "beer tower". I saw several customers enjoying beer tower's (beer from the slender, cylinder, pitcher with a block of ice at the stem to keep the beer at a desirable drinking temperture). Hot Box Pizza creates a fun environment for those of you who are looking to grab a few slices of pizza, drink some good beer, and watch a game or two. 

Several empty Beer Towers behind the counter.

Although I enjoyed the atmosphere, I found the pizza to be less than impressive. The pizza we ordered was a thick-crust, Chicken Ranch Pizza. Typically I enjoy dipping my pizza in ranch dressing, but I went out on limb deciding to have Ranch as the base-sauce. Everything was riding on the Ranch, and we all know if the Ranch isn't good then it's all down hill from there. It was just TOO much. It's not a pizza I would normally order, but my friends and I thought we'd give it a try. Unfortunately, it just didn't make the cut.


The thick-crust was plain, and the zestyness that usually makes ranch dressing so delicious was bland and uninviting. The toppings of spinach, bacon, and chicken were fresh and well dispersed but the dull crust and mild sauce brought it down a few notches. Thankfully, other customers did not share the same feelings. "I love Hot Box pizza, it's awesome!" said customer Kevin, 22. "It's always fresh and better than most of the other food you'll find off Hillsborough Street."

While I was not that taken by Hot Box Pizza, I would be willing to give it a second-chance. Their wide variety of pizza was appealing! I think it might be possible that they were just having an "off day", and don't we all have those. 

A Thin-Crust Lovers' Dream

It was a busy Friday night at Brixx Wood Fired Pizza, located in the Brier Creek Shopping Center in Raleigh (http://brixxpizza.com/locations/raleigh). The restaurant which is right across the street from Brier Creek Stadium 14 Movie Theater, always accumulates a spritely crowd on the weekends.

Thanks to my friend Stacey Van Der Hyde, former Brixx employee, we were able to get pizza and pasta at a discounted price! "I decided to work for Brixx because it was a fun environment, with an entertaining yet easy going staff," said Stacey, 20.

As we waited for our seats we acknowledged the bustling atmosphere - Brixx was packed! Brixx is known for their unique style of pizza, late night hours, and the bar located in the front of the restaurant.


I observed many people enjoying a drink as they waited to devour some delicious pizza. Brixx is well-recognized for their selection of beer. Another reason why this joint brings in such a rambunctious customer base. You can even join Brixx Beer Lovers, if you're a true beer lover.




Although Brixx atmosphere caught my attention at first, once the menu was in front of me nothing could steer me away from it. My eyes shot straight towards the delightful variety of pizzas they offered.



The pizza has a wood fired based crust, because it is baked in a wood burning brick oven. The crust is thin, crunchy and some what cracker-like. For those of you who love thin-crust, Brixx is the perfect destination for you.



Brixx pizza's all come in the same size, a 10" perfectly crisp pizza, enough to feed and fill up the average customer. Their sauces and toppings vary - from your typical tomato sauce base to a garlic olive-oil base.

While at Brixx, I ordered a popular choice and what Brixx calls a "Goin' to Cali" Specialty Pizza, the Chicken Florentine (seen in the picture to your right). In Slice of the Triangles perspective, it was an A+.


All the pizza toppings are fresh and savory, and did I mention healthy!"I always loved Brixx pizza because it really is healthier than most pizza but still tastes great!" said friend and fromer Brixx employee, Stacey Van Der Hyde. Brixx accommodates a vegan and gluten-free menu, for those customers with special dietary needs.


With a thin cripsy crust, light cheese, and fresh toppings, Brixx certainly makes for the perfect healthy pizza. A great option for a light dinner or a yummy late night snack!