Tag Archives: house

The ‘Shoulds’ In Life…

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MellowMushroomHoly2

What am I attempting to say here?  There’s so many things in life we’re told to ‘should’ do, that we ‘must’ do, and that we have to do.  It’s programmed and wired into our brains pretty much the day we’re born.

It’s that which controls us, gives us wants and desires that may not always be reasonable, they may also be the path of least resistance, or in other words, following the herd.

We like our life simple, and with as few headaches as possible.  Experiences, challenges, and obstacles are going to come in our way.  We’ll experience heartache, joy, exhilaration, fatigue, and everything in between…

That’s the macro, or maybe the micro, or maybe I’m just being vague again.

Then there’s the ‘shoulds’ that are about the simple things.  We should have gone on this vacation, we should have accepted that job opportunity, we should have accepted when someone asked us out (or we should have mustered up the courage and asked them out, what’s the worse they can say?), or we should have…

This brings us to Mellow Mushroom, with a growing list of locations in the northeast, south, expanding westward, and many in Maryland, and a charming menu to boot.

The Rockville, MD location is footsteps to many things family.  A family business was once nearby, my family lives in the Rockville Town Square, where this and many businesses, commerce, and local entities reside, and where many of us have seen a transition from a historic town to well, looking like everywhere else.

No, that’s not a dig.  I’m just sentimental to how many towns used to look like, and many still do.   There’s another ‘should’.  I’m all for change as long as it helps everyone, yet we must also help ourselves.

Mellow Mushroom is among a list of many places I would suggest to pick up food from, or dine out at with my dad, when I would come visit him.   Yes a family business was footsteps away, so it was nice to come and spend time on a weekly basis.  Sometime more, sometimes less.  I loved every minute of it, more like every second.

But he has his favorite few places,  like many of us do.  And we get comfortable.  I get comfortable.  There’s another path of least…

Yet at some point something that is familiar and easy to us now, was once a stranger and foreign to us as well.  See what I’m saying?  Before I digress like I tend to do, let me talk about the pizza.

For the first time I finally walked into a Mellow Mushroom (just typing that out and saying that in my head makes me laugh, the name just sounds funny to me), without asking if he wanted any, because the ‘shoulds’ have done me in and done enough.

It felt like a different universe.  I can’t explain it.  But it felt like a place I’ve had recurring dreams about, and not in a bad way.  It’s just well…

MellowMushroomMenu

The pizzas themselves are reasonably priced.  I got two small pies to share at $13 a piece.  The House Special and The Holy Shiitake.

MellowMushroomHouseSpecial2

The former is decent.  And the latter is really good, maybe even great.

MellowMushroomHoly

The crust on both, especially the Shiitake really complemented the pie well.

MellowMushroomHouseSpecial

The House Special has a lot going on more for my taste.  The extra mozzarella added on top is a nice touch.  And I know some people love it, or are going to love it.  It was a bit too much for me.

MellowMushroomHoly2

But the Holy Shiitake has everything I want in a pizza, and in food in general.   Olive oil, garlic, shiitake, portobello, caramelized onions, aioli, and truffle oil is up there with the best combinations in pie, or in anything ever.  Yet something was missing…

What was missing was… I ended up eating this on my own.  I came to visit, yet I was only able to enjoy it by myself.  I left the rest for family, and hope at some point they get to enjoy some too.   I wish I had done this sooner.

MellowMushroomSlices

I had all the intentions of getting pizza here, a year ago, two years ago, maybe even longer, and that didn’t happen.

What I’m saying is, with anything, don’t wait till something happens to do something.  I have to tell myself this.  You should just do, just be, and not overthink things too much.  I’ve done a lot of that, and continue to so.

You never know when opportunities like this are going to run out, or ultimately….

I was told by a wise man once, don’t let something monumental happen or be forced to make changes in your life.

Have a blessed one…

Ideen

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So Much To Love…

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MolinaSlices2

You know, the first time I set food into R. House in the up-and-coming (eek!) Remington neighborhood in Baltimore, I thought was wonderful.  On the outside looking it, I could see why people could sense stuffy, hipster, unapproachable, and uninviting.  Now everyone has an opinion, and I wouldn’t question why folks would think that way.  I imagine that I might have thought that way too, initially.

But no, I’ve had fantastic culinary experiences, with friends or on my own, at stall that myself and many others would never had a chance to feast on.   I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Day, so I’m feeling a little more thankful than usual.   R. House is a place to be thankful for…

Rhouse1

However, for months, people were asking where is the pizza?

You have food from all over the globe, yet no pizza.  I was asking too.  I wanted something a little different to write about.   I had a feeling something special was coming…

…And I was right…

MolinaStall

Molina Pizze & Polpette,which has been barely open a month, is the perfect complement to everything else in the R. House family, or space if you will.  It feels like a family of establishments that all work together to serve us some awesome eats and something out of the ordinary.

I’ll save the other places I’ve dined at for another time, or maybe never haha..  But I will review all five of the pizzas they’re serving as of this write up.

Molina is New Haven style, (which I wrote about once before, you can find that post here) which is one of those acquired tastes if you believe in acquired tastes.  I do to an extent.

This was done over two visits, and the results were different, but not in the way you would think.   I’ll just say a few of the pizzas stood out above the others, but everything was good to great.  I may lump a few of these slices together, but here goes.

MolinaSlices

Visit #1 :

MolinaRaz

First, and of course, is the Raz.  This is their cheese, and for this and the next slice is the crunchier style I would have expected.    The cheese pizza itself was fantastic.   The basil, for its appearance and its flavor, put this one over significantly. Great pizza.

MolinaTerra

The Terra is their vegan pie.   I forgot that the pesto was lemon basil.  Basil is great isn’t it? I could have had this pesto on a piece of bread all by its lonesome and would have been happy.  Sounds like a great idea.  The veggies all tasted so fresh and blended with this pie so well.  And I love when places throw on that arugula that you can’t see anything else.  The cashew ricotta is as incredible as it sounds.  Oh my goodness right?  The texture, the look, and everything.  This is not a pie for everyone, but it’s a pie for everyone.

MolinaSlices2

The most recent visit made had the exactly comforting crust, that you may find traditionally at other pizzerias.  But why complain? It’s ‘officially’ the holidays and we’re going to be eating this kind of bread, dough, and crust frequently if you’re headed to a party (or ten+) near you.

MolinaCollabria

The Calabria is a slight deviation from the Raz, but with protein, and mmm Chili Oil?  Is that was that distinct taste was?

MolinaParma

The prosciutto on the Parma made this one fun too.  If it wasn’t for that the arugula would take over everything.  Did I mention how much I love that?  And I love how they’re using lemon as a topping.  Here they use lemon juice.

MolinaHenrietta

My favorite (which could change instantaneously) is the Henrietta.  It contains some of my most valued vegetables.  I adore spinach, mushrooms and that gorgonzola is a trifecta of tremendous proportions.    And having shallots on a pizza can be a challenge.  It can backfire, but not here.   Again, I’ve had balsamic glaze on a pie which lead to overkill and be too runny or unnatural.   This was natural.

Have I touted this place enough?

MolinaMenu

Even if you’re not into pizza, they have other things on their menu, which I would love to try sometime.  The prices may put off some, but I think they’re justified.

MolinaPrices

I like what Molina is all about.  Actually I love what they’re all about.

Their story and team information can be found on the main page, and it’s a charmer.

And here is their contact information.

RHouseDoors

Finally, for more on R. House, click here.

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving with dear family and friends, that you hold closest to you.   I feel like Molina is a place I’ll hold close to me now.

Have a good one and peace be with you.

Ideen

Down To The River To…

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namastepie2

This is a Small Business Saturday special.   But for me, supporting small business, when it comes to pizza, or other ventures, is what I’m proud to support the most.   However, there are mom and pops, brick and mortar, or whatever you want to call it, that strike a nerve just a little more.

All of a sudden it’s December.  How did this happen?   Last Saturday felt like it was minutes ago.  But in the spirit of that, I take it to a town that has meant so much to so many of us, Ellicott City, MD.

riverhouse2

I was going to write about River House Pizza Co last summer, but things didn’t work out that way.  I stumbled upon their courtyard right smack dab in the heart of Old EC, where I had been many times before.  But this one felt special.  The weather was glorious, the live band (yes there was a band) was rocking, the crowd was enjoying themselves, and eating some great pizza to boot.  I say great, but am I getting ahead of myself?   The wait times were upwards of 20 minutes for a pie, and I didn’t have time to wait.  At least that’s how I try to rationalize it.

But the planets aligned and this was meant to be a special for the holidays.  And how special are these pies?   In a chestnut shell, these pizzas taste like perfection for this time of year.  They taste like Christmas, or they taste like anything you might celebrate.  It’s one of the most comforting and endearing pizzas you’re ever going to have.

To mark the importance of this, there will be two pizzas reviewed over two visits.  How cool is that?  Yes the pizza is hot and cool, at the same time.  That’s enough of the cheesy puns.  Wait I’m not even sure if that’s a pun.

riverhousedisplay

The first stop was a fortunate visit to the local library’s farmers’ market.  And what do you do know, this would be their last day here, for a while.   Funny how that works out.

riverhousemarketpie3

In the tradition of my play on words and then my love of pesto, I went with the Market Special.   This pizza is so simple yet so extraordinary.  That dough is so chewy and gooey and as I alluded to, tastes like the holidays.  It’s on the level of that cheesy bread you may find at your national chain pizza.  But this blows it all away.  I can’t rave enough about how amazing this soft dough is.  And the balsamic glaze really shines through.  It may be the highlight in a sea of highlights.  The chicken tasted fresh, the pesto homemade, and that cheese is a pure delight.  At only $12 this pie is a bargain.

riverhousemarketslice

I saved half of this for lunch the next day, and tasted equally as good.   I’m salivating at the thought of having one right now.  It’s inspiring.

namastepie

So that was two weeks ago.  We move along to that Saturday after Thanksgiving.  After that remarkable display of wood fired fierceness, how do we top this?  I’m not sure but the Namaste I got at their Courtyard is on par.  And if you look closely, both pizzas complement each other in the spirit of Christmas.  I love that so much.  I didn’t even plan for that.

namasteslice

I’ll admit, I ordered the Namaste for the name alone.  The spiritual connotation was enough for me.  And once again, that dough was insanely good.  You’ve got to be kidding me.    The marinara and red peppers add to the holiday visual.  And those caramelized onions, mmm mmm mmm I’m in love.  Was that even a sentence?  But mmm….This was tremendous.  And I continue to find that portabella mushrooms add to most meals and of course that means to most pizza pies.

Needless to say this pizza didn’t stand a chance.  I finished it in one sitting.  Yes, I was hungry but it was more than that.  This was spiritual experience at the courtyard.  I was alone, but I wasn’t.  There were a few other tables occupied but that wasn’t it.  It was just cold enough that being inside was feasible, but the warm energy around me was enough to let me know I was surrounded by spirits.

And with positive spirits comes positive vibrations.  And the vibes that radiated from all the shoppers in downtown Ellicott City made me feel so good.  I had no problem waiting a few extra minutes to find parking and appreciate all the people going over the crosswalks.

This is what the holidays are all about.  Well maybe not all about.  This is just a small sample size within one story.  We all have those stories that tug at our heartstrings and creative a memory that will resonate with us forever.  As time goes on, I’ll appreciate this experience even more.

At the end of this post I’ll share with you some of the images I took in downtown EC. Some were taken from my car, so they may look a bit awkward, but it almost seems fitting.

Pizzas like this only come ever-so-often.  And supporting local is the way to go.  For those in the area, their winter weekend hours are posted here.  Their intent to stay open the entire time.   Here is their courtyard menu.   Finally, if I haven’t sold you on their pizza yet, here is the chef’s bio.

As an added bonus, Midnight Madness is tonight! 

Here are my two previous visits to Ellicott City gift wrapped to you, in door #1 and door #2! 🙂

I want to review all their pizzas, so this may just be the beginning.  And I’m going to safely assume they will all bring joy and make great memories for you and your loved ones.  I hope this is just the beginning, and I would like to say I’ll be back soon.  This will be a cherished part of my holiday memories and I hope the same happens for you.

Namaste,

Ideen