It was one of those I-ain't-cookin'-tonight nights. There wasn't much to eat, the sink was full of dishes and I just didn't have it in me.
So I made a move to call my favorite pizza-delivery, and then I remembered a place I'd been meaning to review. With menu in one hand and telephone in the other, I chose a sampling of the menu of "premium pies" from Wild Mushroom Pizza.
Delivery is a good thing, whatever the type of food.
While Wild Mushroom does have a small menu of the classic toppings, it specializes in gourmet toppings, such as capers, calamata olives, fire-roasted eggplant, pine nuts, smoked salmon, a variety of mushrooms and others.
I appreciate getting off the beaten path. (The only thing better than being off the beaten path, in my mind, is sitting in a storefront pizza shop in Manhattan, eating a slice of cheese-only.)
So my family and I sampled from premium pies, a collection of gourmet combinations with recipes that are adventurous. I only wish the guy who took my order had offered a choice of crusts, as the thick, doughy type isn't my first choice. I like the thin type. Wild Mushroom offers old-fashioned hand-tossed, pan, crackery thin and New York crust styles.
We tried the Pacific Northwest, a pie of white garlic sauce, smoked salmon, red onion, capers, pinenuts and mozzarella. I would have like this better on the crackery thin-style crust.
Next was the Buffalo Style, with its wild and spicy sauce, grilled chicken, onion, green bell pepper and mozzarella. Dang, that was spicy! And a bit too salty, but it was a lot of fun. I liked the idea.
We also tried the Athenian, featuring white garlic sauce, kalamata olive, feta cheese, ground beef, red onion and extra cheese. Though very tasty, this one was heavy and would have been better on a thin crust.
Last was the Hawaiian Blues, with its marinara sauce, Canadian bacon, mushroom, extra pineapple, bleu cheese and extra mozarella. Additions to the standard recipe put a well-placed twist on the pie.
Other specialty combinations include one called the Five Kingdom, Wild's most expensive premium pie. It features marinated artichoke, roasted red-bell pepper, black olive, grilled mesquite chicken, portabella mushroom and bleu or feta cheese. Sounds delicious.
I like Wild Mushroom for the great combinations, interesting ingredients and specialty sauces (choose from pesto, wild mushroom, white garlic and marinara). It's refreshing to have thought and heart put into pizza. If it were me, though, I would match crust styles to specific specialty combinations. Some types just seem better than others for certain recipes.
Overall, I'm thinking I'd happily order from Wild Mushroom again.
So where do you call when you ain't cookin tonight? I'd love to hear your choices for delivery, be it pizza, Chinese or whatever. Delivery is a good thing, but good food is an even better thing, and when you can have both, you've got it made.
Prices for large specialty pizzas range from $13.99-$17.99. Price for medium (12-inch) one-topping pizza is $8.99, large (14-inch) $10.99, extra-large (16-inch) $13.99, Wild Size (18-inch). $17.99, Wild Party Size (26-inch) $26.99. Sides, including Buffalo wings, breadsticks and salads range from $1.99-$5.95.
Wild Mushroom Pizza
*** 1/2 (out of five)
Location: 2100 S. 500 East, 484-6100
Payment: checks, major credit cards
Reservations: none needed
E-mail: stephanie@desnews.com