Saturday, May 28, 2011

Restaurant Review: Mississippi Pizza

There's this great little website called www.glutenfreeportland.org. I went there looking for pizza. I'd been having a serious craving for a slice for about a week, and I hadn't eaten at a real pizza place in over nine years. It was long overdue.

Mississippi Pizza was close to my house, and the menu on their website looked promising. To be safe, I called and asked if their crust was dairy-free. It was.



Now, Mississippi Pizza sells pies by the slice. But if you're looking for gluten-free, you will have to get one to order. They offer different sizes:
  • 12" for $13.25
  • 16" for $18.75
  • 18" for $22.00
The price includes red sauce and cheese. Extra toppings cost a little extra, depending on the size of the pizza. Or, instead of building your own, you can order a combination from their sections titled either "meat," or "veggie," or "vegan," for just $3.50 more. I'm an omnivore, so I ordered the pizza called Maggie May: salami, bacon, mushroom, and fresh tomato. The feta cheese they use is made with sheep's milk. Not all of the staff members at Mississippi Pizza are aware of this, and some will tell you it's made from goat's milk. Make sure they check before putting it on your pizza. (Mississippi Pizza also offers soy-based and non-soy cheese alternatives, which I plan to check out next time I visit.) We sipped our drinks in anticipation while we watched the room fill with pizza-loving patrons.



Our steaming pizza arrived at the table only fifteen minutes after we ordered it. The crust was about the thickness of a hand-tossed dough, crispy on the bottom, and fluffy in the middle. The crust was very well executed. It didn't draw attention to itself from a lack of balance, and the center wasn't doughy or dense. The un-sauced portion, often referred to as the pizza bone, was crunchy on the outside and soft and fluffy in the center. It was faintly reminiscent of a warm biscuit. The sauce (for those of you who understand what it is like to miss the taste of pizza) launched me into a pizza cloud. I meant to save a slice for later, to see how it tasted cold, but I ate every bite before I knew what I had done. That's okay. I plan to go back and try other combinations.

For the record, I left satisfied. One could even say that I was glowing. It was my first gluten-free pizza adventure beyond my own kitchen. Now that I've broken the barrier, I plan to eat pizza out more often. I only hope that my experience at Mississippi Pizza is the beginning of a beautiful culinary adventure.

Remember to be safe, my allergic friends. Always call ahead of time to make sure that the facilities are suitable for your level of sensitivity. You can find their number at mississippipizza.com

And by all means, Enjoy!

2 comments:

  1. I have not looked into whether or not this restaurant is dairy free, but Sellwood Pizza Kitchen in Sellwood has the BEST gluten Free pizza. I have tried Mississippi about 3 times, but Sellwood PK is hands down better. They also make a gluten free baked cookie that is better than Mrs. Fields! I would recommend anyone who needs GF but can eat dairy to try Sellwood Pizza Kitchen in Sellwood Oregon!

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  2. Thank you, Rosie! I will have to check it out!

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