Despite the fact that I’ve accidentally experienced mushroom poisoning (complete with a psychedelic forest growing in my living room and a trip to the ER) after enjoying a leftover dish with the wild variety, it’s still one of my favorite foods.  I love mushrooms – in salads, with chicken, between buns and stuffed!  But I especially love them on pizza!  In fact one of my favorite dishes of all time is the Funghi Pizza at The Parlor.  It’s basically mushrooms with a side of pizza.  Well…not really…but they certainly don’t skimp on the funghi.

My last visit to The Parlor was a few weeks ago, and I was desperately craving it again, so I invited my friend Austo to dinner.  We sat at the bar, where the atmosphere is always fun and casual – just right for catching up and people watching – and there’s usually no wait (at least not on a Monday).  Plus the bartenders/servers are always friendly and attentive.

For starters, we ordered the Salt Cod Tots ($9), described as crispy baccala fritters, served over a smoked oyster puree, topped with fava beans and thinly sliced radishes.  I found it a little too fishy for my taste but Austo loved it, and thought it was awesome.  The one thing we both agreed on?  The portion size was just a tad too small.  Each order comes with 4 small “tots.”

Needless to say, I didn’t even have to look at the menu to place my order.  The Funghi Pizza (8” – $10) is one of the most popular dishes on the menu for a reason.  The roasted mushrooms, with goat cheese, truffle oil and chives on a slightly charred pizza crust are a magnificent combination.  It’s a whole lot of rock & roll taste without the psychedelic trip.

Austo chose the Pesto Pizza (8” – $10).  In his own words…“From the crust to the cheese and house made mozzarella it was perfect!  I loved every bite.  The roasted tomatoes on each slice were the perfect addition in flavor to compliment the pesto.”

‘Nuff said!

When we finally got the bill I thought maybe our server had given us a “friends and family” discount.  The total was $21, and although my math is not that good, I knew it was off.  What I didn’t realize was that we arrived just in time for happy hour, which anyone can enjoy from 3-6pm every night.

I’m a big fan of The Parlor (once a beauty parlor successfully transformed into a pizzeria) – the atmosphere, the service and especially the food!  My only peeve with the restaurant?  They are not open on Sundays.  I always forget this very important bit of information and end up in the parking lot wondering why it’s so dead.  But then again, it gives me a reason to look forward to Mondays.