Revolution Pizza and Ale House in Charlotte
Has anyone else tried this place yet? It took over what used to be Mellow Mushroom in NoDa, on the corner of 36th and North Davidson. My wife and I had lunch there Friday before they were formally open and as much as we miss Mellow Mushroom, we were quite happy with it.
They have a $7 lunch special that includes a 7-inch (close to 8) pizza - either cheese, veggie or sausage - a side (the side salad was great) and a drink that can easily feed two. I was very happy with the pizza, stone fired and everything is made from scratch. We also got the cheese ravioli appetizer that was just fantastic - I loved the marina sauce it was served with, my wife thought it needed more salt. They offer oils to finish the pizzas for 50 cents, we got the garlic infused oil and didn't notice it at all.
Full liquor license and beer delivery was supposed to happen Monday but I can't confirm since we haven't been back yet. The plan according to the owner and bartender, both whom I know to be beer fanatics, was to have 20 on tap and 60 in bottles to start with. It is definitely not as loud or laid back as the mushroom was, but being in NoDa if you want loud and wild there are plenty of other places to go. The quality of the food for the price was enough to convince us to go back - once the beer is there ;)
On a side note, there is also an ice cream shop about to open in NoDa. We sorely missed having our own pizza joint and I can't wait to see what the ice cream shop will be like.
I'm also quite sad that I slacked off on reading this board and missed the opportunity for the chowdown at Lulu's :(
By friek
on Oct 29, 2008 02:16 PM
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Hi friek,
Thanks for the heads up. I just heard about this place. I'll have to give it a try, sounds like a good fit for the area. Who doesn't love boundless options of beer?
As for the Chowdown, it's not too late if you'd still care to join us. Chef Marc, at Lulu, said he may whip us up something special (in addition to offering the regular menu). If you'd like to join us, email me at lynnlato@gmail.com. SO's welcome too.
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On the pizza place in NoDa - I thought that place became Moondogs??? I could have sworn I ate there around this past February and that's what it was. Did they change again?
Lynn, I so wish I could make it this weekend and put faces to names... I will be out of town. I hope it's successful so there can be another.
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They became Moondog and it was horrid, we could get better pizza from Domino's. Everyone hated it, no one local went and they went under.
The upside down house that used to be the upstairs is gone :(
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Yo Friek,
Don't despair the Chowdown is this Saturday. It's not too late. Here are the details.
Where: Lulu, 1911 Central Ave., Charlotte NC http://www.luludinewine.com/
When: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Time: 1:30pm
Just RSVP: Lynnlato at lynnlato@gmail.com
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Thanks for letting me in so late, the wife and I will be there - absolutely love Lulu's!
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Stopped in for lunch yesterday. We tried the PMLT (Panceta, Mozz, Lettuce, Tomato) and the Italian Sandwich. They were both very solid and were both very $7. I really enjoyed it. I did get a good look at the pizza menu. It's sort of a pick your pizza (white or red) and then pick the toppings. Don't know how good the pizza is, as I haven't had it yet, but I like the idea. I will say the ones we saw going to other tables looked good.
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Just went yesterday - loved it! It's the best pizza we've had since moving from Chicago almost 2 years ago. And they've got quite the beer selection and pistachio gelato. Highly recommend.
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Jenn, your first post, welcome. So, tell us, what did u have? How was the service? Just curious about what they offer. Hope to make it up that way soon. 'Course, it'll be hard to travel all the way up there and not go to Cabo Fish Taco. :)
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I went again last Tuesday and had a sample of the pistachio gelato... that stuff is just fabulous!
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i had dinner there a couple weeks ago. I give it a very high score. The pizzas are entirely "make-your-own." You choose your base (I started with a red pizza with mozzeralla) and add your toppings. The toppings range from $.50 per topping to $1.50. On my pizza I had caramelized onions, roasted garlic, pancetta, and roasted peppers. It was delicious. I really enjoyed the crust-- it had just the right crispiness and had a flavor all its own that did not interfere with the other ingredients.
My friend ordered the P.M.L.T. (the "P" is for Pancetta). He said it was a great sandwich. He ordered the homemade chips which were very tasty.
The beer selection is also quite good. There are at least 20 beers on tap, and many mored in bottles.
The night I went was extremely busy, and sitting at the bar I could tell the staff was a little stressed out by it. No surprise there, though-- the place is brand new and I would imagine they hadn't had a night that busy yet (there was a gallery crawl and The Black Crowes were playing across the street). Despite the obvious stress level and noticeable kinks, the service was very friendly and everything came out on time.
I did not try the gelato.
In summary, I thought it was very good pizza and I look forward to going back.
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I finally made it up to Revolution Pizza last weekend for lunch. I have to say, I had high hopes given all the raves on CH. I was underwhelmed. :(
We ordered three pizzas. One white pizza w/ mozz, carmelized onions and arugula. Two red pizzas. One with sausage and banana peppers and one with tomatoes, mozz and basil. All three pies were soggy in the middle. So much so that you couldn't even pick up your slice to eat it. The toppings were good quaility, but I think they overloaded the crust w/ them and maybe made stretched the dough too thin rendering it inadequate to handle the overabundance of toppings. The pistachio gelato was good and the service was great. I really wanted to like the pizza but it reminded me of Pie Town - just not living up to expectations. I'm willing to give it another try because the outer crust was tasty and had the right amount of chewiness and good flavor while stilling being light as a neopolitan-style pizza should be. I trust my CH friends so maybe I just caught them on an off day.
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lynnlato,
I've had four pizzas there, and two of them were soggy in the middle as you said. That being said, the ones that weren't were great, and the soggy middles didn't completely ruin the other ones for me as I liked the toppings. Everything is very fresh. And the appetizers take this place up another notch. Also, if you ever go there for lunch, try one of the sandwiches. They are very good, as are the sides. Perhaps the thing for any of us to do is to tell our servers or management next time we go that we've had pizzas that are soggy in the middle. I'm sure that's a problem they can correct, which would make the pizzas close to perfect with those fresh toppings they have.
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I agree. And the pizza is over priced. I had a pizza with 3 toppings that came to near $30. I asked to speek with the manager and they send this creepy looking guy with a deformed neck or some kind of wierd neck rash that scared my kids. He told me that it's expensive because we use good ingredients. I wanted to tell the fat mutant that if you buy good stuff, don't cook it soggy. Instead I just talked everyone I know from ever going back. I'm pissed. This is like Moon Dog all over again.
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You're agreeing with ickymettle that its very good pizza and you're looking forward to going back? The rest of your comments don't jibe with that. How could your pizza cost $30? A large cheese pie is $16...most toppings are $1 to $2 each.
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I just want to report that I went back to Revolution last night and the crust was perfect, with the right amount of firmness throughout and no sogginess. I'm guessing that the owners/chef heard about that particular complaint and wanted to be sure to remedy it. We had a group of people and got three medium pizzas, and they were all great. One had country ham, vegetable ratatouille and smoked gouda. Another had sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and roasted garlic. The other had arugula, prosciutto, roasted peppers and mushrooms.
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I, too, returned to Revolution Pizza recently. We went on a busy Friday night before a concert at the Neighborhood Theatre and w/ a gallery crawl going on in the 'hood also.
One word sums up our experience: Wowza. We mentioned to our server that the pizza we had previously was a tad soggy. We ordered a medium white pizza w/ Grateful Growers guanciale, peppadew peppers, and provolone cheese(which the server suggested in lieu of fresh mozz to avoid the sogginess). The resulting pizza was delicious and had the most amazing crust! Light & airy yet w/ the chewiness I need in my pizza. Damn good pizza. the peppadews rocked too.
I will say, don't go expecting NY-style pizza. This ain't the place. But the crust they served up had us craving more and we can't wait to return. Great service and a nice atmosphere. Great people watching in the bar area too. I didn't get a chance to have some gelato, but I really, really wanted some. If they are listening... whip up some olive oil gelato. I wanted to try some while in nyc but I didn't make it to Batali's Otto.
Oh, almost forgot to mention... my husband ordered a cucumber mojito that was so light & refreshing and tasty. Just the right amount of sweetness and mint. He had more than one, and that's all i'm going to say. ;-)
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Mrs G. and I went to Revolution this past weekend and we really dug it. Mrs. G. had the assorted mushroom pie and I went with Grateful Growers guanciale,and peppadew peppers. I asked them to make it a bit well done and the crust was great. The toppings were outstanding and nice to be able to have choices that are not typical. We shall return for more pizza pizazz.
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