I've seen three references in the Observer about the new Pizza Peel (formerly Mellow Mushroom) in my Cotswold neighborhood...the restaurant was even mentioned as a feature in the recent "Living Here" insert. The debacle of the downfall of the 'Shroom turned me off from the location (bad mojo?) but my husband said "Let's try it."

Instead of Portifino's? This better be good.

It wasn't. We paid 15 bucks for a five dollar "Domino's style" pizza. The manager came to see if we liked the pie - I told honestly, NO. She demured, "Perhaps it's the whole wheat crust? Maybe you want something like Brixx?" No, I want a darn good pizza from a place that has Pizza in the restaurant name.

The dough is bland, and cooked way too fast. No crispiness at all. The sauce tasted like Ragu marinara, right out of the can. The cheese burned even though this pie couldn't have been in the oven more than 7 minutes - cheap cheese is the worst.

Domino's is on the same street - you'd be better off getting your CHEAP pizza there and picking up a six pack at the Harris Teeter on your way home.

How very Charlotte of the new owners, though- Tart the place up to look nice and expect people to shovel down crap, no questions asked. Welcome to the Queen City.