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Mellow CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 ty tense restaurant. All of the ac tivity makes it cluttered and crowd ed. In short, it’s not quite mellow —except insofar as mellow means slow. You’ll wait at least half an hour for your food. But good pizza takes time, and everything’s made to order. The servers make this clear when they walk up. Mellow Mushroom’s pies are thicker than the Village Idiot’s and fresher than any of the big chains. Not that Mellow Mushroom is n’t a chain. It is. Columbia’s restau rant is their sixty-first. But, ac cording to the manager, if s a chain dedicated to “serving the best pizza around.” It achieves its goal. Pies come in three sizes: 10,14 and 16 inches. Prices vary by top ping, but the smalls come in at an average of nine dollars, mediums 13 dollars and larges 16. A large pie should serve at least four. A variety of toppings are avail able. You can customize your pie or order one of the standards. Our party of four split a 10-inch jerk chicken, hot barbecue chicken and pineapple, and a 10-inch Mega Veggie, every vegetable pizza top ping plus feta cheese. The pizzas are big - we had leftovers. The staff recommends the gourmet white pizza, which has an olive oil and garlic base, or the Kosmic Karma, 1 i 4- yv /I ttt i miM yl v* l y\ yl tomatoes, spinach and pesto. Of course, Mellow Mushroom offers more than pizza. If your date doesn’t like pizza there are calzones, salads, even hoagies. And there are appetizers. Get your sandwiches from Beezers and your appetizers from Meritage. Go to Mellow Mushroom for the thickest, freshest, slowest, loudest pizza in Columbia. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Exhibit CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 diately. The piece, entitled “No. One,” was painted in 1958 and was the first of his circle drawings, which influenced the development of field painting, a method that en tails covering the canvas with re gions of solid color. Works by other well-known artists include twisted metal sculptures and busts by Sir Anthony Caro. His work might baffle those who are used to tra cmllnfnrnc Hno nf hie works, entitled “Table Piece XXX,” resembles a giant cigar pipe twisted into arcs. Other sculptures look just as bizarre, like a hunk of rusted steel without shape or form and a bust of Clement Greenberg that looks like several slabs of rock held loosely in the shape of a human. Aside from Noland’s circle painting, the most striking piece is a pillar painted in shades of blue and white by Anne Truitt. Looking at this Lego-block struc ture, the monolith in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” might come to mind. Unfortunately for Pollock Sculpture by renowned artist Sir Anthony Carr, exibited now at the Columbia Musfeum of Art. fans, the show possesses only one of his works-an ink drawing that the famous paint slinger gave to Greenberg as a birthday present. Greenberg, a man who once sold neckties for a living, never studied art at a school or univer sity. When asked his opinions on criticism, he often told art lovers to tour a gallery as though they were choosing pictures to go in their own homes. His essays helped people judge art for them selves, asserting that beauty was in the eye of the beholder. He nev er thought of himself as the kind of person to acquire a painting or a sculpture, just someone who want ed to surround himself with art. Admission is five dollars. For information contact the Columbia Museum of Art, locat ed on the corner of Main and Hampton Street in downtown Columbia, (803)799-2810. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Bluegrass CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 Harlow said that he fulfills himself by playing alone or as a member of an ensemble. He em phasized the intricacies and skills that it takes to perform in a bluegrass band. People at El Burrito find the same satisfaction that Harlow seeks in his music, whether it’s in the flow of conversation or the simple jalapeno pepper lights that hang off the bar. Holland Vam, who works at the restaurant, stays to relax and hear the music even after his shift is over. For him the most distinguishing aspect is the vari ety of people who attend. “I think the neatest thing about the night is that there are frat boys, hippie people, and some random people all mixed in,” he said. “There are people bringing their animals, and it’s all a cool, very chill environment.” Vam said the bluegrass night has undergone a huge expansion more and more people have stum bled upon the festivities. He said it started as just a few band mem bers playing on the porch of the restaurant. Janice Cowen, from the downtown area, says she runs to El Burrito with a double stroller to her weekly date with her hus band on Thursday nights. The Cowens think the envi ronment is appropriate for their five and seven-year-old daughters who like to dance to the music. Their daughter Brigette said that coming to bluegrass night was her favorite thing to do with her father. The menu offers burritos, tacos, soups, beans and rice, chips and dips, and a kids’ menu at close to fast food prices. The menu also states that no animal products are used in the restau rant’s beans and that there is very little salt and fat in the food. The restaurant even grows a small selection of its own herbs in the back and does not mix sour cream into their guacamole. “The food is quick and healthy,” said Josh Hesley, a cook who graduated in May with a de gree in Economics. “It’s really good because it’s very simple and made with fresh ingredients.” For Vam the PBR tall boy is essential to both the meal and the evening. “It’s the classic cheap beer that you can get for two bucks,” he said. “You can get the 12 ounce, but what happens when you’re talking to a girl and an other guy comes in with a 24 ounce drink? If the other guy has a 12 ounce, you’re probably going home with his lady tonight. It’s not fair, it’s not morally right, but that’s just the way it is.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com I—