\There’s just no getting around it, no nice way to couch it, no euphemism to protect the innocent — blue cheese is blue because of mold (normally, Penicillium roqueforti). That’s what provides its sharp, tangy taste and smell. The appetizer-size blue cheese pizza ($8) at Dharma Cafe (1302 Nance, 713-222-6996) comes on a thick pita-bread round with slices of fresh mango and sweet red peppers, which soften the cheese’s sharpness. Pine nuts add additional texture. As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes your pizza more delicious.
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2006.