Tag Archives: pizza

Food, Restaurant

Patxi’s Packs a One-Two Pizza Punch

Pizza, fresh from the oven

Pizza lovers can now find unique pleasure in going to Patxi’s—the small, California-based chain that’s opened three restaurants in Denver and now one in Seattle. The opportunity: Start the meal with one type of pizza and end with another.

14″ thin-crust pie with prosciutto and arugula

Place your drink order and pick a thin-crust pizza, and both will come to your table in mere minutes. Patxi’s thin-crust pies spin in a special rotating oven, and then speed their way to your table. The thin-crust pie at Delancey is better if you’re in Ballard, but the pie at Patxi’s is quite satisfactory, and you don’t have to worry about waiting in line. The thin crust allows the high-quality toppings to shine, and I enjoyed mine with Zoe’s aged prosciutto and fresh arugula. (Next time, I’m tempted to try one with the Creminelli prosciutto cotto.)

Half-order of Brussels sprouts with pancetta

While waiting for your deep-dish pizza (which takes about 30 minutes to bake after time to construct), some sides are well worth a try. I especially enjoyed warm Brussels sprouts with pancetta. Just be sure to toss things together to integate the sherry vinaigrette. This is a labor-intensive dish; instead of cooking halved or quartered sprouts, Patxi’s pulls the individual leaves. They don’t cook to a char like other preparations, which makes this dish more like a refreshing salad, with green apples adding tartness and red grape halves adding sweetness.

Padron peppers

Also good are the padron peppers, oven roasted and served with a sprinkling of sea salt and a side of spicy tomato sauce. Seems the night I went shishitos substituted for the padrones—still a fine choice, though smaller and less spicy than I prefer.

Deep-dish delight

As for the deep-dish pizza, like the thin-crust, you can order from the chef recommendations or build your own pie. I did a hybrid, spotting a promising Smoky Diablo pie on the specials sheet but wanting pork instead of chicken breast—which is not my favorite pizza topping. No chicken also meant eliminating the house-roasted corn, so I asked the server to have the chefs surprise me with the substitution. They did well in choosing Zoe’s hot coppa to go with the Diablo’s intended smoked chipotles, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Inside Patxi’s

The deep-dish pizza is a man-made wonder. It’s hefty, which means knife-and-fork food. The deep-dish features a “double dough.” First, there’s a thick layer of dough pressed into a pan, with toppings done in reverse starting with meat, then cheese, and then tomato sauce (simple but good)—placed on top to allow caramelizing for stronger flavor. But if you look carefully, you’ll also notice a very thin second layer of dough, with holes poked through to allow steam out. The crust is biscuit-like, a little crunchier than I expected, but enjoyable. Kids especially like eating the crust with a little local honey (purposely placed on the table) drizzled on. This is in lieu of having a dessert menu, simplifying matters though maybe not appealing to those with a real sweet tooth. Then again, I’m not sure how many people would want dessert after devouring both thin-crust and deep-dish pizzas.

The view from the sidewalk
Food, Restaurant

Pizza Parlor Friday Holler: New York Pizza & Bar

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Neapolitan, Chicago, and American. These are the three styles of pizza featured in the first three weeks of this month’s “Pizza Parlor Friday Holler.” For the final installment, this New Yorker headed back down the hill to Lower Queen Anne to visit New York Pizza & Bar (NYP).

NYP is located in the Lumen Building at 500 Mercer. You might recall that the glassy condos there took forever to fill, ultimately going to auction. Retail space has posed a similar challenge, with New York Pizza the second restaurant (after Genki Sushi) to open there. The space is large, divided into a bar area with sports on the screens and a dining room (“family” side) that’s clean and contemporary, smacking slightly of an art gallery. (Kudos to NYP for featuring a contemporary artist’s work on the walls, though the dedicated lighting could be better.)

As much as I enjoyed the month’s previous pizzas, I’d been salivating at the thought of New York-style pies so close to home since this restaurant opened. I waded through the large pizza menu (there are also appetizers, salads, burgers, pastas, sandwiches, and more), frustrated that I couldn’t find a basic New York pizza. (You won’t find the oven in sight, either, but know that it’s a brick one.) The restaurant advertises the pizzas as “New York-style” (in a “Northwest atmosphere,” though I’m not sure what that means), but what this seems to amount to is a list of New York-named pizzas like “The Bronx Bomber” (BBQ sauce, seasoned chicken, red onion, and cilantro), “The ‘Mickey Mantle’” (pepperoni, Italian sausage, black olives, and red onions), and “The Empire State” (chicken, avocado, tomato, parmesan cheese, and alfredo sauce)—some of which don’t sound very New York-style at all.

Lacking a true New York pizza, I chose two 10-inchers that came closest to what I wanted:

The Manhattan ($9.99), advertised as “simply the best pepperoni pizza you’ll ever have.” (Um…no.)

The Margherita ($11.99), with red sauce and sliced mozzarella, topped with basil and tomatoes after baking.

My preference for a Margherita pizza is simply high quality tomato sauce and Buffalo mozzarella, topped with hand-torn basil. I’m not sure why NYP puts tomato slices on this simple pie, especially when the tomatoes were as anemic as these.

I suppose one could request the Margherita without tomatoes (at savings for de-topping?) or a simple cheese pizza (apparently a customized order) to get closest to a real New York pizza, but the cross-sectioned photo above shows the pizza problem. This is far from New York-style pizza. Oh, there’s a little melted cheese and drippy oil on action on the surface, but the dough is too thick, making this more of a generic American-style pizza.

Luckily, the week before, I was in Boca Raton and had pizza to serve as a point of comparison. As much as I generally dislike the restaurant scene in Boca, the one redeeming factor is that the large number of predominantly Jewish retirees makes the area “New York South,” and therefore an area to get decent bagels, deli, and pizza. Here’s a peek in the pizza I got at a place called Dominic’s:

This pizza was waiting for pick-up at the restaurant and took a ten-minute ride back to my father’s home before I shot the photo and took a slice. Still, it tasted terrific. Not as good as Di Fara in Brooklyn, my favorite pizza in the world, but good enough to transport me back to New York.

Is there anywhere I can find a true New York-style slice in Seattle? I have a couple more pizza places on my to-try list. Sadly, I didn’t like what I had at New York Pizza & Bar. Like the Lumen Building, I fear NYP might have trouble filling all of its space unless it finds a way to auction (or alter) its pizzas.

Food, Restaurant

Pizza Parlor Friday Holler: The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits

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For the third edition of this month’s “Pizza Parlor Friday Holler” feature, I went down the hill to Lower Queen Anne to visit the new Seattle location of The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits.

The Rock opened its first pizza restaurant in Tacoma in 1995, and now boasts locations in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and even Red Deer, Alberta. With interiors featuring broken brick and an industrial warehouse feel, The Rock is a lively place for pizza.

If classic rock whets your appetite, this is where you want to be, as you’ll find musical art on the walls, concert lighting above, and Aerosmith to Zeppelin out of the speakers. The pizza playlist is also interesting, as many of the pies are named after song or album titles. (Many of those titles are listed on the bold booth seatback cushions.)

These are American-style pizzas (between a thin and a thick crust) cooked in an almond wood-fed oven at temperatures approaching 600 degrees. If you’re looking for the delicateness of Neapolitan-style pizza, look elsewhere, like the previously discussed pies at Queen Margherita. What The Rock offers is a fun atmosphere with a wide slate of white sauce and red sauce pizzas, loaded with toppings—or the ability to customize your own pizza in a choice of three sizes.

Those not partaking in pizza can choose from an assortment of pasta dishes, burgers, chicken sandwiches, or other sandwiches and wraps. There are also appetizers and salads that are good starters, such as this basic garden salad that helped balance my pizza sampling:

As for the pizzas, here are four I sampled in their nine-inch glory:

Flirtin’ with Disaster: hot Italian sausage, andouille sausage, caramelized onions, fresh crushed garlic, tomato sauce, and red chili flakes.

Crazy Little Thing: tomato sauce with white onions, green pepper, sliced mushrooms, crushed garlic, and black olives.

 

Satisfaction: garlic butter, mozzarella, kalamata olives, sauteed spinach, red onions, roasted garlic, prosciutto, feta cheese, and drizzled Italian dressing.

 

Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy: tomato sauce topped wtih pepperoni, sweet sausage, peppered bacon, meatballs, ham, and extra mozzarella.

Note: Photo of bar courtesy of Dave Baker, Art Director, The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits

Food, Restaurant

Pizza Parlor Friday Holler: Kylie’s Chicago Pizza

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The previous “Pizza Parlor Friday Holler” took me west from Queen Anne to Magnolia for Neapolitan-style pizza at Queen Margherita. This time I head north to Fremont for a completely different, Chicago-style pie. Destination: Kylie’s Chicago Pizza.

Back when airplane travel was much easier, I’d dash out of O’Hare Airport during long layovers to pick up a deep-dish pizza. If I planned my time wisely, I could count on the “L” to take me to places like Giordano’s or Gino’s East, returning in time to stuff myself with stuffed pizza on the plane, making my seatmates jealous.

Kylie’s is much closer than Chicago, though you’ll need to consider your time here as well. The menu advises a 25-minute wait for a deep-dish pizza. Some people call in their order ahead of time, though if you’re eating in, you’ll also need to consider table availability, as Kylie’s is a small space that can get crowded. (It will seem even smaller if you’re stuck listening to two tables with babies screaming in stereo. Parents, have you considered take-out?)

To fill the wait time and to fulfill a hungry stomach, I started with chicken wings. The menu promised over a pound of wings (they were mostly drummies) with baby carrots (easier to prep than celery, I suppose) and a choice of ranch or blue cheese dressing, all for $9. With nine wings on the plate, they came to one dollar apiece, and they disappointed as “Buffalo” style, lacking the crispy “seal” of a deep-fried wing (these were slightly soggy) as well as the spicy punch.

Fortunately, Kylie’s did Chicago better than it did Buffalo. (There are also thin-crust pizzas available, but if at Chicago-style joint, what’s the point?) In a meaty mood, thoughts of sausage and pepperoni prevailed as I went with the “Combo.” The 10-inch pie ($18; there’s also a 12-inch version for $24) sets you up with six pork-filled slices that also include green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and black olives.

It’s a colossal affair, and in contrast to the New York-style slice that you pick up, fold (letting the extra grease run down to the paper plate), and eat out of hand, Chicago-style means utensils. The tall slice stands strong due to the thick crust, which requires a little light sawing with a knife. That crust, made with cornmeal, is a bit buttery and slightly tangy. With all of the fillings (including the chunky tomato sauce), I felt like I was eating more of a quiche than a pizza.

The sausage pieces were larger than I like, with those at the top of the pie a little overcooked and dried out. Next time, I’ll probably revert back to my preferred, basic cheese pie. But overall, the pizza was pretty good, with two slices sufficient for dinner—leaving the third slice (it reheats well, pleasing to this person who prefers not to eat cold pizza) as a bonus for breakfast the next day.