Serious Pie: Taking pizza to a new level
Seattle based chef Tom Douglas features pizza with his own unique twist at Serious Pie, located just around the corner from his fellow businesses, the Dahlia Lounge and the Dahlia Bakery. The fifth of Douglas's Seattle eateries, this one's a little less upscale than the others, but just as delicious. In keeping with its pizza kitchen mission, towards the restaurant's front a take-out counter does substantial business, providing a view to one side of the laboring cooks in the oven room churning out the pizzas.
The small restaurant does not take reservations, so be prepared for a substantial wait if you go during peak hours. Settle in and spend your time in the tiny antechamber or join the spill of people outside on the sidewalk, also waiting their chance for serious gourmet pizza. If your party numbers less than six, you may find yourself sharing a table, since the majority of the restaurant's space is dominated by large six-person tables with only a few smaller, more intimate tables towards the back.
Appetizers, worthy of the pricier Douglas restaurants, include kadota figs, roasted beets and a scrumptious duck liver pate. For entrees, you have one choice: pizza. Try the chantarelle mushroom pizza with truffle butter, the Yukon gold potato pizza, or the pizza featuring guanciale (unsmoked pork cheek, prepared in a prosicutto style), a soft-cooked egg and arugula.
Diners may find the pizza selection seems a little random, but there's not a pizza on the menu that isn't worth a try. Douglas takes bread-baking very seriously, and the crust at Serious Pie is bready but never overly thick, while he experiments with unexpected but delicious combinations, such as Penn Cove clams, pancetta and lemon thyme. An appetizer combined with a pizza, generally the size of a piece of notebook paper, will feed two people.
Depending on the amount of diners, the server may be rushed, but will be able to explain specials and unfamiliar items. The restaurant features a small but serious selection of beers and wines -- your server will gladly recommend something if you're uncertain -- and the usual trendy non-alcoholic drinks: San Pellegrino bottled water, Thomas Kemper root beer, Mexican coke and seasonal house-made Italian sodas. The dessert selection is similarly small but luxurious. Try the tiramisu for a decadent classic.
If you want a chance to try several pizzas without breaking your wallet, you're in luck. Take advantage of the happy hour held Monday through Friday between 3 and 5. During this time, the restaurant serves mini-pies for $5, along with three dollar beers and five dollar wines.
HelloSeattle Tip: Seating difficulties make this not the most kid-friendly option around.
Posted by Cat Rambo
