Tutta Bella's pizza is the genuine Neapolitan article

Pizza is far from an exotic food. A dozen chain restaurants might  deliver a pizza to you within a half-hour, and  a quick spin through the frozen-foods section of any supermarket will turn up a number of frozen pizzas, as well as the word "pizza" appended to everything from bagels to eggrolls.

Joe Fugere, the owner of Seattle's Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, thought  that he could do better. He traveled to Naples, Italy — the birthplace of pizza — to study pizza-making technique at the Associazione Verace Pizza Napole

Armed with the knowledge he gained there, Fugere uses San Marzano tomatoes, whole milk mozzarella cheese and fresh herbs to make a pizza that shames all competition.

The secret is in the crust. Made with low-gluten flour and fresh yeast, shaped entirely by hand (they don't even use rolling pins) and wood-fired, it can stand entirely on its own as a flatbread. Light, crisp, it all but melts on the tongue.

When that crust is topped with locally made Italian sausage, roasted onions, roasted mushrooms and Grana Padano cheese, as it is with Tutta Bella's signature pizza, the results are close to perfection.

Tutta Bella offers just over a dozen varieties of pizza — the roasted garlic Bianca and the prosciutto di Parma-laden Ciro are standouts — and their selection of wines, beers, antipasti, salads and desserts is equally varied and thoughtful.

After Tuttta Bella, you may have a hard time walking through that frozen foods section and taking anything there halfway seriously.

There are two other Tutta Bella locations in Seattle — on Stone Way in Wallingford/Fremont, and the orginal location in Columbia City — but the Westlake location is closest to downtown, and has the best parking options. Take-out orders are available, and can be made at (206) 624-4422.

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