Pizza from a Prius

Pizza Fusion: A Seattleite, doing something about the city's paltry pizza scene, in a way only a Seattleite could? No. Pizza baked in an oven powered by cold fusion? Not quite.

Pizza Fusion is a Florida-based national pizza chain with a conscience, whose first Washington outpost will open this summer in Trace Lofts' north building, along with Barrio.

It will be Washington's first LEEDS-certified restaurant, which means that besides delivering in energy-efficient vehicles, Pizza Fusion will offset energy use with renewable energy certificates, recycle warmth from their pizza ovens to heat their stores, use reclaimed furniture (the Seattle store just snatched up a bunch of stuff from Sunset Bowl's auction) and biodegradable utensils, and [the list is long].

When I read the word "fusion," I got a little nervous about the food, but a spokesperson told me that "the ‘fusion’ side of the name represented the fusion of organic, eco-friendly, health conscious lifestyles into a socially conscious restaurant model." Well, I'll be damned.

So no worries about Indonesian-style pizza. Pizza Fusion will offer multiple crusts (like multi-grain and even a gluten-free option), and modern, healthy toppings, like organic steak, organic ricotta, and wild American shrimp. (There will also be sandwiches, wraps, salads, breads, and dips.)

Has anyone tasted Pizza Fusion elsewhere?

And be honest. Do you think of your delivery drivers' CO2 expenditure when you pick up a pizza?

Pizza Fusion, 1412 12th Ave., CAPITOL HILL. Opening summer 2008.