Kauffman Picks Seattle's Top 5 Places for Pizza
New York, Chicago, Neapolitan, sourdough, Indian, takeout, whatever. For some of us, pizza's not about pedigree. Hell, it's not about the toppings (well, mostly not about the toppings).
The reason I eat more pizza than a man in his 30s should is because it's basically bread fresh out of the oven. The best pizzas in Seattle** are great precisely because of their crusts. These pies are baked in ultra-hot ovens, often with woodsmoke circling inside, which perfumes the dough as it puffs, stiffens, and yes, chars here and there.
No puffy Wonder-bread sofa cushions here. There should be bubbles. There should be a firm crack -- though not so firm that you're eating Saltines -- and a lightness to the crust that belies its carrying capacity. With a good pizza, sometimes you find yourself demolishing the outer rim first and must force yourself to circle back to the point of the triangle so you leave something to hold that's not coated in scalding sauce. The following five pizzas do that. Admirably.
5. Flying Squirrel Pizza Co., 4920 S. Genessee, 721-7620, flyingsquirrelpizza.com. Bill Coury's got the kind of pizza skills that you'd expect would come from years of baking experience, but instead, the man perfected his recipe while working at Starbucks. His pies are solid on the outside, hollow on the inside of the lip, and topped with great products from local purveyors. On the "Sofia Coppola" pictured, for instance, roasted red peppers weave around artichokes and crinkly rounds of Salumi coppa. Not only do thousands of Columbia City and Seward Park families appreciate what they've got, the bar's always packed with dads who left home early to pick up their pie so they could down a pint while they wait.
4. Giannoni's Pizzeria, 2600 S.W. Barton St., 935-1800. Giannoni's makes Neapolitan claims for its pies, but they're actually some of the best New York style pizzas in town, with a poofed-up rim that is 99 percent air. You can get your pies loaded up with eggplant, spinach, and other fripperies, but Giannoni's best pizzas feature only one or two ingredients, letting the mozzarella spread out thinly over top, the red sauce appearing through a thousand pin-prick holes.
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