SEA: Last-minute lunch at Tutta Bella

[mamster]

Inspired by today's article by Penelope in the P-I, Iris and I are planning to get some Neapolitan pizza at Tutta Bella today. Anyone want to join us? My best guess is that we'll get there about 12:30. I realize we're review-trotting, but how many people can do lunch on Wednesday?

[tighe]

Damn it! I knew I should have graded those quizzes last night!....

[mamster]

tighe, that's no excuse. If the students ask what those stains are on the quizzes, say, "That's not grease, it's the sweat of my brow."

[FWED]

Ill join you. See you there.

[tsquare]

I wanted to post that link to the thread that was discussing "Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN) certificate" pizza recently - but can't find it.

Happy pizza eating - some friends in the 'hood have been eating there since they opened - they told me they are glad it is there - but not a detination worthy place. I'm guessing you will think otherwise. I'm just guessing, since I haven't tried it!

[mamster]

Well, it's pretty good. The oven looks great and the pizzas cook fast. I ordered the Tutta Bella, which was probably a mistake, but I couldn't resist the idea of sausage, caramelized onions, and mushrooms. Of course, that's too many toppings for a neapolitan pie, but it didn't stop me from eating the whole thing. FWED's pizza bianca with ham looked better. It's not the best pizza I've had in town--that would be the pizza at Really Nice's house.

They were doing a good business and I look forward to going back. Next time, though, I'll probably stick to margherita.

[tighe]

I made a surprise (late) guest appearance....thought the pizza was very good. It reminded me a lot of the pizza at my local Italian joint, Filiberto's in Burien. The crust was almost exactly the same. Tutta Bella offers more interesting toppings however. I had the 'Campagnia' with chicken sausage, garlic, kalamatas, chile flakes and fresh basil.

Edited April 21, 2004 by tighe (log)

[reesek]

i went about a week ago - was very impressed - as an east coast girl, even talking about pizza in seattle tends to make me grumpy.

we had a special pizza -- aglio olio - very good and garlicky but needed more chili flakes...and their mediteranean pizza which was amazing. they do something divine to the mushrooms...i'm inclined to think they're sauteed with thyme and a little cinnamon...

however - i thought their pay system was a little screwy. you order at the counter, pay and then they bring everything out. i paid with a card and the cashier asked if i wanted to put a tip on the card...so i tipped before i'd been served, which is pretty irrelevant, but just a little strange since she said, "ok, how much?" i wasn't crazy about that...also if i'd wanted another glass of wine (and when don't i?) i would have had to pull out my card again. i'd be more inclined to take-out as a result, which is kind of a crime against pizza...

[mamster]

I appreciated the pay-early system, because it's always nice to be able to run out when you've got a four-month-old in tow.

[tighe]

I appreciated the pay-early system, because it's always nice to be able to run out when you've got a four-month-old in tow.

Looked to me more like she had you in tow.....

[hungry_moose]

lovely place. ate the pizza margherita on saturday. delicious with dollops of fresh mozzarella. big al ate the tutta bella, but mine was better. saw lots of people eating the house specialty - salad pizza. i'll try that the next time. they need to figure out a way to serve the pizza so that the middle does not get soggy from sitting on the plates....also had their chocolate gelato - yum yum.

looked like they had orangina or orangina-esque beverage. gotta have that next time. liked the friendly atmosphere - you're in a different world once you step in from the 'hood'. i thought they "revitalized" columbia city - still looked liked the hood to me. did i miss the nice part of c-city? at least i can stop by mutual fish on the way home.

hungry_moose

[mamster]

They have Pellegrino Aranciata and Limonata, but be forewarned: they charge $2.75 for the little bottle. The pizza is cheap, though, so I didn't begrudge them the drink prices.

[hungry_moose]

That is steep for the pellegrinos. I agree with Mamster that the pizzas are very reasonably priced. Gelatos are cheap too. Looks like Ms. Leson paid a visit there recently. nancy tutta review

[wesza]

I'm sorry but after trying to find something that even comes vaguely close to a true "Neapolitan Pizza" I've given up on "Tutta Bella"

For a operation that insinuates that it's being owner operated I failed to see anyone who was actually being hands on in charge.

The oven has always been operating on a lower temperature then required to show finesse, bubbling and crisping of the dough properly. Every Pizza that served in real Neapolitan Pizzerias doesn't have crusts that sag in the center when you attempt to pick up your slice of pizza, folding it in half down the middle to enjoy in the traditional manner. Every Pizza I've eaten there just sags and droops, if your not careful the toppings also slide off. Most good Pizza places will coat the dough before putting on toppings with a thin coat of oil, that quickly heats up and mixes with the toppings to marry them to the crust. Not done at "Tutta Bella".

I tried to tell them my feelings that the Oven wasn't hot enough, but only received smug responses that they were experts at operating the oven. I even mentioned one time that I had been a guest of the organization in Naples, where the ovens were all much hotter, but no one really cared. [ I was in Naples with James Beard, prior to opening a Italian Trattaroia over Grand Central Station in NYC's Pan American Building where we installed a "Neapolitan Imported Oven".]

There seems to be more Employees doing less actual work then I've ever seem at a Pizza Joint. Especially one where you pre-pay and set up your own table.

When I pre-paid I also ordered a "Black Cherry" Gelato apparently made by Bottega Italiana" that I had to request service of several times, after the cashier had assured us that it would be served after we were done with our Pizza's. The Gelato was very smooth and creamy with almost no taste or flavor of Black Cherries. It sure doesn't come close to the Black Cherry Gelato I had in Vancouver, B.C. that was excellent.

They also only placed the toppings into the center of the Pizza, not evenly distributed as proper. That also encouraged the collapse of the dough due to being heavy in the center. In fact they left almost 1/3 of the exterior of the dough with little or no toppings on every pie we ordered there, one is acceptable but it's not when it's been done on everyone of over a dozen pizzas.

The Salads were all very nice, attractive and better then the Pizza's even though the toppings on the pies were much better then average.

We came home on Monday evening after giving the "Tutta Bella" a final try and my Grand Children stopped over and we ordered a Pizza from "Pagliacci" delivered from the 85th Street Store where the same manager been working over 10 years.

It was delivered exactly as the are instructed to prepare the pie, my way due to the excellent computer customer tracking method the company uses. It was well done, evenly fired and much better then the 6 slices we had returned home with from "Tutta Bella" and the kids enjoyed the toppings on my "Brooklyn Bridge" better.

If this operation expects to meet the criteria of the experts coming from Italy to authenticate the place they had better get their act together.

Irwin

[Really Nice!]

It's not the best pizza I've had in town--that would be the pizza at Really Nice's house.

Damn, I knew I shouldn't have sold the place!

[Schielke]

I assume the oven went with it?

[Really Nice!]

I assume the oven went with it?

Yup, it wouldn't fit in the moving van.

[Schielke]

How do you get up in the morning now?

[mildbore]

Barb and I went to Tutta Bella last night and enjoyed it all very much. We had a Salerno salad, a Quattro Formaggi pizza, a Campagnia pizza, and lemon and vanilla gelati for desert. Everything was tasty, and we found the crust nice and thin and not too hard to pick up. With this we drank a pleasant Zenato Valpolicella.

Most good Pizza places will coat the dough before putting on toppings with a thin coat of oil, that quickly heats up and mixes with the toppings to marry them to the crust. Not done at "Tutta Bella".

Irwin

I thought I saw them brushing the dough with oil before topping so perhaps that problem has been corrected. It was just a glance; I didn’t study the process. (I realize I could lose my membership for admitting this.) They were topped to about an inch and a half from the edge and not too heaped up in the center.

[wesza]

If anyone wishes to see how a PIZZA should look, fold and whatever it is that make a Pizza Neapolitan then check out Page # 18 on the NYC Pizza Thread.

Oven Coal. Wood is okay but Temperature averages 900 degrees or hotter not the WUSSY Temperature at Tutta Bella

This is from a Pizza Place in Coney Island New York that truly traditional, even make their own Mozzarella Cheese. All the dough is hand thrown, not ring a round the Rosie before and after as it prepared at Tutta Bella. Check the Bottoms of the NYC Pies and the distance the topping is from the edges, plus the Bubbles from the Baking Temperature are the real thing. If anyone has eaten a similar Pizza anywhere to the NYC Finish Please post and let us all share.

I felt the toppings at Tutta Bella were pretty good, but not the way they should have been on all the Pies i've eaten.

The Closest that I'm able to get is special ordered from Pagliacci even though their ovens not as hot they always give it their best.

Irwin

[FWED]

Well six of us had pizza, salad, and wine a couple of nights ago and to a person we would have to agree with Wesza/Irwin on all points . The salads were the best part of the dinner. All the food looked great and tasted very good but the pizza and the service left much to be desired. The toppings were mostly in the center, the center crust was underdone, and the staff is in serious need of training and leadership. Its a shame, the area need good restaurants and the place has so much potential.

Edited June 9, 2004 by FWED (log)

[malarkey]

I must admit I'm not inspired to check this place out. Why they ever thought lowering the oven temperature was the "right thing" to do is beyond me. Temperature is *critical* to getting it right.

[tighe]

FWED, did you think the pizza was not as good as when we had lunch there?

[FWED]

Taste wise it was just as good this time. To be honest I don't remember if the center of the pizza was soft at lunch and there was no service to speak of. I must admit I was more critical at the dinner event, having read Irwin's submission but my reactions were the same as the others in the party and I had not let them know my feelings or discussed the comments of Irwin before hand as I wanted to hear their opinions based on this visit.

Edited June 9, 2004 by FWED (log)

[Fish]

The oven has always been operating on a lower temperature then required to show finesse, bubbling and crisping of the dough properly.

I tried to tell them my feelings that the Oven wasn't hot enough, but only received smug responses that they were experts at operating the oven.

I asked them about oven temp when we went in a couple of months ago, and they mentioned that they were running it at about 550. 550 !!! I expect a pizza oven to be around 850 or so - the pizzas should cook in 1.5-2 minutes. When I asked why they weren't running the oven hotter, the cook said that if they made it hotter, they couldn't turn the pizzas in the oven fast enough, so they burned. I thought that was pretty lame - bump up the heat, cook fewer pizzas at a time, but cook them faster. Same throughput, better quality.

The only restaurant whose pizzas I really REALLY enjoy is Cafe Lago - really tasty stuff. But they're quite pricey ($14+).

Lucky me, though, I get to play with a friend's woodburning oven where I can have whatever I want on my pizza and if I nag enough, the oven is made hot enough for my liking

- S