Tutta Bella North

[elswinger]

They finally have the plastic off the windows but have some more work to do. I am so excited. I won't be able to go opening day but I am headed there straight from work next Tuesday!

[kiliki]

Their website says they will open the 12th...

[elswinger]

I guess they put it off a week. Darn.

[kiliki]

We went there tonight and it was packed (and the place is huge!)-there was always a small crowd waiting. Upon seeing the scene I immediately lowered my expectations (which were already tempered knowing it was only their second night). But, things were great. The wait was short (for everyone-very rapid turnover), the service friendly, we got our food quickly and the despite the crowds everything looked like it was running very smoothly.

Although the pizza was the same style as Via Tribunali the crowd and atmosphere are quite a bit different. It's very bright, open and casual. It seems to be a very family friendly place if anyone is looking for that-there were tons of kids and babies there (the place was pretty loud, so if they were fussy you never would have heard them over the din). Kids were also having a good time watching the pizza makers in the open kitchen.

I liked the pizza quite a lot, though if you can't tolerate droopy slices, you might not care for it. It may not be perfect neapolitan pizza but I'm happy to have something close to that so close to my home. The tiramisu was pretty good (big portion) though not excellent. They have Italian beer on tap and quite a few inexpensive glasses of wine. They do take out.

I recognized the IKEA tables and had to laugh imagining the staff assembling so many pieces of furniture.

[hhlodesign]

Got some takeout last night for an evening of XBox 360 action with some friends. Showed up around 7pm and the place was completely packed! The host station is right in the middle of the room, which makes for difficult flow pattterns I would imagine. The tables are definitely from IKEA, but I wouldn't hold that againsts them since my dining table shares the same maker. Lots of families and kids running around, and the place was very loud. I wonder if the Napoli certifaction thing considers atmosphere? The building looks very nice considering they kept the budget low. The sandblasted exposed rafter ceilings looks great! They are also using exposed MDF at the host station (which I don't think will wear very well in such a high traffic area).

I ordered 4 pizzas that they said would be ready in 15 mins. and they were ready on 20. Not bad for a swamped opening night at prime time. The pizza is remarkably similar to the Columbia City branch. I guess they trained the staff pretty well. Maybe a bit on the under-cooked side (I like mine almost burnt on the bottom as I recall the way I got them in Italy.) But still a very good pizza and comparable to some pizzas I've had in Florence and Naples.

All in all, I would rate Tutta Bella just below La Vita e Bella and above Via Tribunali and am very excited they have one close by. Although I still have to make the drive to CC for La Medusa.

BTW, is it just me, or is the pizza at Via Tribunali always soggy in the middle?

[elswinger]

I too went to Tutta Bella (North) last night (and then, coincidently, went home and opened my new XBOX 360). I got to the restaurant right at 5pm so it was mostly empty. The place sure is big. If they take reservations they will be a great place for large groups. The IKEA furniture was a bit of a letdown, but at least the seats aren’t uncomfortable. My table had a napkin under one of the legs to keep it from wobbling.

I started with a side Caesar Salad w/ Roasted Chicken. For a side salad, it was big enough to be an entrée. I found the Romaine lettuce a little too diced up for my liking. I had to use my fork as a shovel because the leaves were too tiny to stab. The roasted chicken was excellent and herby and still warm from the oven.

I had the Tutta Bella Pizza, which was very tasty, but I agree that the crust seemed to be underdone. I like my crust a little crisper and less chewy. My water could have had more ice and my Coke could have used a little more syrup, but I'll chalk all the above niggling as opening night jitters. As it's less than two blocks from my apartment I suspect I'll become a regular.

Edited December 14, 2005 by elswinger (log)

[kiliki]

I saw a sign on the door saying they do indeed take reservations.

[dimsumfan]

Glad to hear the positive reports. Anyone know if they have a website? I'm wondering if they do slices (perhaps to go), and if they're open mid-afternoon. Thanks!

[kiliki]

I think they are open 3-10. I didn't see anything about slices anywhere.

Tutta Bella

Edited December 14, 2005 by kiliki (log)

[Fay Jai]

Hmmmm....Slices....Here's hoping that they dont!

~Jason

[hhlodesign]

If they start selling by the slice, they should definitely lose their Napoletana certification!

[elswinger]

Compared to Pagliacci, one of Tutta Bellas is about the size of 2.5 slices, so a single pizza is not too much for one person to eat.

[Eden]

If they start selling by the slice, they should definitely lose their Napoletana certification!

←

Why? You can get really good sliced pizza in Napoli.

[wesza]

I too went to Tutta Bella (North) last night (and then, coincidently, went home and opened my new XBOX 360).  I got to the restaurant right at 5pm so it was mostly empty.  The place sure is big.  If they take reservations they will be a great place for large groups.  The IKEA furniture was a bit of a letdown, but at least the seats aren’t uncomfortable.  My table had a napkin under one of the legs to keep it from wobbling.

I started with a side Caesar Salad w/ Roasted Chicken.  For a side salad, it was big enough to be an entrée.  I found the Romaine lettuce a little too diced up for my liking.  I had to use my fork as a shovel because the leaves were too tiny to stab.  The roasted chicken was excellent and herby and still warm from the oven.

I had the Tutta Bella Pizza, which was very tasty, but I agree that the crust seemed to be underdone.  I like my crust a little crisper and less chewy.  My water could have had more ice and my Coke could have used a little more syrup, but I'll chalk all the above niggling as opening night jitters.  As it's less than two blocks from my apartment I suspect I'll become a regular.

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I tried it again today, sorry to say this this is the same crap being enjoyed by the many uninformed desperate Seattle Pizza eaters. It's the same thing being served that they started with in Columbia City, that they were supposedly improving, but never really needed to as customers brought the pretension, believing it was the real thing.

Definitely not anything related to Neapolitan Pizza still low temperature baking but not correctly fired ovens. After all this time they still don't have a clue about what authentic means.

Every local attempt that people seem to Oh and Ah about has never come remotely close to the real thing, especially in the Baking or showing any finesse in the firing or dough finish, some of the toppings are acceptable but management, and expertise are lacking.

It seems that in Seattle mediocrity can be successful if it contrives to be stylish as it works at the other wannabe operations. It doesn't take much to know how to fire up your ovens, control the heat long enough to bake a baby sized pizza consistently.

Yet if the customers don't care enough to insist on the quality, texture and taste of the pizza being served or seem to be intimidated by the so called qualifications given from Italy they are getting exactly what the deserve.

It's in reality a high priced novelty thats not credible. At least in Portland there are regional top quality Pizza operations that deliver superlative Pizza consistently that may be World Class. Never a yucky crust, bottom or poorly fired Pizza similar to Seattle's Tutta Bella or any of the other self acclaimed places.

Please make it right so that we may all enjoy the real thing. It isn't very hard.

Irwin

[tsquare]

wesza, tell us how you really feel.

[wesza]

wesza, tell us how you really feel.

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tsquare: (Stephanie)

I'm sorry that I have strong feelings about things that are pretentious enough to proclaim themselves as being more then what they actually are in reality.

If there are any contradictions, toward my being objective they are welcomed. My postings about this subject when the original Tutta Bella opened can easily be accessed on that thread. My disappointment with it's expansion are also now on record.

I have never made any comments about the other places that are self proclaimed as being authentic Neapolitan Style since none of them aspired to being the real thing with official cognizence.

The real thing is indeed very delicious and consistantly so, especially for the dough and crust.

Irwin

[Eden]

we tried TB North out tonight & overall had a pleasant experience.

No it's not as good as the pizzas I've had in Italy, but it was good simple pizza, not overloaded on the toppings, with nice thin crusts (one cooked well, one slightly blonde but not to the point of being gooey) Bill had the pizza Antica (genoa salami, red peppers & mushrooms) I had the Margherita because that's what I think a pizza should be judged by.

The large mixed salad got mixed reviews (underdressed for me, perfect for Bill) As with elswinger's caesar, the romaine was cut a bit small, which I found odd agains the normal sized baby greens it was combined with. The white beans & red peppers gave it a nice bit of flavor, but I wish there'd been more olives.

We had a little problem with service at the beginning, but once they figured out there was an issue they fixed it right away and then bent over backwards to make up for it.

Dessert (free as an apology) was tiramisu' for me, and gelato for Bill. My tiramisu' was quite good: very rich, not too sweet, not so boozy I couldn't drive home. The gelati (chocolate, panna cotta and amaretto) were all excellent - no surprise there, Bottegha makes the best in Seattle, but I did notice a few ice-crystals, perhaps formed in transit?

There were a couple of pleasant touches: If there's a wait to be seated they offer you a small glass of the house wine to while away the time. (We gave it a miss having come from a wine tasting, so I can't tell you if it's any good) And they offer free espresso with dessert.

Kiliki was right, the overall noise level was so high that the hordes of kids didn't really annoy me (which they usually would) Don't come here for a quiet evening, but I didn't actually mind the noise, it worked with the setting/ambience. And my goodness this place is HUGE! Maybe I was just comparing to Via Tribunali, but I expected something much smaller. Speaking of Via Trib, TuttaBella does rate slightly lower for me in the pizza crust arena, but being 4 minutes from my house, and having parking, is a big plus...

Give them a little time to shake out the opening jitters & I think this will be a great little addition to the neighborhood.

[tsquare]

wesza, tell us how you really feel.

←

tsquare:

I'm sorry that I have strong feelings about things that are pretentious enough to proclaim themselves as being more then what they actually are in reality.

If there are any contradictions, toward my being objective they are welcomed. My postings about this subject when the original Tutta Bella opened can easily be accessed on that thread. My disappointment with it's expansion are also now on record.

I have never made any comments about the other places that are self proclaimed as being authentic Neapolitan Style since none of them aspired to being the real thing with official cognizence.

The real thing is indeed very delicious and consistantly so, especially for the dough and crust.

Irwin

←

Hey I was joking. I've had one Tutta Bella pizza. It didn't seem worth the drive to me.

Edited December 15, 2005 by tsquare (log)

[hhlodesign]

If they start selling by the slice, they should definitely lose their Napoletana certification!

←

Why? You can get really good sliced pizza in Napoli.

←

It's more like you can't get really good sliced pizza anywhere. The nature of the beast is that pizzas being sold by the slice tend to sit around waiting for people to order them. Then they invariably go through the conveyer belt oven and get reheated to an inedible texture. Pizzas should be made and eaten fresh. Or right out of the fridge for that hangover breakfast. And the only places that sells pizza by the slice in Italy are the corner Bars with all kinds on bad food in the glass cases waiting around for tourists (although I lived in Florence, not Napoli so it may have been different over there.) They should also come uncut with a knife and fork. Which La Vita e Bella still does.

Caveat: I am speaking about Italian style pizza only. NY style is a whole 'nother animal, and should be a huge slice that can be folded over. This means that they must come from huge pizzas which make it difficult for 1 or even 2 people to order and eat an entire pizza and make it necessary to sell by the slice. In this case, I opt for room temp and no conveyer belt.

[mamster]

I like reheated NY-style pizza, especially reheated in a cast-iron skillet. But this is a little off-topic.

As for Seattle pizza, I can't speak to the authenticity of any particular place, but I think the Primavera pie at Via Tribunali (with arugula and parmesan) is a superb pizza in the Neapolitan style. Like tsquare, I went to Tutta Bella once and it was okay, but I haven't felt the need to go back. That Primavera, I think about that almost every day.

[kiliki]

I think I got a little indignant about the droopy crust reading Wesza's post. Hey, yeah-if it's not so hard to do, why NOT make it better? Why SHOULD we have to settle for less than excellent? If they are going to call themselves Neapolitan, than make it Neapolitan! Etc etc.

But in truth, it still tastes better to me than 95% of the pizza in this city and it's close to home, so I'll keep going.

[elswinger]

I had thought about saying something about the crust when my server asked how everything was, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings on their second day. I might get a pie this weekend and if it's underdone again I will speak up. Or I might just order it "extra crispy."

[elswinger]

I went again last night and have to say I am dissapointrd. Once again the crust was too soft and chewy. The service was pretty good, pretty much every table was packed, so we weren't expecting quick service, but we were in and out within the hour.

After having a delicious pie at Palamino Friday, I'm afraid my opinion of Tutta Bella dropped evenfurther. Pazzo' on Eastlake is still my favorite.

[elswinger]

Sorry for all the typos. I was in the process of having heart problems, but I am better now. I will say, Tutta Bella is way better than hospital food.