There are so many different ways, styles if you will, of making pizza; from Neapolitan, Sicilian, New York, California and even French, with their pissaladiere. I personally grew up eating two styles, New York(ish) and, when visiting my dad’s side of the family, Chef Boyardee box pizza. Don’t get me wrong, that branch of my family can cook. Grandpa was one inventive cook and made many a family dinner worth making a reservation for today. But one thing none of my family could ever quite master was bread making; so pizza dough was resigned to what could be made from a mix. The reason for this history lesson about my family has to do with the recent pizza delivery I had from Pagliacci Pizza. No, the dough didn’t taste as though it came from a box but the cheese, well, the cheese hit a definite note in my memory of pizza from a time long since passed.

I ordered two pizzas from Pagliacci, The Original ($8.99/Small [11″], $12.49/Medium [13″], $14.99/Large [17″]) and a Salumi’s Spicy Pepperoni ($12.99/Small [11″], $16.49/Medium [13″], $18.99/Large [17″]). I was reminded, upon opening both boxes, of the cheese pizzas that my family would produce from their Chef Boyardee boxes. The mottled texture, the slightly orange, butter fat layer of grease that comes from a finely grated, drier texture cheese. I bit into The Original first, the crust a nice contrast between chewy (Not rubbery) and crunchy. While, again, not a wood oven fired crust this pizza had that combination of crispness and pliability for folding which is most often found in New York style pizzas. The sauce was plentiful, fresh tasting, sweet and just a little tangy with hints of basil here and there. The cheese though was not what I was expecting; it tasted like the cheese that used to come in the boxed pizza kits. While I was hoping for a mild, smooth and slightly sweet mozzarella what I actually got was drier with a nutty flavor. While I don’t think Pagliacci uses powdered boxed cheese they definitely are using a cheese blend that includes something other than mozzarella. If I had to venture a guess I’d say it is a heavy dose of Parmesan or Pecorino.

The Salumi’s Spicy Pepperoni was virtually the same pizza with the exception of thinly sliced (Shaved) rounds of fresh pepperoni scattered across the small surface area of the pizza. The meat topping was rich with pork flavor and hints of fresh spice and a slightly vinegary undertone that just flitted on the tip of the tongue. After getting through a bite or two though is when one experiences the heat. Not heavy-handed but spicy and piquant enough to let you know that you are indeed eating spicy sausage.

If I had to sum up Pagliacci Pizza in one word it would be unique, much like the city of Seattle itself. While many of the elements of the pizzas I tried from Pagliacci can be found in other cities, in other forms and in different venues; Pagliacci has found a way to bring them together as a whole. I won’t say that I disliked my recent pizza experience with them but for me, when it comes to pizza, they just don’t have what I’m looking for. Though if I’m looking to reminisce about my childhood, and I need something to kick start my memories, then Pagliacci might be the place for me to turn to.

November is an unusual month for me. The time changes, light fades, the birthday rolls around and, of course, there’s Thanksgiving. With so many changes in one thirty day time period I find myself neglecting things that normally are a major part of my day-to-day routine, like eating out (And updating this website). As I downshift into “Winter Mode” and begin to plan for happenings during the holiday months I tend to crave easily made, home cooked meals and whatever I can have delivered to my house. As Thanksgiving faded away the last thing I wanted to think about was cooking, and with shopping, college and professional football playoffs and winter get-togethers on the horizon, I felt I should put together reviews of a delivery food that is near and dear to most people’s hearts - pizza. So welcome to delivery pizza week.

Pizza week, most likely, will be broken into several different review weeks over the next year but for now, we’ll look at three or four of the most common Seattle pizza delivery institutions. As for national chain pizza places, well, they have their own marketing departments and I’m sure you all know what to expect from them so they won’t be included here. The first review on the block is Zeeks Pizza. Zeeks has come to be my delivery pizza standard, primarily since it was the first place I ordered a pizza from when I moved to Seattle. Much of my loyalty to Zeeks has to do with the fact that I can place an order completely online. No waiting for someone to answer a phone, no misheard order and no being placed on hold. One can go to their website, design your own pizza, order salads or request one of their specialty pies.

So it was I decided to place an order for a Puget Pounder ($18.25/Medium [12″], $20.95/Large [16″]) and a Grand Salami ($18.25/Medium [12″], $20.95/Large [16″]). The pizzas arrived within thirty minutes and after spending a few minutes taking some glamour shots I dove into the Grand Salami. The first thing I noticed was the slightly tart, vinegar-y, piquant-ness of the pepperoncini slices which gave a nice counterpoint to the slightly sweet mozzarella cheese. The salami was mild in flavor and a bit drier than I would have liked. Perhaps it could be placed beneath the cheese to allow the butter fats to give it some moisture. As for the roasted red peppers, either the slices need to be larger or they should just be omitted altogether as they lent nothing to the overall pizza. As for the standard elements of the pizza, the crust and sauce: the crust was chewy and rubber-like with little in the way of golden-brown deliciousness and the sauce was meek. This is definitely cooked-in-a-metal-pan, delivery pizza.

For the Puget Pounder the crust had the same deficiencies but the sauce had a bit more bite, a little bit spicier. This may have also been due to the pepperoni topping; plentiful, moist and meaty tasting. The Canadian bacon left much to be desired though, the texture was rubbery and fake with little flavor present. Italian sausage also made an appearance on the pizza with sweet, fennel-spiced bits dotting the each slice here and there. Of additional mention were mushrooms and olives. Worth mentioning as they were larger pieces than one gets from most pizza places yet not flavorful enough to rate any further review than just a mention.

As I sit here writing this and reviewing my impression I wonder, as I’m sure you do dear reader, why I’ve stayed with Zeeks for so long. Well, I recognize that the pizza is not Via Tribunali nor is it a Tutta Bella. But for a delivery pie it’s not bad (Though it is quite expensive for the level of quality). Hosting a group for a big game? Having a few beers while playing poker? In the middle of scary-movie-thon? Then this would be good pizza for those events. Just remember to choose toppings wisely and stick with the traditional ones for the best flavors.

The South has risen again and invaded the states North of the Mason-Dixon line and West of the Mississippi, all the way up into the Northwest and into Seattle; barbeque-wise anyways. It seems as though the shores North of Lake Union and the ship canal are fertile grounds for the seeding of barbeque restaurants. As of this writing I can think of three eateries that are intent on producing that most Southern of slow food, all within a ten minute drive of each other. I’ve written about Bourbon & Barbeque Grill and most recently I’ve discovered Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ. But just recently I learned of another spot by the name of Rowdy Cowgirl.

Rowdy Cowgirl inhabits a small spot along Stone Way that I affectionately dub “Fixture Row”, just North of 36th Street. While not much to look at from the outside, the inside is painted in bright colors and bedecked with shiny, light wood tables and countertops. I arrived just before noon for lunch and already there were customers filling tables and counter stools. The service was friendly even though it was stretched a bit too thin. One person in the kitchen and another manning the register was taking its toll on the speediness of getting an order placed. But once one gets to the till it’s all smiles and greetings so that tended to make up for a few minutes worth of wait. With my order placed I was on pins and needles to find out if I’d have another barbeque choice to add to my list.

The biggest reason I got so excited about this new eatery has everything to do with just one menu item, the BBQ Sundae ($5.95). Many people will be dumbfounded when they see this on the menu. No, it’s not a dessert but it is a Southern treat that is hard to find even in the land of Dixie. Traditionally served in a Mason jar, the barbeque sundae is a layered meal in easy to hold container, an original to-go food. The sundae from Rowdy Cowgirl comes in a plastic cup instead of a glass jar but it is nonetheless effective, though you do get less meal for your dollar. The layers went from just moistened cole slaw on top to syrupy, brown sugar and molasses beans to barbeque pork (There is also the option to get beef with this) all topped with several slices of pickle. Of the three layers the cole slaw layer was my favorite. Amounting to little more that shredded cabbage dressed with vinegar and spices the salad was tart and slightly spicy with a wonderful sprinkling of celery seeds throughout. The slaw was crunchy and warm and would have been a great contrast to a forkful of shredded pork barbeque but Rowdy Cowgirl had something else in mind. The second layer of the sundae, instead of being the traditional layer of meat, was beans. Sweet, with a hint of heat near the finish the beans were good but not as a middle sundae layer. By the time I got through most of the beans I was definitely ready for the main attraction - the ‘cue. What awaited me was bland pulled pork with little in the way of smoke flavor or any other real flavors other than the sauce the beans came in. You see, the problem with putting beans in the middle is that anything on the bottom basically becomes bean-ified, losing any hint of flavor it may have had.

It’s good to see that some effort is being put forward to indoctrinate Seattle to the nuances of Southern style smoked meats. Unfortunately it is still hit and miss on the flavor at Rowdy Cowgirl, but that can be true of some barbeque in the South too. Rowdy Cowgirl has a good premise and I like that they are trying somewhat obscure menu items on their list of offerings, I just wish they’d spend some more time on the meat. Until then, I’ll be taking my barbeque dinners at Smokin’ Pete’s BBQ or Bourbon & Barbeque Grill.