Tutta Bella! Yay!

I don't know what it was, but I swear all the men that worked at Tutta Bella were super adorable. Though I think I was the only one who thought so.......

Oh, and I though the food was pretty good too. I had a pizza with Italian sausage (chicken - *almost healthy*) & Kalamata olives. I loved the thin crust!! I probably normally would have eaten only half of the pizza, but since Lenny challenged me, I was FORCED to eat the whole thing. Yum-o! My only complaint is that the pizza was not served as piping-hot as I expect pizza to be... But as someone who appreciates pizza at a variety of temperatures (hot, cold, etc.), this was not a super big deal to me.

I had gelato for dessert (the gelato they serve is from the gelateria up the street from my place) -- I love gelato, but wouldn't have minded a housemade brownie/cake/cookie type of dessert...

Can't wait to go back to try more pizzas and ogle the cute host guy!!! :-)

Tutta Bella - Columbia City

This was my second trip to Tutta Bella, but my first to the Columbia City location. The setting is hip, but the restaurant itself is overwhelmingly noisy. To Tutta's credit, they had live music.

The food is good, I ordered the Ensalata di Salerno. Tossed in a simple vinaigrette, romaine leaves, cherry tomatoes, fennel, cucumber, and mozzarella balls. Its light, refreshing, and shares well.

Others at the table chose pizza which I've had but haven't much enjoyed. Personally, I prefer Chicago-style deep-dish. For me, the wafer crust, with a smidgeon of cheese, a few spare dollops of tomato sauce, and sparser toppings; I feel cheated of a true pizza eating experience.

That said, the place is hopping. The wait time for a table on Saturday night was 30 minutes or more. They've got a great concept that many Seattleites appreciate. As Jerrod put it, its a great restaurant for a first date. Beyond that, I'd be hard-pressed to call it one of my favorites.

Where the Chefs Eat

The Seattle P-I had an article today listing the favorite restaurants of some of Seattle's top chefs... (Note Andaluca chef Wayne Johnson's favorite guilty pleasure: it's a grilled PB&J sandwich!! That's my favorite too!)

Chefs and restaurant owners divulge their food favorites

I would love to try all the restaurants that are mentioned that I've never been to before. It's all *food for thought* for future dining club picks!!!

Here are the ones mentioned that I have tried:

• Red Mill, Dick's, McDonald's, and Tacos Guaymas
• Shanghai Garden - love their hand-shaved noodles!!! This is probably my favorite "regular" Chinese restaurant in Seattle. They don't serve dim sum, though.
• Le Panier - French pastries in the PPM. Ahhhh!
• Wild Ginger - A standby for special occasions...
• Canlis - Another standby for special occasions. I love how personable the staff are and how retro the place feels. The owners come out and greet you and tell you about the restaurant's history... It's a nice touch.
• Restaurant Zoe - excellent food... I had a white fish -- maybe trout or halibut -- served in a delicious, delicious sauce... I wish I could remember exactly what was in it, but it was amazing!
• Boat Street Kitchen - well, I've been to the restaurant back when it was the Boat Street Cafe and was located in the U-District - it was like $13 for two poached eggs and 3 mini new potatoes... give me a break. I know it's about quality not quantity, but I like to feel like I actually ate something at the end of a meal.
• Baguette Box - love the lemongrass skirt steak!
• Honey Hole - love the divey atmosphere and seitan sandwich!
• Top Pot - Go at 5 min. to closing and you will get a great deal on more donuts than one person can eat by themselves.

Amazingly, I've never been to any of the *nice* restaurants that are in the vicinity of PPM (other than 94 Stewart). I would love to try Campagne, Pink Door, and Le Pichet... Unfortunately, when I go to the PPM, I'm usually thinking about potential dining deals instead of white tablecloth experiences.

I've also been hearing such great things about Cremant (the new French/Korean fusion place in Madrona) and their $28 burger... Cremant is officially on my list of things to do in 2007...