Saturday, January 03, 2009

Pulcinella Pizzeria

I'm really the wrong guy to be reviewing a pizza place. Having grown up in Central New Jersey, the land of tomato pies, amongst the best in the world, I just have a low tolerance for bad or mediocre pizza. Seattle may have many wonderful things, but there aren't very many good pizza places. Pulcinella Pizzeria, at 10003 Rainier Avenue S, Seattle has recently opened to big crowds.
And for good reason. The pizzas, and salads are clearly a cut above. The flour and tomatoes are imported from Italy, and the pizzas are baked quickly in a wood fired oven.
From what I've read, this is a venture for the owner of Vince's and a partner. For years I've thought of Vince's as an above average Seattle pizza place, so when Vince's is going upscale, it's worth checking out.

......and yet, while it's good pizza, it's not like some of the amazing jaw dropping, awe inspiring pizza I've eaten in the past. It's pretty comparable to Tutta Bella in Columbia City...It's in the old Lakeside Tavern space, and it's a cool, nicely renovated space...

....and yet, it's crowded and noisy, a little too expensive and a little "precious".
Also, for me the crust means a whole lot, and while I do prefer wood fired pizzas like Pulcinella does, theirs is a little too thin for me. I like thin crust, but not this thin.
People are obviously loving this place, it's generating buzz, and yeah, it's good.
But it ain't THAT good.

Pizzeria Pulicinella
10003 Rainier Ave S., Seattle 98178
206-772-6861

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The pizza serves at Pizzeria Pulcinella is amazingly authentic Neapolitan pizza. I feel it is as close as you can get to the real thing in the Seattle area. It may not be the traditional style pizza that most are used to but it is truly amazing and worth a try! I really respect the fact that this pizzeria is family owned and operated. The Lakeside sat abandoned for far too long and I am so happy someone took on the project to create such a wonderful neighborhood pizza joint!

Anonymous said...

Hi there,

My name is Ashley Russell and I am the producer of the Finger of God webisode series based in and around Renton WA. You can view our videos at www.youtube.com/user/polmadeq. Sam Graydon and Bob Anderson received quite a bit of local press coverage back during the Renton Film Frenzy, actually, the first episode is the winner of the Film Frenzy. Sam, Bob, and myself just had a meeting today with Alex & Suzanne in City Hall and they told us about your site.

We would like you to write about us in your blog! We just finished our 3rd episode, "I Heart Renton" and are in the mist of writing our 4th episode, are talking to the city about doing a handful of online "commercials" for Renton, are having our films debut at a cinema in Mt. Vernon in late February, and are currently putting together press packets to present to local businesses to help gain sponsorship for advertising on the web. Most importantly, we are having a viewing/sponsorsip party on February 17th at Mike's new coffee shop, The Liberty, between Happy Delusions and the tattoo parlor. A lot is happening with us and we need to spread the word!

The most important goal for us right now is to get as many views as possible, and hand in hand, as much press as possible. The more people that view our videos on youtube, the higher our ratings go, and the bigger the possibility that we will get seen and picked up on a larger scale. We are part of the Renton community and need the community's support. And hey, they are hilarious short films starring Renton!

You can embed our videos on your site using the HTML codes that appear next to the videos when you watch them. We are trying to promote our 3rd episode above all others because we feel it is our best one yet. Mary Clymer makes a guest appearance and has already written about our 3rd episode in her blog.

We have a myspace (www.myspace.com/donkeyparkproductions) as well as a facebook group for people to join. Let me know your thoughts and we can't wait to read a blog about us!

Feel free to contact me anytime, thank you.

Best,
Ashley Russell
Producer
Donkey Park Productions
206.778.6812

Anonymous said...

For those of you that have experienced Pizzeria Pulcinella only once or stuck on the crust is too thin, I encourage you to take a second crack at it.

I was in last week for the 3rd time and know that they have worked out the 'thin' crust issue and made what I considered a great pizza even better. The pizza was evenly cooked and a little thicker than the first time I was in.

Give it another test drive - I believe you will be amazed at this authentic 'Napels' style pizza, and BTW their oven is authentic - straight from Napels!

Anonymous said...

My husband and I LOVE eating at this place! The calzone is so good and its the only place in Seattle, that I found, that put pepperoncinis on their pizza. Its the best topping ever.

Anonymous said...

You should check out their other restaurant, Vince's. They have great pizza as well and they put pepperoncinis on their pizza too!! Both places are definately worth a try!

Anne said...

BEST pizza in the south end is at The Flying Squirrel, 4920 Genesee St.! Thin crust, great toppings, choose their creation or do your own.