unless you have time to visit naples, this is as close as you're getting.. and frankly, i don't recommend visiting naples. it's a dirty hellhole. sorrento is more worth your time. but that's hardly the point i'm making here. tutta bella brings a sunny slice of italy to pasty white seattle. the average seattle-ite may well view pagliacci as authentic italian pizza, despite its being firmly rooted in brooklyn, and those hailing from lacey will most likely be surprised to find out pizza in italy is not similar to pizza hut. hopefully these misconceptions will change with the advent of such god-sends as tutta bella.
having spent time and lire/euros in florence, rome, naples, salerno, sorrento, and pisa sampling pizza, i should know authoritatively what agooditalian-style pizza is, and by god, i do. such a pizza should have a smoky crust thinner than thin, but punctuated with massive air bubbles that rise above even the cheese. the cheese should be full-flavored and rich tasting but never too heavily applied. the sauce must, absolutely must, be a minimalist concoction seemingly defying the laws of culinary physics with how much complexity it packs into so few ingredients, but with appropriate off-the-vine freshness coming through clearly. the toppings must complement and enhance but always defer to the base flavors of the pizza, and by jupiter, they must never include pepperoni. the entire package should have the depth of flavor only a wood oven can bring.
tutta bella lives up to each of these requirements and sometimes even exceeds them. all the basic mechanics of agoodpizza are present, and the toppings available range from simple ricotta to prosciutto, various fresh vegetables and mushrooms. no pepperoni to be found. while the more loaded pizzas can be a fun diversion once in a while, a simple margherita - with only cheese, sauce, and basil onboard - is usually the best choice, akin to savoring a fine steak without the distraction of fussy sauces.
because the pizzas are so light of construction, an entire pie is easily within the abilities of even a modest eater, and should leave room for the tiramisu. i am an expert on tiramisu almost to the extent that i am of pizza, and the tiramisu here is nigh-perfect. the essence of rum is there without the unpleasant alcoholic taste, allowing the silky mascarpone and coffee to be the stars. this is yet anothergoodreason to order a simple margherita.
the price of such splendor includes long waits and whining children. while it's all well andgoodthat parents are exposing their spawn to real food, sometimes it would be nice if those parents would just schlep their little monsters to chuck e cheese where at least their screaming would be drowned out by skee-ball. some may balk at these annoyances, however doing so is a mistake. the food is just too good, too real to pass up for reasons of background noise. besides, you'd have to deal with this noise and more in naples.