Blotto.....The Best Pizza In Seattle?
You move to a new town and find a nice little neighborhood. You can walk to lots of things like grocery stores, coffee shops and restaurants. Little mom and pop type places that you hope someday could become your local haunt and go to for a quick meal where everybody knows your name! (Hello Cheers!) Then you get a job where you can also walk to work, passing all those little places everyday and thinking to yourself, I should really get around to trying it out. The bakery, the cookie shop, the bottle/brew shop, the quick Indian spot and any of the innumerable eating establishments. One is a tiny spit spot of a pizza place. I do so love me some pizza, though the ones I’ve eaten so far have really failed to impress. I mean, they are not terrible, but as I have mentioned, they seem geared to the drunk, high or college crowd. Good enough for a quick late night snack but, eh.
It is kind of why I have not blogged about any of them and left them to my instagram to see photos with a bit of a shrug. I was intrigued by this small spot which is a mere half block from my apartment building. Like the cookie spot, Coping Cookies, it seems way to easy and close. Every time I walked by during their limited hours, I could smell the pies baking and it was quite entrancing. Still, I resisted and was like, someday I’ll pop in and drop some extra bucks on a whole one just for myself—because I’m me. That’s the thing about these kind of spots, you always think someday I’ll get by because it is close and you think it will always be there. It is never to crowded and you know you can just pop in, order and then head back to safety of my own studio and gorge in peace. Then suddenly everything changes.
The city’s main news rag decides to slum into your neighborhood for this pizza place they have heard rumblings about and put out a review proclaiming the place, probably the best pizza in Seattle. Overnight, and I mean this quite literally because I saw it, the place became the spot to try. The next day after the review I happened to walk by. The place had not even opened and already there was a line down the sidewalk waiting for them to open. Suddenly, any hope of getting in this place easily disappeared. Sure, you think, oh it will slow down and eventually get back to normal. Turns out, not so much. The spot is only open Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm till they sell out, which they often do. And it has been consistently busy ever since—even on a Wednesday.
This little pizza spot that could and did take off is called Blotto. I know, strange name for a pizza joint, but, as I have said about decor in the past, sometimes it don’t matter as long as the food is good. Turns out the team behind it started out with pop-ups around town and got a following which then led to the brick and mortar location. One reason for the lines is the spot is super tiny inside. A handful of tables and a counter inside and a few tables in front. People are waiting for both a spot to sit down after ordering at the counter and hanging out waiting for their to go orders instead of dining in. Ever since the article ran it has been a constant flow and line of folks every time I walk by. I mean, good for them. In this time of sometimes difficult restaurant business it is good to see them doing well. Though of course I lament maybe missing my window to see what all the fuss is about.
Still, I have bided my time over these months and since I pass by on my way home from work everyday I get see how busy they are and so far, it has been a bit much since I don’t like waiting in line for food. Time passes and then comes a random major rainy Wednesday evening. I’m strolling by in my head to toe rain gear and, yes there is a line, but compared to what I have normally seen, it seems kind of short. By that I mean, there were about 15 or so waiting as opposed to the normal double that. It is then that I’m like—F-it! Let’s do this now! I stop and bring up the back of the line, yet only last briefly as others do fill in behind me while I wait. Total time from getting in line to actually ordering, just over 20 minutes. It took all my verve to stay in line, have I said I hate standing in line for food? Once I get to the counter, it is a small, compact menu which I had plenty of time to peruse. I place my order—to go—and told it will be another 30 minutes or so till my order is ready. Good thing I’m around the corner! l head home and come back in 30 which turned into 40 (and still raining) when my name was called for a total wait time of an hour—for pizza. This better be the best in Seattle.
Half and Half Pepperoni and Sweet Hot Peppers with Sausage and Kale
I didn’t know how soon it would be if I ever got back here again or if I would even like the pizza so I decided to get as diverse as I could with my choice. You can get half and half pizzas so I got the tomato, aged mozzarella, Ezzo pepperoni, Mama Lils sweet hot peppers, pecorino and parmesan on one side and the tomato, aged mozzarella, Olson sausage, local kale, red onion, pecorino and parmesan on the other half. The 16 inch pies go for $29 and getting the halves adds a $2 upcharge for $31 total, which to be honest, is about what a multi topping sixteen inch pizza is gonna run you in this town anyway.
This is thin crust pizza and props that it manages to avoid my dreaded “soggy tip syndrome.” They seem to keep the toppings at a level that does not weigh down the crust or add any unnecessary moisture that can cause limp tip. Maybe it is just me, but I think part of that is owed to this being a mostly sourdough crust which is a heartier bread. Mix it with some white and spelt flour, which can cut down on the normal sourdough tang and you get something that does have both softness and a nice crunch.
Crust of the wood fired pizza
These are wood fired and as you can see, they walk right up to the line of char on parts. I personally am not a fan of burnt and luckily this one did not tip over the edge. The slice on the right is the pepperoni one which has more grease from the meat so I think that is why it seemed to be darker than the sausage side due to grease dripping down and burning a bit but not enough to make it taste like it was burnt.
As you can see above they definitely served up ample pepperoni to give you one in every bite. The peppers also give it some brightness and kick. I might have liked the sausage and kale to be more evenly dispersed. The charred bitter bits of kale were nice compliments to the spicy sweetness of the sausage but I could have use more. I applaud their use of three different cheeses as it does give different levels of flavor and pugentness that cheese can bring. Being the cheese hound I am, I could have always use maybe a bit more. Though that is where you run the risk with thin crust pizzas, too much and it won’t stay crisp. You kind of have to balance everything out to ensure some kind of crispness from first bite to last. Still, just a touch much cheese.
I have to say, it is a step above the others I have had in this town (so far this would be the 10th different spot I have had pizza at). Flavors do punch without overwhelming and the crust holds up well to everything that is there. Is it the best pizza in Seattle? Not quite having had everyone I don’t know if I would go out on that limb, but it is really good pizza, especially if comparing to what I have had so far. Still not sure I would wait quite so long to get, since I hate waiting in line for food. Also kind of bummed you can’t order online or by phone, you have to go and wait. Turns out, this place isn’t just all about the pizza.
Chocolate Chunk, Peanut Butter Toffee and Rye Flour Cookie
A baker is a baker and if you can bake some good pizza then you can do a cookie too, right? When I saw this on the menu I could not pass it up, though at $4, I wasn’t quite sure what I was gonna get, which is why I ordered two cookies—because I am me. Turns out, there are pretty darn big ass cookies and, have to say, for the price, it was a damn good cookie. And I like to think, I know my cookies! It is large and on the thin crispy side which normally I don’t glom to but here, it really works. Large chunks of chocolate and some crispy bits of toffee give it a nice mix of textures. While the toffee was peanut butter, it still tasted like a nice burnt caramel more, which I was quite fine with. The sprinkle of hearty, chunky sea salt and the addition of rye flour also give the cookie a lovely salty sweet flavor that really hits the spot for me. For someone like me who will spread peanut butter on a chocolate chip cookie this was totally up my alley. A big delicious cookie I’m pretty sure I liked just a bit more than the pizza.
Overall, a flavorful pizza and a nice surprise of a great dessert does make Blotto a spot worth trying, if you don’t mind waiting in line for food. While it may be awhile before I go back for the pizza, I wish I could just pop in for that cookie, but sadly I cannot since I hate standing in line for food! Though, who knows, there may come another rainy Wednesday or Thursday when I just happen to be walking by and I see 10 or less people waiting, I might just decide to cue up and get one of those cookies again. Of course, that would be just my luck and they would not be doing that cookie on that day but some other thing and I guess by then I’d already be at the counter so I may as well just get one of the pizzas, you know since I was there and I had already waited while still muttering to myself, I can’t believe they don’t have that cookie and this is why I hate standing in line for food.
