A Funny Thing happened on the Gourmet Seattle Tour

After yesterday's mild weather, today's howling winds that knocked over newspaper bins and made pedestrians clutch their coats tighter made me think, "Ah, so this is what Seattle's weather is really like."  My fellow participants and myself on the Gourmet Seattle Tour were not to be deterred by such trifling things as rain, wind, and if present, snow, and pressed on with the tough task of sampling some of Seattle's best food on our 3-hour downtown gastronomic adventure.

One of the stops was Serious Pie, a renowned pizzeria owned by the acclaimed local chef and restaurateur Tom Douglas, where we would sample two varieties of artisanal pizzas. Although it was mid-afternoon, the place was packed with not a table available. So, the twelve of us formed a line against the wall while our tour guide Ezra went inside to grab hot slices of freshly-baked margherita pizza (buffalo mozzarella and San Marzano tomatoes) from the coal-fired oven.

Ezra soon came out with the pizza, and not a moment too soon. The elements were not the only thing we had to endure. But add the pitying glances from passers-by as they see us patiently waiting outside Serious Pie, with some even shaking their heads, perhaps thinking how crazy we were.

 As Ezra went down the line handing a slice to each person, a passer-by tried to partake of some of the goodies. Informed that the pizza was only for the paying customers of the Gourmet Seattle tour, the woman said she mistakenly thought free tastings were offered to entice patrons to come inside the restaurant. As if Serious Pie needed or had space for any more. We all got a laugh out of this incident, and momentarily forgot our rapidly freezing extremities.

A bite into the pizza moments later, and everything was okay in the world once more. A second variety was brought out, topped with yellow foot chanterelle mushrooms and truffle cheese, that further buoyed our spirits and satisfied our stomachs. So, we shuffled off to the next stop on the gourmet food tour, hoping to get indoors this time.

Click here for more posts from Seattle.