Tutta Bella- Issaquah

The opening of Tutta Bella in Issaquah was a thrill for me on several levels. First, it was moving into the former home of Chili’s, a restaurant (if you can even call it that!) that I loathed. Second, people whose opinions I respected had raved about the downtown Tutta Bella locations for years. Third, I discovered they specialized in exceptionally thin crusts. The key to really good pizza for me is crust no thicker than a credit card. Nothing is worse than that doughy, gooey crust you find at your popular chain restaurants. The Neapolitan-style of pizza making requires thin crusts cooked in wood-fired ovens. This sounded like something right up my alley, and located in our own backyard, so Jason and I went to Tutta Bella just a few weeks after its grand opening (A grand opening that included our dear friend and parish priest blessing the pizza ovens and joining in a rousing version of “Sweet Caroline” in honor of the owners’ mother). For dinner I ordered rosemary lemonade, Insalata Di Napoli, and the classic Regina Margherita pizza.


Salad wise I had nothing to complain about- a tasty mix of greens, tomatoes, chicken breast, pancetta and gorgonzola cheese tossed in a Cesar/white balsamic. Crisp, delicious, made my mouth happy, as did the rosemary lemonade. I like very tart lemonade and this did not disappoint. When the star of the show arrived- aka the pizza- I was as excited as a freshman girl going to prom with upperclassman! It looked like the worlds perfect food- an ultra thin crust with a nice soft edge, dotted with little fire burns. The pizza topping were sparse, a bit too sparse for my liking mostly because after the first bite the little bit of topping would slide right off. But, what a delicious first bite it was! Salty, fresh, with a high level tomato explosion in the sauce and a delicious level of soft, fresh mozzarella, it was the most delicious pizza I have ever had, or have had since (Edit: I did have better pizza a few months later at Delancey, more on that later). The pizzas at Tutta Bella only come in one size, which is about 10 inches, or four good sized slices. I could have easily finished it myself, but I always save some Jason to try and I was eyeballing the gelato menu.

For desert I tried a trio of gelato, while Jason tried the tiramisu, which, as tradition dictates, we swapped half way through so that we could both enjoy what the other one ordered. Both created a dance of pleasure in my mouth. The gelato flavors I tried were lemon, pear, and Nutella- all smooth and delicious without being too sweet. It was a fight to make me trade when it was time, but I was glad I did! Tiramisu is hit or miss for me, and Tutta Bella did tiramisu right, at least that day (I have noticed the sog factor was higher on subsequent visits). I love a rich espresso, and this tiramisu had just the right mixture of sweet pudding with espresso coated (but not drenched!) lady fingers.

I give Tutta Bella 3.5 out 4 stars, lacking half a star mostly because it’s cold as a freezer every time I go in there, and they are still working out the kinks for large groups and split checks. But I will certainly be a repeat guest, especially since it’s so close to home.

XO,
Julia