Fancying a Delancey Pizza

I had quite the adventurous week last week, as I got to spend it in Seattle, amongst its many culinary gems.  Never having been, I was excited to explore this city's many culinary-rich neighborhoods that are known for high quality, sustainable cuisine.  In fact, I've been hearing so many great things from friends who've either lived there or had visited, that I had a packed agenda planned.

One of my big highlights from this trip was visiting Ballard, a neighborhood known to be sort of like our Williamsburg, BK.  While it's a little bit out of the way of Downtown Seattle, it's not too much of a hike, and if you're someone who's up for adventure, you'll love it.
Lucky enough to hitch a ride with one of my lovely co-workers, I took some time to explore "the main drag," as she called it and then went a bit off the beaten path to have dinner at Delancey.  

Dreaming of visiting this place for quite some time, I'm a big fan of Molly Wizenberg through her Orangette blog, which I've been a loyal reader of for a number of years.  Also following Molly's adventures on Instagram recently, I'm always endeared by her adorable pictures of her little daughter, June.  Needless to say, I was thrilled to be visiting Molly and Brandon (her hubby's) pizza restaurant.

Atmosphere:
After I arrived at the residential block that housed not only Delancey, but Molly and Brandon's other establishment, Essex, I took a quick look around and noticed a few other interesting food establishments.  It was great to see that Delancey was in good company, and my excitement began to grow by the minute.

Once I walked in, I noticed the front and center bar area, with simple wooden stools and a pretty counter top, at which I situated myself.  The restaurant was quite busy and bustling for a Wednesday night, as the seat I grabbed was the very last one, and for which I was grateful.

It couldn't have been a better place to sit, as I got to observe all the action at the pizza oven, and even got to meet Brandon, Molly's husband, who was really easy going and friendly.  We got to talking, together with my other bar companions, and he even threw some interesting restaurant recos my way.  I felt fortunate to get some of this insider scoop from a respected Seattle chef, and I made sure to properly use this intelligence to my advantage (more on that soon).

Pizza - Being the main menu item here and the reason to come to Delancey, I of course went with a personal wood fired oven pizza.  Seeking help from my dining companions, they recommended the crimini mushroom pizza with prosciutto on top, which is exactly what I got.

Sprucing up this pizza with a few salty hunks of crimson prosciutto made my night.  I loved how the melted cheese hugged the crimini mushroom slices, which rested on a thin, airy dough that was so easy to devour.  In fact, the dough was so light and pleasant, that I could've polished the whole pie off just by myself - only if I didn't just a have a dark chocolate sandwich at Hot Cakes an hour before.  

I spied a few other pizza varieties such as the classic Brooklyn with aged mozzarella, fennel salami, and the white pie, which all looked heavenly.  The chocolate chip cookies with gray salt also came recommended (and looked divine), but I simply didn't have room.

Service and Cost:
As I just mentioned, the service was personal, and added to the whole homey atmosphere of this place.  Not only was the waitress friendly, she definitely elicited a nice conversation with me that got me talking to my bar buddies, and made my night of dining solo more social.  Chatting with Brandon, Molly's husband was also a special treat.

Costs are pretty fair, given the high quality of food and for Delancey being a total foodie playground.  My dinner with pizza and a glass of vino set me back about $33 with tax and tip.

3 Mmmms

Delancey - 1415 NW 70th Street, Seattle WA 98117
206.838.1960
www.delanceyseattle.com