For at least 20 years, tiny, funky Bizzarro Italian Café [0] has had a few things going for it that make Wallingford residents want to keep it tucked away.
First, the decor. No one talks about the cafe without rattling off a hazy, Chianti-stained mental list of whatever they saw hanging from the ceiling that night: salvaged window panes and mirrors, some doll heads, a toy scooter or old bicycle, a teacup large enough to take a bath in, maybe a Christmas tree (in June) and no fewer than eight chandeliers, all crammed into a space the size of your living room.
Second are the sweetly offbeat employees, who might serve their guests in funky hats, cowboy boots or whatever their personal style dictates, and who will cluck like operatic chickens around your table on your birthday. Last, and yes -- least -- was the food, a hodgepodge of Italian standards of variable quality that were reliably, um, Italian and tasted reliably decent with the aforementioned Chianti.
That wasn't going to cut it in the New Seattle, where every beatnik knows the difference between a chanterelle and a shiitake.
Bizzarro has recognized that every gem needs a little polishing once in a while. Chef Mike Easton, who took over the kitchen in 2005, and owner Jack Kelly, who also owns local coffee chain Caffe Ladro [0], have revamped the menu by hoisting the banner of locally produced ingredients with a high stamp of quality and low footprint of carbon. On the new "300-Mile Menu," the majority of their meats, cheeses and produce now come from within 300 miles of Wallingford.
The first courses say it best. You can start with a glass of Walla Walla cabernet and nibble on the Salami Misti Antipasti platter, a mixture of both in-house and Seattle favorites: housemade prosciutto and duck pate next to Salumi's signature salami and Mama Lil's Hot Peppers, made from Hungarian goat horn peppers grown in the Yakima Valley.
The 20 years of experience show in the generous baskets of soft, fresh focaccia, perfectly salted and seasoned, that come out of Bizzarro's ovens. Smoked Oregon blue cheese is a heavenly complement to the roasted beet and fennel salad. Gruyere from Mt. Townsend Creamery, the first artisan creamery on the Olympic Peninsula, mingle with Washington apples, toasted hazelnuts and mixed greens in the light and wonderful Insalata Della Mela.
Farther along into the meal, though, it's going to take a bit more adjusting to get the balance right. Although the kitchen underwent a remodel to accommodate the new focus, reducing the freezer space in favor of sinks for fresh produce and seafood, some of the pastas and entrées are being seasoned as if their ingredients were still coming frozen from 1,000 miles away. No one can discern the difference between one mushroom and another when both are destroyed by salt. So what if it came from the chef's backyard saltwater pond?
Some of the classics remain a reliable bet, like the rich and meaty Lasagna al Bolognese. Fresh local clams have found a comfortable home with house-cured pancetta and handmade linguine. And the lamb shank, served with a fig demiglace, braised kale and polenta, is a solid and flavorful meal.
The gelato selections from Pike Place Market's Procopio Gelateria [0] are refreshing, and the Chocolate Vesuvius brings ultimate redemption for whatever shortcomings happened two glasses of Chianti ago. Chocolate bundt cake, glazed with a warm espresso-infused ganache and topped with scoop of chocolate-hazelnut gelato, more than justifies a little lingering.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
