Is Pagliacci As Good As Advertised? Si, Si

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XX 1/2 Pagliacci Pizza, 550 Queen Anne Ave. N. (and seven other locations). ($) Lunch and dinner ($2 to $17) 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; until midnight Friday, Saturday. Beer, wine. Major credit cards. Nonsmoking area. Reservations and takeout: 285-2134. -----------------------------------------------------------------

"Seattle's Best Pizza." Is it really?

Pagliacci Pizza, which Dorene Centioli-McTigue began in 1979 with a small storefront shop on "The Ave" in the University District, has been racking up local and national honors for a decade. It's been picked first in newspaper readership polls and local magazine surveys. One national magazine (Bon Appetit) dubbed Pagliacci as one of America's top five pizzerias a couple of years ago.

On the basis of those plaudits (and several million consumed pizzas) Pagliacci has grown into a considerable local chain: three sit-down pizzerias (426 Broadway Ave. E., 4529 University Way N.E. and the Queen Anne site) and six delivery/pickup locations in central and north Seattle, with two more planned for West Seattle and Shoreline.

In the pizza business, with endless - and relentless - competition from national chains with billion-dollar advertising budgets, that's a remarkable achievement - no matter how you slice it.

And Pagliacci has been slicing it since the beginning.

Centioli-McTigue has been selling pizza by the slice (from $2 to about $4) since she opened the doors. She sagely pitched Pagliacci to the walk-by trade, as well as to sit-down clients.

Under most circumstances, I don't like pizza by the slice. It cools while waiting for the next customer to walk in, and it usually has to be reheated. Reheated pizza is like a reconnected love - good, but not the same thing.

What made Pagliacci's trade work was the rapidity of her business. Nothing got a chance to cool down. Lines are steady and the pies keep coming. And what pies they are.

You'll crave the crust

The key to truly fine pizza is the quality of the crust. Pagliacci's is springy and chewy without being tough or coarse. It's firm enough to hold its toppings, but it's not a characterless, rigid slab. After the last of the topping has been nibbled, you wouldn't dream of discarding the arc of the rim.

"Dough management is a very important thing for us," Centioli-McTigue said. "Sometimes I'll see one of our over-enthusiastic employees pounding the hell out of one of our pizzas and I'll tell him: `Hey, leave some oxygen in it! Let it have some spring.' "

Toppings range from traditional East Coast Italian-American (the "Brooklyn Bridge" or the "South Philly" with sausage, pepperoni, peppers, etc.) to more innovative arrangements. Like:

The AGOG Primo ($14.99 for a 13-inch medium to $16.99 for a 17-inch large), with Fontina and whole-milk mozzarella cheeses, whole roasted garlic cloves, sliced mushrooms, goat cheese, Kalamata olives, chopped parsley and fresh-chopped tomatoes on an olive oil base.

The Zucchini Primo (same prices) featured sliced, marinated zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, olives, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and mozzarella over tomato sauce and fresh herbs. As a friend noted: "It's not overwhelmed by too much cheese. You don't feel you've been served a pound of melted grease."

Verde Primo: magnifico

My favorite is the Verde Primo ($15 to $17) with artichoke hearts, fresh mushrooms, mozzarella, basil pesto and goat cheese over a garlic-tomato sauce. (It reminds me of Romio's Pizza's GASP pie, but without the garlic overkill.)

Pagliacci is one of the few pizzerias to feature seasonal ingredients. Their autumn Pear Primo, with slices of Northwest pears, nuggets of Gorgonzola, red onions, mushrooms and chopped walnuts, is a sonnet of interacting flavors. Others feature Eastern Washington peppers and, in May, their asparagus pizzas.

The Pagliaccio Salad ($2.25 for a small, which is large; and $3.95 for the large, which is embarrassing) is a grand combination of mixed greens, garbanzos, diced red pepper, cubed salami, red onion and a fresh-made house vinaigrette. A party-sized portion sells for $8.50.

Soups, a changing menu of pastas, lasagna (including a vegetarian) and calzones are also offered at some of the pizzerias. A central phone number for all of the satellite delivery stores: 726-1717.

Best pizzas in Seattle? Probably. Some close runners-up: Aleko's Pizza, 8310 Fifth Ave. N.E.; Italian Spaghetti House, 9824 Lake City Way N.E.; the various Romio's (aggressively seasoned, but good) and Zeek's, 41 Dravus St., near Fremont. (Copyright, 1996, John Hinterberger. All rights reserved.) John Hinterberger, who writes the weekly restaurant review in Tempo and a Sunday food column in Pacific, visits restaurants anonymously and unannounced. He pays in full for all food, wines and services. Interviews of the restaurants' management and staff are done only after meals and services have been appraised. He does not accept invitations to evaluate restaurants.