With Brandon Pettit’s highly touted pizzeria closed during my first visit to Seattle I’d made it a point to visit during this trip and with limited time in the Emerald City I eventually opted to shoehorn it in as a prequel to dinner at Canlis; the assumption being a 4:45 arrival for the 5:00pm opening would land me a seat and although there were indeed a few folks already in line as I arrived the plan worked perfectly – a seat at the bar where I could watch every action of the kitchen including baby pictures, dancing, and all kinds of staff/patron interaction when Molly Wizenberg arrived an hour later (to the delight of the self proclaimed “biggest fans” seated next to me.)
A small space, the bar and ovens in one room along with some retro-chic odds and ends while a small dining room sits to the right, Delancey is clearly a work of passion as Pettit tends to his self-built oven while good-natured staff tend to diners and the growing line of would-be diners. With a concise menu it did not take me long to order and taking a lead from my server I started the night with a housemade Strawberry “Shrub,” something I’d never tasted before but an item I’ve replicated at home many times since with the drinking vinegars underlying bright strawberries, light sweetness, and herbal notes that paired beautifully with the pizza.
Moving onward to the pie, when dining alone the Margherita is always my must order and opting for the classic topped with La Quercia Prosciutto I watched step-by-step as the pizzaiolo constructed the pie and expecting great things based on appearance alone I was not let down, the bubbly mozzarella and bright sauce beneath lightly draped pork and basil speaking for themselves while the crust was something breathtaking – a blistered cracker with tiny air pockets light with yeast over a nutty undertone that provided ample support for the toppings while remaining supple and airy within – a crust entirely unique and perhaps the best I’ve ever tasted.
Moving past the pizza – though if I did not have dinner plans for later I’d have likely ordered the White pie as well – Delancey further wowed in the sweets department with a Preserved Meyer Lemon Budino whose silky texture was dotted with salted candied pistachios, buttery shortbread, and anise tinged caramel alongside a signature Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookie with Gray Salt warm from the oven with chocolate still in the semi-solid state and the salt adding a touch of crunch – a great finish to an excellent meal and much like Great Lake, Lucali, or Bianco the sort of place that absolutely warrants the hour long waits for the pizza alone.