- Address: 1307 N 46th St, Seattle, WA (Wallingford)
- Type: Italian
- Pricing: $33/person (including wine)
- Rating: 4/5 stars
I needed to take my good friend “the Rat” out for a birthday dinner, but I was having trouble picking a good place. The Rat is a cook in a Ballard restaurant, so he’s got higher standards than ordinary friends of mine and has a lot of commentary for any place he chooses to visit. So, I decided we’d try some highly rated place, and I took a look at the “best of” lists on Yelp.com. First on the list for Italian food was Bizzarro Italian Cafe, a small place in Wallingford. So we took a trip over last night at about 7pm.
There is only street parking available, but we didn’t have much trouble finding a space. The restaurant is located at 46th & Stone Way, and is a little difficult to see at first. Its kind of tucked in at the corner, and the sign was not all that apparent when you are driving north on Stone Way.
We expected a bit of a wait since it was Friday night, but we were in luck as the crowds just didn’t arrive yet. We were seated right away (3 people), which was nice. But then came the worst part - no waitress. We waited for at least 20 minutes before someone came over, but only to take our drinks. A random bread girl came by - we asked for help and she said she would find someone. We finished a whole plate of bread before the chick finally came over. She looked very busy socializing with some couple in the corner. All the waitresses seem to have that air about them that says “I’m too cool to help any of you peons.” I guess we didn’t look hip enough to order food.
When she finally did take our order, it seemed like she suddenly realized we were paying customers, and everything came out pretty quickly. I got the gnocchi gorgonzola, which was good but not the best. The sauce was lacking a little substance, it was a little too runny and thin for gnocchi - maybe it would have been better on fettucini or angel hair? The Rat got the bologese lasagna - and according to him it was probably the best lasagna he has had in Seattle yet. Micro-Monkey got shells and alfredo, standard tasting, not great not bad. Dessert was a large piece of house-made tiramisu. Pretty good, not too rich like some places make it, and I appreciate that she brought a large slice for 3 of us to share.
Total bill was $100 for 3 people, including a $35 bottle of good wine (… something “rosso” a favorite of napoleon’s I guess… don’t remember the name). All in all, I think they rely on the “crazy” eclectic atmosphere to bring people in. It’s good, and I’d go back if I could get reliable service, but I don’t see what all the hype is about. I’m sure there are better Italian places out there with better food for the same price.
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