Before Jeremy came along, Peter, Leann, Paul, and I went to Italy for Spring Break. We have great memories of our time together. So naturally, we tried to relive the experience by choosing a good Italian restaurant while we were in Seattle. Leann said she enjoyed Fondi, and we were open to letting her choose the restaurant and to even order for us because she had good experiences. The restaurant had a long line when we pulled up. There were menus outside the front door and along the wall to get to the ordering counter. When we got to the counter to order, the girl asked how many were in our party and assigned us to a table. I appreciated that since there weren't so many tables available. We were given a number card to put on the table so waiters would know where to deliver the food.

The meal started with a well-seasoned (parsley, garlic, and olive oil) thick flatbread to dip in a creamy (and also garlicky) white bean dip topped with roasted bell peppers. I thought the appetizer was really good and even thought about how I could duplicate it at home. A quality appetizer also gets diners more excited about the rest of the meal to come. Next came the House Salad--mixed greens topped with gorgonzola, cheese, diced green apples, caramelized walnuts, and a pomegranate vinaigrette. Again, Leann scored big because the salad was wonderful. Everything looked fresh, and the salad dressing was very light. Leann and I both thought the walnuts were exceptional.

The Big Cheese (6 cheese) pizza came first, and we each took a slice. While we were finishing those, the vegetarian pizza arrived. I looked down and interrupted the conversation "If that's a vegetarian pizza, then what's the brown stuff?" Leann had Peter taste it because Peter isn't a vegetarian, and he concluded it was chicken. The waitress, Gia, graciously removed our pizza and ordered another one. When she returned the pizza to the kitchen, the waitress that delivered the first pizza said that she had already taken the vegetable pizza to table 88. Gia nodded, but said it had chicken on it. The first waitress said "So?" And Gia said "Vegetarian for a reason." Gia apologized for the mistake saying so many pizzas were coming up on the counter at the same time. The replacement pizza came quickly and correctly. It had red peppers, goat cheese, mushrooms, artichokes, and a light pesto sauce instead of a tomato sauce.

Later on, Leann and Paul saw another pizza being returned to the kitchen. We weren't sure if it was the pizza that we were supposed to get the first time or if it was another kitchen mistake.

Rarely do we see a change in quality of attention when Paul is spotted photographing our food. This time, we certainly noticed the difference. Perhaps it had to do with the mistake. Gia was gracious up until the point of the photography, but she seemed extra talkative after Paul had photographed everything.

Peter and Paul checked out the gelato, but chose Ben and Jerry's down the street because the gelato was not made in-house. Although we wanted to repeat the successful Italy trip, we also wanted to use our calories wisely.

I would recommend the flatbread and salad again and again, but the pizzas, especially with the incidents, were not good enough for my taste. Perhaps that was because I had Leann's fabulous cooking to compare them to. The Ben and Jerry's, however, has no comparison (except to Giolitti's in Rome.)

Fondi Pizzeria

253-851-6666
Other locations: Kent Station, Seattle, Puyallup