Do you remember going out for pizza with your friends in high school? Fun and informal it is a feeling that most serious restaurants can lack but Tom Douglas may just let you find it again at Serious Pie.

Serious Pie is a pizza hangout for adults tucked into the space behind Tom’s flagship restaurant, Dahlia Lounge, its centrally located near Seattle’s main shopping district. Inside the tall wooden bench tables seat eight pizza lovers, and the matching chairs are comfortable. In pizzeria tradition, patrons can watch the pizza making behind the counter you gaze out at the street traffic. The eclectic crowd of businessmen, urban chic and families created happy hum throughout the space that entices you to order another drink and stay a little longer than usual.

Great ambiance deserves great food and Serious Pie’s menu of gourmet pizzas created from fresh local ingredients, including house made mozzarella, their own sausage and pancetta, match the restaurant’s tone perfectly. Match your favorite with a local red wine or beer, good friends and you have a great start for any evening in Seattle. Save room for a cannoli with your espresso and you have a near perfect dining experience.

I started my first South Bank Projects last November and decided to address the basic needs of any successful development first, food and drink. Our goal: Review our first experience at 26 restaurants in 12 months. This sounds easy but tomorrow it takes more commitment than you imagine. I’ll elaborate tomorrow, for now enjoy the first review:

It was an omen, three course meals for $25 at 25 great Seattle area
restaurants, our first South Bank Project needed to start immediately.
The Yarrow Bay Grill is a local favorite in the Pacific Northwest with
spectacular views across Lake Washington, and featuring an innovative
menu created by Chef Vicky McCaffree from the finest fresh local
products. A perfect choice for our first dinner.

The adjoining Beach Cafe is a fine place to enjoy a
pre-dinner drink after battling the rush hour traffic to Carillon Point
if you arrive early. In the round seating at both the Grill and Cafe
provides every diner fantastic lake views, and the staff provide
friendly, informed yet unobtrusive service throughout the meal.

We chose to start with the Fragrant Thai Mussels, the coconut
milk, lime and lemongrass combined perfectly with the salty mussels to
produce the familiar Thai flavors. A simple in the shell presentation
and a portion that allowed us to thoroughly enjoy the tender mussels
without ruining our appetite for the main course.

My wife chose the Tea Smoked Black Cod and I decided to try the
Prosciutto Crusted Scallops as a natural follow up to the mussels. The
prosciutto imparted its flavor to the perfectly cooked scallops but
never overpowered the sweet flesh. Each morsel combined with different
portions of porcini cream, arugula and piquillo peppers creating a
different taste and texture. Another reasonable portion satisfied my taste buds without diminishing my desire for a selection from the
dessert menu.

I love fresh berries, and Pastry Chef Jessica Campbell’s Rustic
Huckleberry Tart proved the perfect counterpoint for their famous
French Press coffee served with whipped cream and rich chocolate. In
the spirit of the season, Colleen chose the Pumpkin Pumpkin, a spiced
pumpkin cake topped with a pumpkin cream brulee and ginger creme
anglaise to form an interesting twist on the traditional pumpkin pie.
The Yarrow Bay Grill set an impressive standard of service and
innovative cuisine to begin our Twenty-six Dinners Project.