Before I did the 200-mile RSVP bike tour from Seattle to Vancouver, I thought of Bellingham, Washington as an old-time shipping port whose greatest claim to fame today is its proximity to Mount Baker (a ski resort that holds the world record for snowfall in a single season).
Now I think of it as a pretty waterfront community, a welcome sight for sore butts, and the home of some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten.
OK, so maybe there’s a little bit of hyberbole there. In all honesty, Pizza Hut would have tasted damn good after 112 miles, with non-stop uphill from mile 91.6 to mile 101.9. But, in fact, the pizza at La Fiamma Wood Fire Pizza in downtown Bellingham is really, really good.
We arrived at the homey, family-oriented eatery at about 7:30 pm and found all the tables, inside and out, packed, with a wait of about 40 minutes. My son, who had eaten there before (on the way home from Mount Baker!), said it was worth the wait, so we strolled the downtown streets and arrived back just as they were calling our name.
The folks at La Fiamma aren’t content to offer superlative crust cooked in a wood-fired oven. They also aim to please with a staggering 40 or so toppings, including some very inventive numbers. My half of our large pie was the Grecian Formula, with an “herbed white sauce,” fresh spinach, red bell peppers, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, feta and mozzarella, and “marinated and grilled flank steak.” It was delicious, a perfect combo of chunky veggies and satiny cheese, with the steak adding a subtle heft.
Nicholas’ half of the pie was piled with fragrant rosemary-roasted red potatoes, caramelized onions, sensational homemade fennel sausage, gorgonzola and mozzarella cheeses and a fancy squiggle of balsamic glaze. It wasn't the most beautiful pizza in the world (nor was it photographed by the most competent photographer), but it was a supremely satisfying pie that I'm still thinking about 2 weeks later.
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