The service was friendly and patient with a large group, with the server refilling water and sodas frequently throughout our meal.

Though we weren’t asked how we would like our burgers cooked, they came perfectly done across the board, all four of them. They were thoroughly cooked with a slight pink to the meat on the inside, which made them moist.

The burgers are made from hand-mixed beef chuck and top sirloin, are about one-third of a pound and come served atop a fresh Kaiser bun.

The blue cheese burger, $8.95, was piled high with fresh romaine lettuce, tomato, pickles, and sauce intermingled among plenty of creamy melted cheese. Order it with mushrooms for 75 cents extra, and it’s even better. You could also order the mushroom burger with mild cheddar, $8.95.

The teriyaki burger, $11.95, had a surprise spin, served with coleslaw on the bun. The flavor of the burger was good and the coleslaw was a welcome addition, but it did make it messy to eat.

Feel free to substitute salad for your fries, since they don’t charge extra. The best part is you can have any of the entrée salad options, including the mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, which included dried cranberries and almonds.

If the side salads were any indication of how well prepared their entrée salads were, it’s worth a second trip.

Billy Bob’s barbecue is tasty, although mild. The sauce lacks a kick of heat, but it’s sweet and tangy. The pulled pork, $7.59, is its signature sandwich and was piled high with pork in a mild sauce.

The restaurant has a lot of space in both the bar — which will come in handy during the upcoming March Madness tournament — and on the restaurant side, which is very kid-friendly and has plenty of space between tables.

Personally, a return trip will be necessary in late spring or summer, when the restaurant’s garage door walls open to bring the outdoors in.

Billy Bob’s serves a wide variety of beer, wine and liquor. Of course, you can always opt for a nonalcoholic option, like soda or lemonade, for $2.50.

Happy hour is every day from 2-9 p.m. with two daily rotating cheeseburger specials for $5.95, and a rotating specialty burger option for about $9.95. At happy hour, they also have two daily entrée specials, which range in price from $7.95 – $19.95. The top end of the price range is for specials like filet mignon.

All and all, it’s a great place for a “go-to” burger that’s good and can please a wide-variety of tastes.

Billy Bob’s Burgers & BBQ

-317 Gilman Blvd. No. 31-A

-427-1600

-www.billybobsburgers.com

-11 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day

-$6 – $13 for salads and small plates; 4entrées $7 – $20

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Scoop away the breast nuggets — and the boneless morsels disappear first — and the more challenging pieces remain. Use fingers or, better yet, both hands. Chuck the chopsticks. Forget the fork. Eat like a Neanderthal.

A few (jealous?) glares from tablemates make for small discomfort on the way to a worthwhile payoff. The duck requires little adornment, so skip the cloying plum sauce. Dip instead into a pot of zippy chili paste stationed next to the soy sauce. Remember to stack the bones — neatly, of course — on the side of the plate.

Macky’s offers more civilized options, too.

The menu includes a whole taxonomy of baked, fried and steamed dumplings, familiar Chinese dishes and a couple of showstoppers: a Kabocha squash and a fresh pineapple stuffed with seafood and other fillings.

Start with a few basketfuls of dumplings: a delicate, half-moon shaped variety packed with shrimp; light, almost ethereal steamed pork dumplings; and Shanghai-style soup dumplings brightened with a few drips of vinegar.

The soup dumplings, so named because of the broth contained within, require some dexterity to navigate — via chopsticks — from the basket to a porcelain spoon. Dribble some vinegar on top and voilà.

Beyond duck and dumplings, the restaurant offers ample small plates, as the name implies. Opt for the soy-sauce-doused noodles with just enough chew; a pan-fried turnip cake — earthy and delicate at the same time; a thin, crispy onion cake; and toothsome pot stickers — a takeout staple elevated here by a crisp skin without a whiff of grease. Also on the must-try list: bites fashioned from eggplant, shrimp and black bean sauce, served three to a plate and gone fast.

A deft hand seasons the salt-and-pepper cod and a vegetarian cousin, salt-and-pepper tofu. The tofu, bean curd with the consistency of firm cheese, is as addictive as fried mozzarella sticks from a greasy spoon.

Chinese broccoli doused in oyster sauce makes for some satisfying greenery, a momentary detour from the carbs.

The mango chicken — with ample chunks of mango and a subtle sauce with hints of sweet — arrives in a bowl fashioned from noodles woven and then fried. The edible result resembles some sort of extraterrestrial handicraft.

Macky’s occupies the Gilman Village space last filled by Sweet Addition, a longtime soup-and-sandwich institution. Patrons now eat in a space accented by sage-green walls, Chinese artwork and a semi-open kitchen.

Gracious servers keep the teapot replenished with enough tea to float a battleship. The affable owner darts from table to table, helping diners navigate the expansive menu.

No word yet on whether the staff condones diners digging hands-first into the duck.

Macky’s Dim Sum

In Gilman Village, 317 N.W. Gilman Blvd., Suite 43

391-7200 for reservations

11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Monday to Friday

9:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Saturday

9:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday

Restaurant reviews are a regular feature of The Issaquah Press. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for their meals.

Dan Connolly performs a set at Zeeks Pizza in the Issaquah Highlands. By Kathleen R. Merrill

Issaquah residents have another place to hear live music in the city, and they’ll get an excellent performance from local musician Dan Connolly.

The talented guitarist is playing from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Zeeks Pizza, 2525 N.E. Park Drive.

Not only will those in attendance get to hear soulful renditions of Connolly’s tunes from his album “Running Under Water,” they’ll also get hand-clapping, foot-stomping fun in the form of Irish drinking songs.

Many people at Zeeks last week had heard Connolly’s album and were calling out requests for songs from it.Rowdy one minute and mellow the next, the ebullient performer chatted with the audience, ad libbed here and there and made up lyrics to songs when he didn’t remember them.

Connolly, who lives nearby, was drinking a beer at the bar one night when bartender Jeremy Mason suggested he play there. Owner Mark Mullet signed Connolly up to play Tuesdays.

“He is a great musician and I’m trying to spread the word about our local Issaquah talent,” Mullet said.

Wait to order food until happy hour starts and you’ll get great specials, like half-priced small pizzas and other bar favorites for under $5.

Although you’ll want to hear Connolly for much longer than the two hours he plays, Zeeks closes at 10 p.m., so you can be on time for work the next day.

Kathleen R. Merrill: 392-6434, ext. 227, or editor@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Thai Ginger, where the potent root receives top billing, deploys the main ingredient in the Thai Ginger House Special — assorted vegetables and protein studded with matchsticks of the spicy-sweet tuber. Consider the dish a litmus test. Include too much ginger, and the flavor bludgeons other players into submission. Skimp on ginger, and fail to do justice to the title dish.

Thai Ginger delivers. The house special includes enough ginger to keep colds at bay all winter long without muscling the other components from the plate. Not too much, not too little. Just right, Goldilocks.

Other dishes deploy traditional Thai ingredients for tasty effect: basil in phad bai kaplau — onions, peppers and meat or seafood in a garlic sauce — and numerous other dishes, peanuts in many more and fiery chilies where necessary.

Although the sweet and sour chicken might be a nod to Western taste buds nurtured on Chinese takeout, the dish — with a tasty, Day-Glo red sauce dotted with pineapple and peppers — satisfies. A subtle garlic sauce elevates the phad bai kaplau, while briny oyster sauce adds depth to the gingery sauce atop the house special.

The menu includes other stars, like radh nah — wide rice noodles and broccoli finished in a bean sauce flecked with red pepper flakes — curries and traditional soups, like tom khai gai — steaming coconut milk, lemongrass and lime leaves, the flavors of Thailand condensed into a bowl.

The lineup also features noodles, fried rice and, most appealing, barbecued meat and seafood served alongside chili- and lime-based sauces and sticky rice.

Thai Ginger nets bonus points for the bright, crisp vegetables that were central in each dish during a recent lunch at the Klahanie restaurant. While dishes lacked the delicate balance of spicy, sour, sweet and salty intrinsic to Thai cuisine, the kitchen produces ample flavor and even ampler portions. A second communal serving bowl packed with rice appeared, welcome and unprompted. Another pleasant touch: the complimentary bowl of tart soup delivered with the menus.

Increase the notches on the spice scale, and Thai Ginger keeps pace. Dial up the house special to three stars on the four-star heat meter, and be thankful for the nearby waiter, ready with more rice to sop up the spicy sauce and a water pitcher to dampen the flames. Lower the temperature further with Thai iced tea or coconut, ginger or mango ice cream.

Founded in 1996, Thai Ginger continues to deliver even as new rivals dot storefronts across the Eastside. Besides the Klahanie restaurant, the Thai Ginger empire includes outposts in Bellevue, Redmond and Seattle. Mariners fans dig into the ubiquitous crowd pleaser, pad Thai, from a counter at Safeco Field.

If the Klahanie restaurant sets the standard, the chain does justice to the word hanging in a neat, serif font above the door at each eatery: ginger.

Thai Ginger

4512 Klahanie Drive S.E., In Klahanie Shopping Center

369-8233 for reservations

www.thaiginger.com

11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday; 11 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. Friday to Saturday

$6.95-9.95 for appetizers; $9.95 -$12.95 for entrées; $4 for desserts; $8.95 – @9.95 for lunch

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Restaurant reviews are a regular feature of The Issaquah Press. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for their meals.

The restaurant — near Issaquah’s Regal Cinemas in Pickering Place — has been serving up tasty Italian food for years.

When you first walk through the door, you’re greeted with bright, high-energy colors and decorations. This gives diners a fun environment in which to eat their meals.

Most tables are near coat hangers as well, which come in tremendously handy on cold and often wet winter days.

The menu offers a little something for everyone — soups, salads, pastas, pizzas and even steaks. Soups and salads will likely cost you the least, while steaks are more than $20 a plate.

There are more than 30 full entrées from which to choose, so it may take you a few minutes to determine the right dish for you.

Order your drinks, your meal and maybe an appetizer, and you’re ready to go. As you sit and chat, you’ll probably notice that your tablecloth is made out of paper. So, if you happen to be dining with somebody horrendously boring — or just feel like turning your tablecloth into a piece of art — just ask your waiter for some crayons and let loose on the paper before you.

After a few games of hangman and tic-tac-toe, or a poor reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” on your tablecloth, your food will be out and ready for you to enjoy.

On this particular day, I ordered the linguini and meatballs, the lunch special of the day. The dish is typically $12.95, but when it’s the special, it’s less than $10.

My plate was a healthy dose of noodles doused with a scrumptious red sauce and topped with succulent meatballs and mushrooms. The best way to enjoy this dish is to chop up the meatballs and mushrooms and have a little bit of both in every bite. Doing this will allow you to experience the full, complex and delightful taste of the dish.

One of my friends ordered the chorizo & red pepper penne ($12.25), which he found to be quite tasty. He also noted the spices complemented the pasta very well.

My other friend ordered the chicken linguini with goat cheese ($12.95). He also enjoyed his meal, and said the goat cheese was tasty and creamy, with a hint of lemon.

Cucina! Cucina! Italian Café should always be on the list of options when considering Italian food. Delicious food, fun atmosphere and fun on your tablecloth: Sounds like a great meal to me!

Cucina! Cucina! Italian Café

1510 11th Ave. N.W.

391-3800

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

Appetizers — $3.25 to $14.35; soup/salad — $3.25 to $12.25; entrées — $9.75 to $26.95

Tim Pfarr: 392-6434, ext. 239, or newcas@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Restaurant reviews are a regular feature of The Issaquah Press. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for their meals.

If you can get past the burger place décor, and the unmatching jazz music, you’ll find some tasty teriyaki, beautiful presentation and decent prices, especially for the amount of food you’ll get — enough for two meals in the case of the beef teriyaki Bento box ($9.49) and the pineapple curry fried rice ($7.99 for chicken or beef, $8.49 for prawns and $8.99 for all three meats).

The Bento box was beautiful, with tender and delicate meat with a sweet not-too-thick but not-too-thin sauce, rice, a salad with sweet dressing, a California roll (four pieces), flavorful gyozas (four) and a tempura selection that included shrimp.

The fried rice was a delicious combination of sweet and spicy. And the leftover was even more flavorful the next day at lunch.

Teriyaki entrées and combinations (including chicken, spicy chicken, beef, chicken katsu and beef short ribs) include rice and salad. There are also stir fry noodle selections (phad thai, Hong Kong-style noodles, Tokyo Street yakisoba and Singapore noodles); rice dishes (including Mongolian beef, sunshine curry, mango curry, spicy thai basil, General Tso’s chicken and classic cashew); and, if for some reason you’re no longer in the mood for teriyaki after you get there, a burger menu (hamburger with french fries and a soda, $5.99). There’s also a chicken burger and a chicken katsu burger.

Appetizers include flash fried egg rolls, a tempura basket, crispy wings and potstickers.

The kid’s menu includes stir fried egg noodles (with chicken or beef), potstickers with rice, chicken or beef teriyaki with rice and chicken katsu with rice.

With a convenient drive-thru, call ahead and you can drive up and get your food quickly on your way home.

Chopsticks Teriyaki Wok

30375 S.E. High Point Way

Preston

222-7776

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays

Lunch: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Monday-Friday;

Specials are $5.50 – $6.49

Appetizers: $1.49 – $6.49

Dinner: $7.49 – $9.99

Kid’s menu: $4.99 and $5.99

Kathleen R. Merrill: 392-6434, ext. 227, or editor@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

The destination: Agave Cocina & Tequilas, a place where margaritas and merriment seemed like a sure bet.

Expect margaritas aplenty, but because the happy hour clock is ticking, opt for the $4 Agave Margarita — Sauza Gold and lime juice shaken into sunny submission and served in a fat, low glass rimmed with salt. The bartender balanced the mix-to-tequila ratio, and the elixir tasted like spiked sunshine as the temperature outside drooped toward 40 and darkness descended at 5 p.m.

Uh oh: 5 o’clock arrives, happy hour reaches the halfway point and the time is nigh for nibbles. Glance at the compact bar menu; pick the quesadillas and the grown-up riff on jalapeño poppers. In the meantime, dash through the bountiful, bottomless chips — corny, salty and warm — and cilantro-flecked salsa. The margaritas arrive just a beat behind chips and salsa.

Moments later, the server will ask if you would like another round — and you would — when the snacks land on a highboy table at the bar. Make room amid the cocktails and chips for a spinach and mushroom quesadilla, another quesadilla filled with grilled chicken, and the showstopper: jalapeños stuffed with goat cheese, swaddled in bacon and kissed by the grill.

The astringent heat of the jalapeño cuts the richness of the dish, and a pineapple-serrano salsa tempers the fire. The salsa scattered across the plate delivers more sweet than heat, but the effect is pleasant nonetheless.

Now, for the quesadillas. Both arrive accented with squiggles of cilantro-lime cream and a chunky salsa. The achiote chicken variety has smoke and a smattering of cheese. Mushrooms and spinach are tucked into the other offering. The menu billed the mushrooms as wild — well, maybe — but the overall effect is toothsome and satisfying. Spinach, so often used as filler in similar dishes, is well seasoned and complementary here.

For $4.50 apiece, the snacks are enjoyable and straightforward, a proper foil for the alcohol.

The dinner menu covers a broad swath of Mexico, from the usual enchiladas and tacos to fajitas, a big draw. The enticing platters of grilled flank steak sizzle while being hauled across the dining room, ready to be folded into warm tortillas.

Remember: At a place where the presence — and indeed, the celebration of — tequila is announced on the sign, diners have a duty to sample the potent potable. Behind the handsome bar, bartenders sling dozens of tequilas and muddle mint into mojitos. Sure, mojitos are made with rum, but nobody likes a happy hour purist.

The restaurant lures a diverse crowd after sunset: families with young children, yuppies nursing post-work Dos Equis and raucous groups of middle-aged ladies — dare I say cougars?

Diners who crowd the bar to sample small plates at petite prices are cared for by attentive servers who continue to renew the supply of chips and salsa long after guests switch from tequila to agua.

Linger at the bar during the dinner rush. Another happy hour starts at 9 p.m.

Agave Cocina & Tequilas

1048 N.E. Park Drive

369-8900 for reservations

www.agaverest.com

11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11 a.m. – midnight Friday to Saturday, happy hour 4 p.m. – 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. – close

$8-11 for appetizers; $7-16 for entrees; $3-6 for desserts

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

A slick space filled with fountains and a forest of bamboo belies the strip mall setting. A promising list of appetizers starts the meal on the right note.

Packed with lettuce leaves, basil sprigs and tofu chunks, the sprightly fresh rolls were the ideal vehicles for a peanut dipping sauce, lush and almost as thick as Jif. Inside the paper-thin rice wrappers, greens and springy vermicelli noodles were nestled alongside crispy bits for a surprising — and welcome — crunch.

A plate of crab puffs moved beyond the usual takeout crab Rangoon. Inside the crackling, fried wonton skin awaited a molten center of cream cheese and crab — imitation, yes, but tasty nonetheless.

The extensive collection of entrées delivers after the strong selection of starters.

The noodle dishes are satisfying, from the rad nha — wide rice noodles and broccoli finished in a bean sauce flecked with red pepper flakes — to the phad kee mao, a fragrant tangle of rice noodles, bamboo, basil, chili, onion and tomato. Noodle dishes can be accessorized with beef, chicken, seafood or tofu. In the phad kee mao, a special request for scallops resulted in mollusks done to the perfect point of doneness.

From the fried rice selections, pick the pineapple variety redolent with curry and studded with cashews, peas and raisins. Other, seldom-seen choices include Dungeness crab tucked into fried rice and another variety juiced up with sweet chili paste. Most of the rice dishes can be complemented with beef, chicken, tofu, or calamari, prawns, scallops or a seafood combination.

The menu also includes a strong slate of curries, from the traditional green and red to appealing duck and prawn options.

Soups, including the classic tom yum, round out the menu. A bubbling pot of tam kah — a soup constructed atop a coconut-milk broth — attracted longing glances from across the dining room.

Similan Thai Cuisine also includes a full dessert menu, a rarity for most suburban Asian restaurants. In addition to sorbet and fried ice cream, desserts include ambitious offerings, such as black rice pudding and a seasonal combination of mango and sticky rice.

The expansive dinner menu treads beyond Thailand. Expect to see Chinese takeout selections, such as General Tso’s chicken and pot stickers, amid the Thai curries and tom yum soup.

The affordable lunch menu edits the menu to a handful of selections, though the affable servers allow diners to order from either menu at lunchtime.

Similan Thai Cuisine had a few wobbles. The promised hot rating on the menu felt more like summer in Seattle than summer in the Sahara. Opt for the so-called “authentic-hot” level for a sweat-inducing, lip-tingling burn. Crisp vegetables and, inexplicably, corkscrew pasta bobbed in wan broth in the complimentary cup of soup brought with the menus. But helpful servers and a skilled kitchen staff make up for the occasional bumps.

Similan Thai Cuisine juggles the spicy, sour, sweet, salty combination with a singular result: tasty.

Similan Thai Cuisine

In Overlake Center, 5704 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway S.E., Suite 100

677-8159 for reservations

www.similanthaicuisine.com

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday – Thursday; 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday

$5-13 for appetizers; $8-17 for entrées; $4-7 for desserts

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.

Its all-around, easy-going atmosphere makes lunch feel more like the end of the workday. With six televisions tuned to the latest sporting events, people grimacing at referees, and a plethora of sports memorabilia from the Kansas City Chiefs and family photos on the walls, it makes it hard to go back to work.

The service is friendly and fairly prompt in the middle of an afternoon lunch rush, but the wait staff also knows many people come to watch a game and stay out of the way unless you need something.

But it’s the food that really hits the spot.

The hen & hog sandwich is a good way to solve two cravings in one. Smoked turkey and smoked ham piled high, served with your choice of sweet, mild or spicy sauce and your choice of side — baked beans, creamed corn, potato salad, coleslaw or potato chips — for $8.95.

The smoked meat is perfectly prepared, sliced thick and piled high on a bun. But the best part, for anyone who likes barbecue, is just the right amount of fat left on to keep you coming back bite after bite. Try it with the spicy sauce, which has more than heat but depth of flavor, and you’re sure to find a piece of heaven.

If you’re not into mixing your meat, try The Chief, hickory-smoked beef brisket on a bun with sweet sauce and potato salad for $9.25.

Whether it’s hot or cold outside, nothing says lovin’ your stomach like a pile of pulled pork and some sweet, mild or spicy barbecue sauce for $9.25. Even the recently proclaimed ex-vegetarian I took to lunch agreed.

Without question, the ribs are a mouthwatering choice, but you might want to save those for an afternoon when you don’t have to go back to work. At Stan’s, they put a large pile in front of you and let’s face it, it’s hard to stop eating them once you get going.

If you can’t make it to lunch, Stan’s has happy hour fares and you’ll find specials, like Bloody Marys and hot wings on Sundays and Miller Hi-Life and pulled pork on Fridays, throughout the week from 4-6 p.m.

Later on Friday evenings, you can count on Stan’s to serve up live music from local and regional favorites.

During football season, get to Stan’s at 10 a.m. Sundays for the pre-game action, and then watch the rest of the day’s games. They’ve even got a couple of specialty house drinks like the Quarterback Sack and The Safety, made with pomegranate and Vox Vodka.

So, get ready to roll up those sleeves and keep an extra paper towel handy — you’ll need it to wipe the scrumptious sauce from your face.

Stan’s Bar-B-Q

58 Front St. N

392-4551

www.stansbarbq.com

11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday (10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Sunday during football season)

$3.50 – $14.95 for appetizers; sandwiches $8.95 – $9.25; entrées $8.25 – $16.95

Chantelle Lusebrink: 392-6434, ext. 241, or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment at www.isspress.com.

Simple chairs, tables and utensils; concrete floors; exposed beams and bright colors decorate the walls. It’s easy to focus your attention on who you’re with and the food, rather than what’s on the wall next to you.

Even the eye-catching, seemingly complex kitchen is quite simplistic.

Over a glass wall, gleaming tiles decorate the front of two large marble wood-fired ovens, named for Fugere’s mother, Maria, and grandmother, Carolina.

In front of the ovens, chefs bustle around the kitchen preparing dough with fine flour, smearing fresh organic San Marzano tomato sauce, roasting chickens, and rotating pizzas and calzones.

Scores of handcrafted cocktails with premium Italian liquors and fresh ingredients are the first stop for those over 21 who are thirsty.

Try the refreshing Basilicata ($9) made with grappa — an Italian grape-based liquor — paired with fresh basil, Limoncello, Prosecco and lemon served on the rocks. On the fruitier side, the Cosmopolita Del Pomgranat ($9) is a fresh twist on a favorite.

Either will hit the spot after a long day of work, but there are also a wide variety of Italian wines and a house beer, made by big al brewing in Seattle, crafted to complement the pizza dough at the restaurant.

If you’re in for greens, try the insalata di mista, or house salad. Fresh field greens, sweet vinegar-soaked red onions, white beans, carrots, roasted red peppers and kalamata olives swim in white balsamic vinaigrette. Add gorgonzola cheese for $1.50 and a small one will cost $8.50.

If you’re feeling like a bite of Naples, try the insalata di Napoli, $10 for a small and $13 for a large, but be warned: This isn’t a salad for light appetites.

With fire-roasted chicken breast, crispy pancetta, carrots, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese atop a bed of fresh romaine tossed in a white balsamic and Caesar dressing. Each ingredient adds a uniquely bold characteristic, and yet they balance one another. The sweetness of the carrots is met with the saltiness of the pancetta and the texture of the artichoke balances the creaminess of the gorgonzola.

Of course, what is an Italian restaurant without its pizza?

Two favorites are the quattro fromaggi ($11.50) and the Tutta Bella ($12.50).

The quattro fromaggi, or the four-cheese pizza, is nothing less than a cheese-lovers heaven, combining fresh mozzarella, gorgonzola cheese, shredded mozzarella, shredded provolone and grana padano with oregano and slivered garlic. It’s a little bit of upscale cheese meets downtown standby that makes this the perfect palate pleaser.

For something spicier, the Tutta Bella pizza uses fresh mozzarella, roasted onions and mushrooms and a spicy Iserino’s Italian sausage. The wood-fired grill highlights the delightfully spicy, fennel-laden sausage.

Whatever you do, don’t forget the gelato. Save room or ask for take-home boxes for your food, since the gelato is handmade in Seattle using fresh, seasonal ingredients, like pears, melons and berries. One scoop is $2.50.

Tutta Bella

715 N.W. Gilman Blvd.

391-6838 orders to go/reservations

www.tuttabella.com

11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

$8 – $13 for appetizers and salads; $9 – $13 for pizzas

Reach Reporter Chantelle Lusebrink at 392-6434, ext. 241 or clusebrink@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.issaquahpress.com.