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Hot Mama’s: Worth the Trip from Anywhere

By Zachary D. Lyons


New York style pizza at Hot Mama's.
Oct 11, 2001 -- David Nelson is not from New York. In fact, he is a West Coast boy. He is, however, that rare kind of bird around here who understands that it is not enough to simply call your pizza “New York style.” You actually have to learn how to make it that way.

While Nelson learned how to make New York style pizza in San Francisco, he learned it from New Yorkers at Village Pizzeria, with 40-plus years of pizza making experience. He fell in love with the style, and brought the proven recipes with him to Seattle, where he opened Hot Mama’s Pizza in 1995. And New York expatriots have been pilgrimaging to his Temple of Za ever since.

Hot Mama’s is a tiny space—something New Yorkers appreciate. You do not need much space for a make table, a register, and some big honkin’ stone bottomed pizza ovens. No conveyor belts in this place. The small customer area has a window counter and a high table, with maybe eight stools. Most of the pizzas are made to go, or for delivery.

Nelson’s pizza speaks for itself. A nice sauce, the right amount of cheese, and thin, chewy crust. Heaven. You can buy it by the slice, or order it by the pie—14 inch or 18 inch. You will find no wimpy corporate pies here. The toppings selection is short and simple. This is not gourmet pizza, it is New York pizza. And Nelson sees to it that the basics—what you would find in most mom-and-pop places in the old country (New York, that is)—are available... except anchovies. (He dreams of a bigger place someday where he can accommodate them, too.)

A slice or two is a perfect way to fill your belly when you are on the move. In and out in a minute or two for a couple of bucks, you can happily scarf a big slice down in 60 seconds. But when feeding the whole household, the pies do the trick. We fed six people with two 18-inch pies, and still had leftovers—all for just thirty bucks, and that included a generous tip!

We tried three topping configurations, just to keep them honest. The pepperoni would make any New Yorker tear up. The sauce, cheese and pepperoni intermingled on the chewy crust perfectly, and the little crispy bits of pepperoni here and there were divine. The olives and garlic, another standard, showed that Hot Mama’s avoids making all its pies taste the same. Black olives (like in New York) with fresh chopped garlic surrounded by gooey cheese. Yum. I could have used more garlic (there is no such thing as too much garlic), so my advice to garlic-a-holics is to ask for lots. The Mamacita is a Mexican-style pie. The base is still New York, by the top is tomatoes, onions, olives, jalapenos and fresh cilantro. Not over-laden with seasoned ground beef and other garbage, this unique and original pie was a real crowd pleaser, and the first to go.

Take it from this New Yorker: Hot Mama’s is worth the trip from Ballard.

Honest.

Hot Mama’s Pizza, 700 E Pine St., 322-6444; fax 322-7884. Monday - Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.-ish – 11 p.m. (who’s up before 1 p.m. on the Hill?); delivery Monday - Friday 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. & 4 – 10 p.m., Saturday & Sunday until 10 p.m.; credit cards for delivery only, no checks.



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