I just returned from an interesting adventure. We were in the middle of a repair that turned out to be toxic, and had to temporarily, abandon our home. Two of our occupants ran off with a friend, on an excursion to eat out. This left myself, and the other two occupants, with only one vehicle left to us. A 1971 Volkswagen, not yet fully restored. The windshield is cracked, the passenger seat is missing, and there are no seat belts. I have gotten used to driving with my daughter Sky, and her fiance Sam, in this little red bug, even on the freeway. I just put a lot of magic out.

So, we are headed out and decide to go see The 11th Hour over at The Egyptian Theatre on Capital Hill. We were running late, and having a difficulty locating it. Suddenly, Sam, announces that he forgot they have no headlights. We realize at this point, there is no way we can make it home in the dark, after the movie would be over.

I suggest, we find ourselves on some adventure, and make our way home. Suddenly Sam, who forgot to eat, sees a little hole in the wall pizza place, and we look for a place to park. Sam is a real Italian, and always looking to find a good pizza. We park up the way a few streets, and walk down. On the way we encounter an antique store, and of course, have to go in. Sky and Sam both found a couple of really cool hats, and vowed to return when we had more time. Onward we went, and arrived at the IL Forno Pizzeria. We went inside, and found the environment to be perfect for out needs. It had one of those homey atmospheres, and was lit mostly by the lowering sun. The music was upbeat, but not too hard.

I announced that we were going to do a blog on their place, and of course they were quite polite and jovial. We took pictures of the crew, and I shot pictures of Sky and Sam. We were all dressed up, and it felt good to be out. Sam was the only one we assumed that could eat here, as Sky and I are on a very limited diet. We were surprised to find, that there was an authentic Caeser salad, and contained nothing that we could not have.

This was all real ingredients, real recipes, with no chemical laden pre packaged crap. Sam was in absolute heaven, he says it tasted exactly like his mothers pizza, and it helped to ease his missing Chicago. The salad Sky and I both agree, was excellent. Fresh, real dirt grown lettuce, and not the typical low grade hydroponic fair. The parmesan was real aged cheese, and the dressing was perfect in flavor. Sam says he will be returning many times in the future.

It was darkening as we ate, and we told the owner Dayne Caudill, our situation. He put the remainder of Sam’s pizza in a take out box, and quickly arranged payment. Sam’s small pizza was $12, and our salads $4.50 each. Sam said their beer selection was excellent, and he had an Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, which he said was sweet, smooth, and full bodied. In his opinion, it was excellent, and went wonderful with his pizza. The beer was $4.50. My only complaint, the water served by the glass, was from the tap.

We rushed out into the darkening night, and headed for the car. Along the way, the couple who ran the antique store, asked us how we enjoyed the pizza. Seattle folks can be very friendly when you kick up a conversation. We told them it was awesome, and rushed onward to the car. We arrived, jumped in, and Sam drove off. Though he knew the last time he had driven it, the lights did not work, he decided to give it a shot. One light lit up!! We were so excited, and very grateful, as by the time we were almost home, it had darkened quite a bit.

Life was in our favor, and magic was in the air. We discovered a wonderful little antique store, Sam found a piece of home, and Sky and I found a place that served something we could eat. On top of all of that, one headlights decided to work. The temperatures were perfect also, and we drove home with the windows down. The sunset was beautiful, and Sky took pictures of it through the car window. We may not have made it to the movie, but we had a really awesome evening.

If you are a pizza eater, be sure to check out IL Fornio Pizzaria, over on 1356 E. Olive Way, Seattle.

Thanks to LordKat, who encouraged me with this review, to write one on Il Forno’s.

Owner Dayne Caudill of IL Forno Pizzeria in Seattle

[tags]il forno Pizzeria, seattle, reviews, authentic italian food, restaurant reviews, antiques, volkswagon, ceaser salad, parmesan, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, beer, imported beer, russian beer, seattle restaurant, shadowmyth, lockergnome, pizza [/tags]

Technorati Tags: il forno Pizzeria, seattle, reviews, authentic italian food, restaurant reviews, antiques, volkswagon, ceaser salad, parmesan, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout, beer, imported beer, russian beer, seattle restaurant, shadowmyth, lockergnome

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