Slice
Zeeks Pizza: Seattle's Decent Mini-Chain Inspires Deep Pizza Thoughts
Daniel Zemans, our man in Chicago, checks in with another piece of intel from the road, this time in Seattle.—The Mgmt.
Zeeks Pizza
7900 E. Greenlake Drive N, Seattle WA 98103 (map); 206-285-8646; zeekspizza.com
Pizza Style: Thin-crust
Oven Type: Gas
The Skinny: Local chain puts up good-but-pricey delivery-quality pies
Price: 16-inch specialty pies start at $23.95
Notes: Seven additional locations
Lately I've been intrigued by the concept of soul in food. I'm not sure of the first time I heard someone complaining about a lack of soul on their plate, but it's something that seems to be more prevalent lately. A search for the word soul here on Slice will reveal many instances of Ed Levine talking about the presence or lack of soul in a pizza. I have to admit that it's a concept I've never fully embraced and I think I've figured why: If a chef's soul is a key ingredient in a great pizza, then it follows that the pie in question is not easily replicated. But I have had way too much success with local Chicago chains like Lou Malnati’s (reviewed here for Slice) and Giordano’s (reviewed here) to think that soul matters that much in pizza making.
Secure in my belief that chains are capable of producing quality pies, when I scout out pizzerias I’m happy to give places a try even if, by their muli-location nature, incapable of capturing that elusive soul. Sometimes, as was the case at LaRosa’s in Cincinnati (reviewed here), my openness betrays me. But a few bad apples (or pizzas) will not deter me. So on my recent trip to Seattle I was determined to try one of two very popular local chains, Pagliacci or Zeeks. I was open to both, but my host lived closer to Zeeks, so we swung by on our way home from Flying Squirrel Pizza Co. (reviewed here) and picked up my third and final Seattle pie.
Zeek’s offers a wide variety of specialty pies, ranging from the Tree Hugger (sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, broccoli, roma tomatoes, garlic & olives) to the John Candy (Canadian bacon, Italian sausage, pepperoni) to the Juan Candy (a John Candy with jalapenos). I opted for the Cherry Bomb, which has Italian sausage, sweet-hot roasted red peppers, Parmesan, and fresh basil along with the standard mozzarella and allegedly fresh tomato sauce.
When I called in my order, I was told my pie would be ready in fifteen minutes. We were there in eleven and the pizza was already boxed and sitting on the counter when we arrived. About five minutes later, we were eating a still hot pizza at my friend’s place. I’m sure I was a little afftected by the delicious pizza I had just eaten at Flying Squirrel, but Zeeks did not live up to the hype I’d created in my mind. That’s not to say it was bad. For a mini-chain delivery oriented pizzeria, it was very good. But the prices were not reflective of a delivery pie. At $24, I want some soul in my pizza, or at least some quality ingredients.
The red peppers on the Cherry Bomb were great. I’m not sure what kind they were, but the sweet-hot descriptor on the menu is accurate. They had, by far, the most flavor of anything on the pizza. The sausage were good enough to pass for fresh (but might not have been) and had a good amount of fatty chew and some nice fennel flavor. The shredded basil, which was pretty limp, did not have a lot of taste. My guess is they were shredded around the time the restaurant opened and left sitting around for hours after that. The sauce, advertised as fresh, was not sufficiently present to be noticeable.
The crust is what lost me on my pizza at Zeeks. I thought it was thick and a little doughy; not particularly different from a dense thick piece of processed white bread. The bottom was nicely browned, but the crispness did not extend very far into the crust. The top of the crust was not as well cooked. It wasn’t raw, but it could have used either more heat or more time in the oven.
I wouldn’t say I disliked Zeeks, but I can’t imagine going back, particularly given Seattle's other dining options. For a standard delivery pizza, it is good, but at Zeeks’ prices, I want something substantially better. Tell me Seattleites, should I try Pagliacci on my next visit to your town or are Seattle chains better left exclusively as last-minute and late night pizza options? And for everyone else, what's your take on what a chef's soul adds to a pizza? Is it necessary or are top ingredients and pizza-making execution enough?
Related
Flying Squirrel Pizza Company: Former Starbucks Employee Treats Seattle Right
Serious Pie: Seattle's Favorite Pizzeria Lives Up to Its Name
Delancey: Seattle's Great Pizza Hope
Giordano's, A Stuffed Pizza Classic in Chicago
Lou Malnati's, Home of Flawless Deep Dish
LaRosa's: A Tradition Cincinnatians Should Not Be Proud Of