Alberta Hunting

[August 8th, 2001] GENTLE READERS,
It's always fascinating to Miss D when a gestalt gets going. The latest started with some FOD (Friends of Dish) dropping some dollops of info. "Have you tried the new pizza place on Alberta? It's awesome," they told her. A COD (Co-worker of Dish) recounted devouring a fabulous pie from "that new place on Alberta." When Miss Dish asked for the name, none could remember. "Near the video store," said one. "Down the street from Vita," said the other. All parties agreed this nameless place is perfecto for East Coast slices, so former-Philly Miss D. raced to Bella Faccia Pizzeria (2934 NE Alberta St., 282-0600), a cute but signless little pizza counter on the street of dreams. The slices are thin and foldable--plus, the place has beer. But the best feature may be the urban garden in the back, complete with a clothesline exchange where you can take something off the line to keep--as long as you replace it with something else. Unfortunately, co-owner Jennifer Lyons, who runs the place with Linda Zumoff, told Miss D. that the flailing girdle has already been swiped. "All the cool stuff is gone and replaced by these icky T-shirts," she said. So people, bring some fancier frocks for the exchange and look for the Bella sign, which Lyons swears is coming soon.

!Item! Le Happy, that little crêperie in the Bucket at 1011 NW 16th Ave., has added a bunch of new stuff to the menu, including a Le BLT crêpe (which contains, well, you know), a curry crêpe, a spicy steak salad and a fudge brownie crêpe. Owner John Brodie also wrote in to add commentary to the issue of resin chairs that Miss Dish dissected a few weeks ago. Thus spake Brodie: "I actually wanted to buy nicer-looking outdoor chairs, but they were all so uncomfortable. Resin chairs are actually comfortable (and unpretentious--a lot of the nicer stuff says 'Pearl' rather than 'Bucket'). Plus, sometimes you can find them on sale for $2.99." Miss Dish remains firm in her commitment to ridding the world of these aesthetic menaces.

!Item! Remember Miss Jamie Bell? She's the brazen Western States Culinary School grad who won the Miss Dish Summertime Fun Quiz contest and then fled for N.Y.C. to intern at Bobby Flay's restaurant, Bolo. Her first report from the roasted apple finds her lording it over the garde manger station, and she's met Mr. Big. What next for our intrepid slicer and dicer? Watch this page.