New Year, New Seasonals

While you’re toasting the new year and making your (soon-to-be-broken?) resolutions, save a small toast for January. Not the loud, “new me” champagne salute, but a quiet nod to the returning light. For though it is almost imperceptible, the days are getting longer, and our time huddled indoors is already beginning to thin.

January is the month that asks us, gently, to make good use of the pleasant constraint of winter. What about the books you meant to read? The meals you planned to cook? The small, unfinished projects you’d like to bring to heel before the sun begins its cheerful, unremitting campaign to get us outdoors? January gives us the best kind of excuse: fewer social obligations, more room to breathe, and that low Pacific Northwest sky that turns the house into a workshop of the imagination. It stirs the tinkerer, the cook, the crafter, the hobbyist, and even the neglected guitarist with a dusty case and a guilty conscience.

So resolve if you must — or resolve nothing at all. Enjoy the rain, the foods that comfort you, and the long evenings that invite you back to your own bright interior.

For us at Pagliacci, our seasonals are our toast to the month ahead. Our Rosemary Potato Primo is a nod to Rome’s Patate e Rosmarino street pizza. We layer thin potatoes roasted with fragrant rosemary and tender chicken marinated with a subtle sweet-and-spicy kick. Pickled red onions and fresh parsley add brightness, with a rich blend of mozzarella and kasseri over a roasted garlic oil base. We finish it with a pinch of red pepper flakes.

A classic Italian pie, the Quattro Formaggi, is also a Pagliacci favorite from our slice bar dating back to the mid-80s. The Quattro features four cheeses — nutty Gruyère, smoky provolone, delicate fontina, and creamy mozzarella — topped with tomatoes over our signature pizza sauce. Out of the oven, we finish the pie with fresh basil.

Our legendary Pesto Salad is making a cameo appearance this round. For those who didn’t grow up with it, the Seattle Times food writer Bethany Clement described our Pesto Salad as a “deeply satisfying combination…perfect for a quick lunch or supper,” and we couldn’t agree more. Now a seasonal — so get it while you can! — it features penne, sweet peas, thyme-roasted artichoke hearts, parmesan, and a creamy pesto dressing.

Because it’s so good, we’re holding over Molly Moon's Peppermint Candy Cane ice cream for another four weeks. Enjoy this cool, velvety peppermint ice cream with crisp candy cane crunch while you can, limited supply of this holiday flavor remaining.

Our seasonal beer is Gimme Pizza Italian-Style Pilsner, made by Bizarre Brewing, the Magnolia brewery and taproom that champions low-ABV beers brewed with unique grains. Gimme Pizza is a crisp, pizza-friendly Italian-style pilsner brewed with pilsner malts and kettle-hopped with Spalt Select and Hersbrucker. Floral, citrusy hops meet biscuity malt (4.8% ABV). Available in-store or for pickup orders.

Lastly, our Castel Selva Rosato is a Tuscan rosé perfect for pizza nights all year long. New to Pagliacci’s wine list, this vivid rosé comes from the hills around medieval San Gimignano. Elegant, refreshing, and well-balanced, the wine has red-berry notes balanced by a clean, chalky minerality that reflects San Gimignano’s ancient seabed soils. The finish is crisp. It’s versatile, with enough structure to stand up to bold flavors. Serve well-chilled with pizza and good company. Add a bottle to your next pickup order.