Summer Warmth, Heirloom Tomatoes, and a Lil Woody's Mash-Up

At Pagliacci, our seasonal menu allows us to incorporate the best of what’s filling the stands at the local farmers’ markets. Summer provides us with a bevy of options, perhaps none better than the arrival of fresh heirloom tomatoes from Eastern Washington. These tomatoes are often bumpy, vibrant in color, intriguingly shaped — and bursting with flavor. Our ancestors grew them for taste, not for ease of transport or shelf-life. Every sun-warmed heirloom carries a lineage saved seed-by-seed, proof that sweetness and aroma outrank durability. Freshly picked and sun-warm, these tomatoes burst with a bright blend of acid and sweet. They taste worlds apart from their supermarket cousins. To showcase the tomatoes, we keep our Summer Heirloom pizza simple: sliced heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, our seasoned tomato sauce, and a sprinkle of sea salt.

While heirloom tomatoes are in the house, we’re also serving an Heirloom Caprese Salad. We build on the classic Italian caprese with thick slices of ripe, aromatic heirlooms and fresh, creamy burrata. Burrata is a staple at Pagliacci, and we can't get enough of it! We finish the salad with fresh basil, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt.

Pagliacci and Lil Woody’s teamed up for a riff on Lil Woody’s famed bacon cheeseburger a few years ago. The pie’s success landed it in our regular seasonal rotation. The pizza tastes uncannily burger-like and flat-out delicious. Our Lil Woody’s pie starts with hand-tossed dough, a blanket of mozzarella, and seasoned ground beef, then piles on the classic burger fixings: crispy bacon, sweet onions, melted cheddar, tangy pickles, fresh tomatoes, and a drizzle of Lil Woody’s fry sauce.

Lastly, our seasonal ice cream is Molly Moon’s Strawberries & Cream. To make this classic flavor, Molly Moon’s uses organic strawberries from Viva Farms, a pioneering farm incubator in Skagit Valley. Swirls and chunks of these locally grown berries, plus a touch of organic vanilla, are folded into a sweet cream base made with fresh, local, hormone-free milk and cream.