San Fermo Is 'Just Right' for a Spontaneous Evening Out

Welcome back to Week in Reviews. Seattle's food critics recently visited San Fermo and Italian Family Pizza. Here's what they had to say:

BALLARD—In her latest for The Seattle Times, Providence Cicero gives two (out of four) stars to young Italian restaurant San Fermo; she'd "like to see more consistency from the kitchen and more focus from the wait staff" but appreciates the atmosphere and says "the scope and price of the dinner menu is pitched just right for a spontaneous, casual evening out":

"Rabbit cacciatore stands out among the larger plates for its flawless execution. This typically rustic dish is elegantly rendered here. Topped with sprigs of fresh chervil, the rabbit's hindquarters yielded supple meat easily pulled from the bones into a rich, ruddy sauce refined from the braising liquid. A cache of sweet bell peppers, fruity, green Castelvetrano olives and grilled rapini as sharp as mustard greens hid beneath the meat."

FIRST HILL—For The Stranger, Rachel Belle files a loving semi-review of Italian Family Pizza, which recently moved its giant pies ("capable of melting the Seattle Freeze") from their original home on First Avenue to First Hill, where the monstrous meals "inspire just as much amusement":

"But please don't think this is a gimmick—that all Italian Family Pizza has going for it is size. This, my friends, is one of the best East Coast-style pies in the city. It's one of the best pies in the city, period. The tomato sauce is homemade, and the crust is perfectly bubbled and chewy. Slices are thin enough to fold in half, so you can eat like a true New Yorker, but far less delicate and floppy than a wood-fired Neapolitan pie."