Our Favorite Restaurants of 2009

In this week's issue, editors and reporters highlighted their 50 favorite restaurants in Seattle. Here is but a sample of the favorites. For our complete list and reviews, cruise over here.

Renee McMahon

Veraci Pizza: When Veraci started wheeling a wood-burning clay oven into farmers market parking lots, Seattle got in line. You could call it thin-crust pizza with a dog-and-pony show—and who wouldn’t like watching their dinner get twirled to toasty perfection by a fire god whose sole job is to coddle your pie? But with their newest oven, this one permanently installed well out of hand-warming reach in a former Domino’s, Veraci proves that their pizzas are more about flavor than fanfare. Layered with zingy sauces, topped with fresh, often local ingredients (think Beecher’s cheese and mole salami), and usually kissed with a few fat blisters, Veraci’s pies deserve the cult status they’re developing in North Seattle. Course, there’s still a line. Call your order in ahead to cut the weekend wait from excruciating to annoying. JESS THOMSON; Serves: Lunch, dinner. Farmer’s markets or 500 N.W. Market St., 525-1813. BALLARD, veracipizza.com