The new neighborhood Italian restaurant Valentinetti’s opened for its first dinner service on Thursday, October 24 in Ballard’s historic 1911-built Firehouse No. 18 at 5425 Russell Ave NW. It's been the home to the Hi-Life restaurant for the last 15 years, Chow Foods owner Peter Levy and Chef/partner Anthony Hubbard have reimagined the large space into a more intimate interior with a menu of Italian favorites and a unique newcomer called “pinsa”.

Pinsa, a brick oven, Roman-style oval pizza made with fermented dough, provides a new dining option for Seattleites. This artisan, Roman-style baking experience is undertaken at Valentinetti’s through sourcing a flour made of wheat, rice and soy from Italy. After the dough is mixed it endures a long cold-fermentation process; then the cloud-like dough is shaped into an oval and topped with ingredients before sliding into a 700-degree brick oven. With the non-GMO flour used and the cold fermentation process, pinsa crust is highly digestible compared to traditional wheat crust.

“We’re excited to offer locals a new style of pizza with our Roman pinsa menu,” Levy said. “Chef Anthony and Chef Noelle have poured their hearts into this menu, perfecting the technique of pinsa dough. We look forward to our Hi-Life guests returning as well as welcoming in new neighbors to see what we’ve been cooking up the last six weeks.”