500 N.W. Market St.
11-9 Daily, Closed Thursday
206-525-1813

Nestled in the hilly terrain of Ballard's ThirMark neighborhood (the area near 3rd Northwest and Northwest Market) Veraci Pizza pumps out some mighty remarkable fare. In the former Dominos location, where the ghosts of bad pizza may linger still, the Veraci fare represents the complete anti-Dominos, leaving a fragrant smell of herbs, cheese, and wood.

We had heard that the long lines and impressive-looking slices at farmer's markets may not be translating into the same kind of pizza-manna the new location, but our experience there won us over completely. Sage and plum walls and dark carpeting soften the storefront feel. And while the family-friendly set-up may include cheerio chunks dotting the floor along with floor shows of a 4 year old doing jumping jacks, Veraci sends out staff on clean-up missions every few minutes, maintaining order and clean tables, even at peak times.

We sampled the four slices available, which included The Florentina, Luna Rosa, Tuscan and Hot Sopressata. The Florentina wowed, with large spinach leaves and subtly spiced and portioned ingredients allowing all the flavors to shine. The thin and almost cracker-like crust transports the smoky flavor of Veraci's wood-fired oven, while ricotta and red-onion suggested a melodic harmony of flavors.

The Luna Rosa also featured a gentle hand on toppings, and again, the flavors remained distinct and separate, while supporting each other. Take the roasted red peppers for example. The pizza was not slathered with them, but because of the artistic and caring touch with ingredients, each bite allowed the bright pepper flavor to sing.

Fresh artichoke hearts and smartly placed chevre make the Tuscan another standard-bearer for the Veraci way. Leave the over the top cheese-smothering to other joints, and instead bring together logical and simple pairings, with the faith that you could put just about anything on this crust and build a winner.

The Sopressata was meaty to be sure. This dry cured salami from the increasingly omnipresent (in a good way) Salumi had chewy and porky flavor, and made for a more interesting texture, with a less mealy chew then traditional pepperoni pizzas. This was a rich little rascal, with onions, garlic, and olive oil. Sometimes when we eat these cured Italian meats, we start to swell up and bloat immediately. Certainly this is our problem, and not Veraci we all agree that in the world of pizza eating, there is a place for swelling of the extremities due to massive sodium spiking. If you are on blood-pressure medication, you might want to triple it before tackling the Sopressata.

The slice specials all go for $4.75 per slice, or $19 bucks for a whole. This is a little steeper than the Classic Pepperoni, which can be had for $17. Either way, you get a huge pie, big enough to feed three young and hungry college dudes who threw down their pepperoni pizza in no time, and left looking mighty satisfied.

The salad and antipasti menu offer value and choice as well. We chose the small Caprese, with the hard-to-find ripe tomatoes lying atop the freshest basil imaginable, even in summer, and a ripe and rich balsamic. Tomatoes in the winter can spell trouble, but these babies sang, and we could barely finish the plateful between us. The Classic Caesar ($4 for a small), showcases a nice take on the oft-butchered standard and allows nicely washed and dried hearts or romaine to shoulder the burden, soaking up the light-ish dressing, and using shaved instead of grated Parmesan.

Small and independent establishments like Veraci feel heart felt, and add incredible value to living in Ballard. Here locals can have what may arguably be some of the finest pizza in the world, in a casual but special environment, where the owners and workers clearly care about the food and the experience.