For slice with a twist, try these two Snohomish County pizza spots

Ever been enjoying a steaming bowl of curry over rice from your favorite Indian place and found yourself thinking, “Man, I wish I could give this tikka masala the Domino’s treatment?”

No? Me neither. And until recently, I would have looked at you pretty funny if you’d suggested such a thing.

But you wouldn’t be the only person who’s been struck by that bolt of inspiration. And would you believe me if I told you that combining Indian or Chinese flavors atop a stretchy crust and covering them in melty cheese is actually quite an inspired idea in practice?

Next time you’re looking for something to shake up your usual pizza order, give one of these Snohomish County spots a shot. We’re highlighting two joints that serve up pies that go far beyond run-of-the-mill options like pepperoni and Hawaiian — though, for the faint of heart, you can find those options on their menus, too — by melding the beauty and simplicity of cheese on crust with their own traditions and flavors. Trust me on this one.

Tasty Curry Restaurant & Pizza, Everett

Occupying a diminutive spot next door to the Safeway on 128th, this Indian eatery can lay claim to another unique title beyond their approach to an Italian classic. They’re the only local Indian place — and one of very few local restaurants in general — with late-night hours, staying open until midnight on the weekends. With a cozy, family-run atmosphere and a modest full bar selection, it would make a pretty ideal place to round off a night out with a few friends.

But say you need to feed a large gathering of Indian cuisine-lovers, or maybe fend off a hangover from that late night out. Tasty Curry’s pizza menu might be the place to look.

You’ll find many of the same ingredients on the pizza menu as you will in the restaurant’s selection of traditional Indian fare, like tandoori chicken and paneer. But here, the traditional ingredients take on a whole new persona when combined with a flavorful, satisfying crust and a healthy dose of mozzarella cheese.

Herald photographer Ryan Berry and I ordered the butter chicken pizza, our rationale being that the dish’s usual creamy, tomato-based sauce would lend itself rather naturally to pizza. Boy, were we right. The chicken was perfectly tender and flavorful, offering little bites of garlic-infused goodness doused in the flavorful, multidimensional butter sauce. Every now and again, you’ll bite into a ribbon of sautéed onion cooked in that sauce until it’s practically indistinguishable from it, offering just the right amount of textural difference without distracting from the overall pizza experience.

With such a delicious star of the topping show, the blanket of molten cheese over the top seems like gilding the lily at first, a bit too much richness or a distraction from the best parts of the flavor. But mild, salty mozzarella merely complements the complex flavors of the curry and adds an extra layer of deliciousness, making it a wholly different experience from enjoying the same butter chicken over rice. A generous sprinkling of fresh cilantro over the glistening cheese really ties the whole thing together, adding a lovely freshness for a counterpoint to all that sauce.

On top of it all, Tasty Curry’s pizza menu is quite reasonably priced — a medium 12-inch pizza goes for $22 and, in our experience, could easily feed four to five people. And the service was absolutely lovely. After our leftovers were boxed up, our server brought over steaming hot mugs of masala chai. As we sipped, he offered us a small bowl seemingly filled with multicolored sprinkles and encouraged us to crunch down a handful.

It’s actually mukhwas, candy-coated fennel seeds meant to freshen your breath and aid in digestion, and not an ice cream topping — but they were no less delightfully sweet.

Tasty Curry Restaurant & Pizza, 520 128th St. SW, Suite A12, Everett. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday to Sunday. Lunch buffet open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Thursday.

Pedeltweezer’s Chinese and Pizza, Arlington

Before Asian-fusion cuisine was the big thing in upscale dining, there was Pedeltweezer’s. They’ve been combining Chinese American classics with the ultimate fusion food — pizza — since 2004.

The restaurant, just off Highway 9, is bright, colorful and homey, with art made by the owners’ three kids and photos from family visits to China adorning the walls. Since pivoting to takeout-only during the pandemic, the kids have used the small seating area for homework, craft projects and more in between helping to serve customers while their parents man the kitchen.

There are plenty of more traditional offerings on the menu, such as chow mein, mapo tofu and egg drop soup, all beloved by customers who’ve kept Pedeltweezer’s going strong for all these years. But you already know we didn’t come here for traditional.

We sampled the two most popular of the eatery’s pizza offerings, one topped with General Tso’s chicken and another known as the Genghis Khan, which features Mongolian beef, mushrooms and deep-fried rice noodles — all blanketed under mozzarella, of course. Both reminded me initially of the chicken barbecue pies you can find at many pizza joints, with a thick, sticky and sweet-savory sauce being the focal point of flavor.

On the Genghis Khan, slices of delicious beef were melt-in-your-mouth tender, while the mushrooms absorbed so much of that sweet sauce as to be actually quite tasty to me, a noted mushroom hater. And even in pizza form, you can tell their General Tso’s chicken is above-average, no breaded and fried chunks of tough and flavorless meat here. Sliced red and yellow bell peppers add a nice depth of flavor amidst the mildly spicy sauce (we ordered our pizzas at three-star spice levels out of five).

Be prepared to get a little messy as you dive into your pies, because with so much flavor (and sauce) loaded onto one pie, it’s bound to get slippery. To avoid the worst of it, do as I did and eat a slice straight from the fridge the next morning — something I’d never dream of doing with Chinese takeout leftovers. I’m pleased to tell you it works.

And as for the final mystery of Chinese pizza, now that we’ve ascertained it really does taste as good as it sounds, I’m here to tell you that Pedeltweezer’s doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a silly name dreamed up by co-owner Michele Lin’s father.

Pedeltweezer’s Chinese and Pizza, 20265 74th Ave. NE, Suite 101, Arlington. Open 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday. Takeout only.

Riley Haun: 425-339-3192; riley.haun@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @RHaunID.