A slice of heaven

Published 10:05 am Monday, March 3, 2008

Pizza is back in Brier.

For old-timers who remember and cherish the dishes Neapolis served for years, it’s like coming home again. And for newcomers looking for a relaxed dinner of pizza, pasta, salad and seafood, there will be plenty of time to get comfortable at Brier Pizza &Family Restaurant.

Made-from-scratch sauces, fresh seafood and toppings pepper the menu. Co-owner and Lake Forest Park resident Takis Petropoulos has been in the restaurant business for 25 years and has mastered the flavors and techniques that help him prepare the best dishes.

After growing up in Greece and then moving to the Northwest, Petropoulos first opened Romeo’s Restaurant near 76th and 212th streets in Edmonds in 1982. After selling the restaurant in the mid-’90s, he knew he someday had to return to the area with his Mediterranean-inspired Italian and Greek dishes.

One of the greatest influences on Petropoulos’ cooking was the seaside town in which he grew up.

“Seafood is my favorite,” Petropoulos said.

For that reason, many of the daily specials offered in the Brier restaurant feature fresh mussels, clams and other fare. Petropoulos said he buys the fresh seafood from a friend’s stand at the Pike Place Market. Brier Pizza’s everyday menu does not include many seafood options, simply because Petropoulos does not know what kinds of seafood will be available until after his regular trips to the market. Dishes including the freshest seafood will be included in the daily specials, he said.

The menu includes a plethora of salads, pastas, pizzas, sandwiches and grinders, including all of the traditional items and some not so traditional. Fettuccine Alfredo, lasagna and margherita pizzas share room on the menu with dishes like Prawns el Greco (with fresh chopped parsley, basil, oregano and garlic sauteed in olive oil and finished with a dry sherry wine, served over pasta and feta cheese) and Greek Sailor pizza (with fresh spinach, onions, tomatoes, pepperoni, sunflower seeds and feta cheese).

Diners are bound to find something to their liking at Brier Pizza. On a recent visit to the restaurant, I shared a chef’s choice pizza (small, $9.95) and antipasto salad ($7.95) with my dining companion. The perfectly golden, light crust of the pizza was just right, and the combination of pepperoni, Canadian-style bacon, mushrooms, black olives, sausage and uncooked tomatoes complemented the tasty, homemade sauce.

The antipasto salad, complete with mixed greens, meats and cheeses, was a great precursor to the pizza, especially when topped with Brier Pizza’s feta cheese dressing.

The decor in the restaurant, which has not changed since Neapolis departed, is very fitting for the Mediterranean-influenced restaurant. Murals of the sea and land fill the wall space, and any visitors are able to sit at the counter and chat with the cooks as they prepare food. This, Petropoulos said, is one of his favorite aspects of the restaurant.

“I love to see people, I love to talk with them,” Petropoulos said. He said he enjoys getting to know his customers and encouraging his customers to get to know the restaurant and staff.

“I’m proud of what I do back there,” he said.