A wood-fired oven has many uses, and Handsome Pizza and Seastar Bakery are counting the ways. Their collaboration kicked off at the beginning of August, and Handsome Pizza and Seastar Bakery now serve baked goods and pizzas in their new location on NE Killingsworth. The businesses are separate entities, and Seastar rules the oven mornings and Handsome takes over for lunch and dinner.
Earlier this year, after three years of operating out of a retro-fitted auto garage, pizzaiolo Will Fain knew it was time for Handsome Pizza to find a new home. For the move, Fain replaced his original wood-fired oven, which he'd inherited, with one custom built by Steve Cohan of Hot Rock Masonry. Fain uses his new fire power to serve eight signature pizzas and one specialty pizza a day.
To make his "New York-Neapolitan hybrid" pies, Fain begins with his signature sourdough crusts, and he's invested in a grain miller, so look for doughs featuring house-ground grains in the future. Seasonal salads and a tap selection of four beers, a pair of wines, one cider, and Stumptown Cold Brew are also on offer.
Seastar Bakery is owned by Annie Moss and Katia Bezerra-Clark, and it cooks cookies, pastries, buckwheat scones, and a host of morning toast options. Home-baked breads for the toasts include sourdough and rye made with locally grown grains, and toppings range from macerated seasonal fruits, honey-nut butter, and coconut-honey butter to more hearty options, such as coppa, pickles, and a fried egg.
Handsome Pizza: 1603 NE Killingsworth St., (503) 247-7499; Hours: noon to 9 p.m. every weekday but Wednesday, and from 1 to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays
Seastar Bakery can be found at the same address and reached at the same number; Hours: 7 a.m. to noon every weekday but Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m on Saturdays and Sundays