Drinks
- Flat water
- Half-Litre, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo 2010 DOC, Kasaura, Abruzzo - $28
Appetizer
- Buffalo Ricotta, Fresh Oregano, Bomba Calabrese, Crostini - $7
Main
- House-Made Sausage, Caramelized Onion, Mozzerella, Chili Oil - $16
+ substitute to buffalo mozzerella - $3
Total + tip = $70.02
Pre-Thoughts
A friend of mine that is a chef at the Four Seasons and is going to be a chef soon at a new resto opening at Ossington told me about this awesome pizzeria called Pizzeria Libretto. He said they made amazing pizza and recommended it - This man knows what hes talking about 100% of the time so I decided to make a visit.
I've been to Italy and had some of the best pizzas, pastas and risottos during my week-long stay travelling around Venizia, Firenze, Roma and Napoli. I have a very picky taste in Italian food, pizza should either be the American deep-dish greasy awesomeness or the painfully simple, super thin Italian kind. In-betweens aren't allowed!
Service
Sundays are pretty awesome days to try out a very busy restaurant because usually late on a Sunday the line-ups are a bit less ridiculous compared to say, a Friday or Saturday evening. Our calculations were correct and we were ushered in within moments of arriving a bit wet, cold, and hungry at the front door into a very warm and inviting atmosphere.
I wasn't sure what wine to order so the waitress offered me to sample two which was a nice touch.
She also kindly explained to us the difference between Buffalo and regular Mozzarella, which was nice.
Ambience
I would have to say trendy and typical of Little Italy. The bar table extends to a long bench table and some group tables at the back. The space is crowded and together. Whimsical flourishes here and there, the omnipresent over-sized chalkboard at the bar. We sat in between two couples with inches to spare from our busy elbows. Conversations flew here and there but its okay. I wish it was less hipster.. The food is Certified Authentic Italian by the Italians (really!), why does it feel like I need a lomo camera and thick glass frames? I'd rather it feel like an Italian Aunt's family kitchen or something...
The fact you can see the big wood burning oven at the back is pretty cool though.
Yum?
The wine was pretty amazing. We finished it before we got our pizza!
Buffalo Ricotta Appetizer
I liked it as it went with the overall theme of the restaurant - Simple. Goodness.
It was pretty much what you'd conjure up in your head if you mix fresh ricotta with fresh oregano. The chilli-oil infused glob on the top added a nice kick to the overall dish. I wouldn't call it bland, I wouldn't call it amazing. Just good. I wouldn't order it again. The calamari looked 100000000% awesome. Next time.
House-Made Sausage Pizza
We were feverishly debating between the Duck Confit pizza and the sausage pizza. Marshy is super picky with his food and anything considered 'abnormal' is a no-go for him. In a last minute switch I decided we switch from Duck Confit to Home-Made Sausage. The Duck Confit was being served with pear and in my head duck confit (sweet) + pear (sweet) sounded amazing but probably not so much for Marshy.
The crust was indeed charred to perfection. Just looking at the pizza made me realize how similar it was to the numerous ones I had in Italy. Also how it was so strikingly simple. The cheese was amazing and appropriately messy showing off its freshness. The sausage was surprisingly mild-tasting (somehow I was expecting the pungent taste of something like chorizo). It was actually one of the mildest sausages I've tasted, there really wasn't enough on the pizza. The bread was chewy and thin, perfect! The onions were sweet and soft and the basil added a nice punch to the pizza. It was devoured in mere moments after it was served.
Final Thoughts
We both loved the pizza and decided that this place was indeed the one of the best for Italian style pizza.
I really love how the price point isn't over the top and quite appropriate for the fare. I can't wait to go back.
Pizzeria Libretto
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