Pizzeria Libretto
221 Ossington Ave
Toronto, ON
Hours
Daily 12-11
Sundays 11-4
I was supposed to be there at 1:30pm to meet up with Toronto area bloggers Ginger & Asian Pear. My friend Heather and I arrived there at 2:10 pm. Pizzeria Libretto is one helluva walk/subway/streetcar ride away...from everything except Little Portugal.
Pizzeria Libretto's big draw is that they claim to the only Naples style pizza in Toronto. What this means is that it follows a strict set of guidelines set out by the Verace Pizza Napoletana Association as set out by the Italian Government and the European Union. Yes, the EU is working hard at preserving culinary heritage and that is pretty cool. (How do I get a job in that department?)
Admittedly, I had checked out their website the night before, so I knew quite a bit about their pizza and their wood burning oven that it's cooked in (90 seconds at 900 degrees!) and their environmental policies..which I have to say are pretty impressive. I like the fact that they try to use local ingredients (albeit a tougher thing to do in Canadian winters) whenever possible.
Immediately being greeted by a gorgeous man at the entrance was definitely a bonus, if not a little awkward as I was rather flustered at being so late and thrown off by his attentiveness and the fact that I was still adjusting to the darker interior. (Okay, it was his good looks...did I mention he was gorgeous?) He invited me to head into the restaurant and search for the rest of my party. I have never met the other girls face to face, but I knew them when I entered the small, but cozy seating area. It was pretty busy and I would have loved to head closer to the back to catch a view of the oven itself, I get a little intimidated by a. good looking men and b. looking lost to said handsome men. Everyone seemed to be busy chatting,watching tv, running in and out of the kitchen.
Being a bit of an amateur food photographer, I knew some things were going to be tough. I had on the wrong lens for the distance at which we were sitting and the lighting left a lot to be desired (although absolutely perfect for dates!)..but let's be honest, that's not a problem for most people..just for my camera :)
Heather and I ordered just after Ginger and Asian Pear, I felt a bit rushed looking over the menu, but that was entirely our fault for being late...so I just randomly picked something as the waiter hovered about saying if we ordered quickly, our food should come at the same time. Heather over the past year has switched it up from being vegetarian to vegan (So sorry Heather!!) so her order was a bit tougher, only garlic and tomatoes. I ordered the salami pizza ($16) which came with salami, mozzarella & tomato topping as well as roasted red peppers and very sparse basil leaves (ie. 3). Our pizzas came quickly...one would assume so as they only spend 90 seconds in the oven!
I was a little surprised at the VERY hard time I had cutting the pizza! So much so, that I abandonned the entire crust and only ate the inside. Even that was pretty rough and seemed to take me forever. It made the dining experience kind of frustrating actually, like I had been given the dullest knife in the place. The taste of the pizza was so-so and the ingredients were fresh although very sparse. I had forgotten there were roasted red peppers even on my pizza until I saw maybe 4 thinly sliced pieces at the direct centre of the pie.
To be brutally honest, the pizza I made the other week had more taste and flavour than Pizzeria Libretto's Salami pizza.
I really wanted to love this place, I did. Hot waiters, good looking foodie people chatting and eating fast pizza, environmentally friendly business operations and fresh ingredients. Seriously. What was not to love? While I appreciate that this is a different 'style and technique' of creating pizza in Toronto, I can't help but feel that they are missing something. Hey, at least the company was good! :)
I think maybe if I went back a second time (I probably won't), I'd have to check out their other menu offerings (Or at least convince one of the waiters to peruse the menu with me a bit longer!) as I've heard the bruschetta is pretty good.
Feel free to check out other diner's photos of Pizzeria Libretto on Flickr here.
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Really, the sushi failed for one reason and one reason only. Nope, I am lying. Two reasons...1. I couldn't find everything I needed at the grocery store to make what I wanted to showcase the fanastic pieces I received from CSN Stores to review and 2. hunger. I was hungry. Hunger does not bode well when making sushi. I did pick up the nori and wasabi and some vinegar, but until I have everything else...it's gotta wait and instead picked up a packaged dealio from the supermarket...which I generally do not recommend.
I will be making sushi at some point on this blog, because I love it and I think I have learned some tricks and tips that I'm looking forward to sharing. I think I will also my friend The Asian Pear to write a little something about sushi making as she's a genius in this area and can whip them up MUCH faster than I! (Not to mention, I'll be able to score some of her tips and tricks too!)
