For my first review, I wanted to start with a restaurant that provided me with a truly spectacular meal. And boy, did I hit the jackpot.
It's not often that I find a restaurant that I miss soon after departing. In fact, there may only have been one of such places (the feeling has since dissipated), until last night. Most Torontonians can agree (at least those with some sort of culinary competence) that one would be hard pressed to find a great pizza in the city (no, Mamma's doesn't count). I was in agreement until last night, when I ventured to the southwest end of Toronto for dinner at Pizzeria Libretto, a seemingly small, neat restaurant tucked away at College and Ossington.
Libretto's philosophy is simple: Authentic, delicious Neapolitan pizza. This means fresh, local toppings, blistered, bubbling crust, piping hot cheese and a whole lot of passion.
The restaurant itself was very interesting, small looking from the outside, but upon entry, the length was shocking. A few couples tables lined one wall, while the other wall was one long communal table. Light bulbs hung from strings on the ceiling.
Upon being seated at the communal table no more then 5 minutes after entering, we were given a jug of water that is purified and bottled in house, as well as menus that flaunted diverse, yet savoury flavours. To start, my party of three ordered two appetizers: the grilled calamari ($6) and the gnocchi with braised rabbit ($7). The calamari came grilled exquisitely on a bed of arugula with a roasted red pepper and almond garnish. The gnocchi with rabbit was lightly topped in olive oil, adding a nice Mediterranean flavour to the already light and fluffy appetizer.
For the main course, our party split two pizzas, both coming in at $15: a pizza with arugula, prosciutto, and parmeggiano reggiano, and one with imported Italian mozzarella, caramelized onions and house-made sausages. Saying both of these pizzas were fantastic would be an understatement. The prosciutto on the first was paper thin and perfectly salty and the crust was blistered from the authentic Neapolitan wood fired oven - but not burnt or crispy. What I found amazing was that it maintained a soft, delicate, light texture and flavour. In contrast to this pizza, the house-made sausage and caramelized onion pie was nice and sweet. It was a wonderful compliment to the salty prosciutto pizza. It tasted as though the sausage had cinnamon or nutmeg in it - delicious. Even while eating my scrumptious meal, I couldn't help but look around at the other tables. Everything else looked so damn good as well!
Needless to say, the meal was finished hurriedly. When a fourth member of our party arrived, we could barely contain our desires when she ordered the same sausage pizza.
We were almost sad when we left, the pizzas sitting happily in our stomachs, while we were wishing that we were sitting happily with a few more pizzas. To be blunt, Pizzeria Libretto will not be a place I soon forget. It's too damn delicious.
Pizzeria Libretto is located at 221 Ossington Avenue just south of College Street. No reservations. Entire menu available for takeout. Monday - Friday 5-11PM, Saturday and Sunday 4-11PM. 416-532-8000.
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