Pizzeria Libretto

For our 3rd anniversary, Scott got me tickets to see Strictly Ballroom at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The show was great, I love a good musical! Before the show, we had to have lunch nearby at Pizzeria Libretto. We have been casually stalking this place on Instagram, so we were pretty excited. We knew we had to try to Ricotta Gnocchi Fritti, and it did not disappoint. These little potato pillows were so delicate and wonderful. The tomato sauce was really, really impressive. Every single bite was so tasty, my mouth is watering remembering it.

Ricotta Gnocchi Fritti - San Marzano Tomato, Nduja Sausage, Stracciatella

I ordered off the Pizza Bianca menu, opting for the House-made Sausage pizza. It was sweet and spicy, but the crust is the really impressive part. It was amazingly thin and light, but not crisp.

House-Made Sausage Pizza Bianca - Caramelized Onion, Mozzarella, Chili Oil

Scott decided on the Diavola from the Pizza Rossa menu. It was really tasty when you managed to wrangle a bite, but it was the greasiest thing I've eaten in a while. The crust wasn't really interested in doing it's job, so we decided it was really a fork & knife pizza.

Diavola Pizza Rossa - Tomato, Spicy Salami, Mozzarella Di Bufala, Chili, Onion, Kalamata Olives

While we waited, we had some of the best focaccia I have ever tasted. It was with tasting oils, and definitely got us excited for our little gnocchis to come. Our service was great, but we were one of the only tables there for lunch on a Sunday. The gnocchi was great, the pizzas were good. There are so many places in Toronto I want to try and haven't this just wasn't all that impressive.

Likes: Focaccia & Gnocchi
Dislikes: Greasy pizza paired with a cloth napkin
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Probably not, this area is filled with great looking food!

Rico's Pizzeria

Yesterday we snuck in a lunchtime pizza date at Rico's Pizzeria. It was somewhere we had never tried, and it was close to where we needed to be, so we tried it. I ordered the Balsamic Marinated Mushroom Pizza with some added prosciutto. It was huge! The crust was thin and crispy (maybe a little too crispy on one side). The mushrooms were delicious, and the prosciutto was definitely the right choice.

Balsamic Marinated Mushroom Pizza - thin, crispy crust smeared with roasted garlic and organic olive oil, covered with seasonal balsamic marinated mushrooms, onions and goat cheese, topped with fresh rosemary and prosciutto

Scott ordered the Farmer's Sausage 'Za, and we can safely say I was the winner this round. His pizza was good, but a little boring. It was so cheesy, with the right amount of pull. The house made tomato sauce was really tasty. Mine was so good though, I couldn't stop eating it.

Farmer's Sausage 'Za - thin crust topped with house made tomato sauce, fresh Fieldgate Farm sausage, locally sourced bacon, and mozzarella

Overall we were pretty satisfied with this little pick, and while they seemed a little overwhelmed with customers heading into the holidays, they managed to keep everyone happy and well fed. Their attention to locally sourced ingredients (including beers) and options for everyone, including vegan and gluten-free fare, makes it really worth recommending. From the outside you can't tell they care as much as they do about the experience - it looks like it could be any 2-4-1 location.

Likes: The crust was very thin and crispy, the toppings were delicious!
Dislikes: The sausage pizza was boring.
Food: 4/5
Service: 4.5/5
Would I go again?: Maybe. It was great, but for $17 and $16 they weren't outstanding.

Mexican Quinoa

Here is a super easy vegetarian dish that makes for an easy dinner and heats up well as a tasty lunch! This recipe (found here) is really simple, with everything cooking together in one pan. I finished the last of it for lunch today, and it was even better than it was last night.

To make it, you will need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 jalapenos, diced
• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup black beans (from can, drained)
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels (from can, drained)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• sour cream for garnish

1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium high. Add garlic and jalapeno, cook until softening.
2. Add quinoa, vegetable broth, black beans, tomatoes, corn, chili powder and cumin. Stir to combine, add salt & pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer until quinoa is cooked through (~30 minutes).
3. Stir in avocado and lime juice. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!

See? Super simple. If you aren't used to working with jalapenos, be careful. Cut off the tops, then slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and ribs using a spoon. Once you are finished seeding all the jalapenos, slice and dice them up. When all the jalapenos are in the pan, wash you hands thoroughly with lots of soap. The juice will burn any open cuts or your eyes, so some people prefer to use gloves. If you like it a little spicier, feel free to leave some seeds in the mix or add some more aggressive hot peppers. I found 6 peppers was pretty strong, and the sour cream at the end was necessary for cooling. When it comes to avocado, leave it in the lime juice until it is ready to add to the pan to keep it from oxidizing (turning brown).

The Pie Commission

On Saturday I headed to Toronto to celebrate the upcoming wedding of one of my best friends. But first - meat pie! I am so glad savory pies are making a comeback, they are so satisfying.After noticing The Pie Commission on Instagram, I had been meaning to visit at some point and Saturday lunch I made it happen. The pies come in a little box, and I was somehow convinced I would need a side, so I also ordered fries. I ordered the Braised Beef Rib Pie, which comes with beef braised in veal stock, sweet potato, and mushrooms. The pie filling was so good, I would love to eat this pie on a cold day, but it was just as good on one of the hottest days of the year. The pastry was flaky and delicious, and the pie was so filling. I should have really tried to eat the pie by hand, like it was meant to be, but instead I tried with the little plastic fork and knife. It was a bit of a mess, and real cutlery might have been an improvement. Really though, it is a hand pie, what was I thinking? I didn't have much room for fries, and proceeded to forget them in the car.

Likes: Flaky pastry, savory goodness inside.
Dislikes: The fries reminded me of Swiss Chalet, maybe that's a good thing for you.
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Yes, I really want to try some of their other pie flavours.

Casa Manila

In February, I bought three-day passes to Ottawa Bluesfest for July 15-17th. I was so proud of myself - Scott's birthday is July 15th AND the Red Hot Chili Peppers were playing that day. I told pretty much anyone that would listen (except Scott), and tried really hard not to spoil the surprise. Somewhere along the way, I let it slip we were headed to Ottawa, no big deal, he still didn't know what we would be doing! Then the new album dropped, and as a fan, Scott asked his friend what he thought of the new songs. Unfortunately for me, said friend also loves the Chili Peppers, and said he wanted to go see them in Ottawa on the 15th of July. Entirely excited, Scott had a pretty solid guess what I had planned for his birthday. At least I didn't let it slip myself this time!

In our cute little Accent hatchback rental car, we set out for Ottawa on July 14th, but first - Summerlicious in Toronto! If you haven't done it, Summerlicious (and Winterlicious) are special times of the year when lots of Toronto restaurants serve three-course prix fixe menus. Places book up pretty fast, but you still have time - it ends July 24th this summer. On our way through Toronto, I chose a couple cheap ($18 each) lunch options that were near the highway, then Scott and I settled on Casa Manila. We had never had Filipino food, so we were both pretty excited. The highlight: Crispy Pork Belly Adobo. The pork belly was crispy on the outside, but melted in your mouth on the inside. The sauce was delicious, and mixed well with the perfectly cooked garlic rice. I am not entirely sure what veggies were involved in the fritter, but it was really tasty. Our server recommended vinegar, and it was a nice addition.

Crispy Pork Belly Adobo - tangy garlic, laurel & soy sauce with crispy pork belly, served with garlic rice & okoy vegetable fritter

We also ordered Kare Kare, an Oxtail stew. The peanut sauce on this dish was unbelievably rich and creamy. The oxtail was the most tender meat I have had in a while, it was falling apart when I tried to pick it up. The secret highlight of this dish is lurking in the back under the vegetable fritter - the fermented shrimp paste. It reminded me of anchovies mixed with a strong olive tapenade. It wasn't something I imagined I would like, but it mixed well with the rice and the peanut sauce.

Kare Kare - ground peanuts, delicate spices, combination of oxtail, beef and tropical vegetables, served with our fermented shrimp paste, jasmine steamed rice & okoy vegetable fritter

I started with the mains, because they were amazing. The starters were a little underwhelming. I picked the Chicken Chicharon Medley. The chicken skin was very crispy, but not very flavourful. The pickled papaya slaw that was on both mains was pretty tasty and not too heavy in vinegar.

Chicken Chicharon Medley - Chicken skin crackling harmonized with adobo seasoning, pickled papaya slaw, garlic aioli & seasoned vinegar

Scott chose the Embutido Terrine. It was two slices of a sausage meatloaf that reminded me so much of a pate. While it looks pretty similar to the other appetizer, they tasted completely different. Scott seemed to really prefer this one, but I was more into the chicken skin. Both were a little boring.

Embutido Terrine - A Filipino festive meatloaf with boiled egg, sausage, pickles, raisins & carrots, topped with garlic aioli, served with pickled papaya slaw & olives stuffed with garlic

Finally, the desserts! We both barely had any room after the mains, both were really filling. We ordered the Leche Flan Creme Caramel (left) and the Cassava Cake (Right). They looked and tasted so similar. There was only really a difference in texture. The Creme Caramel was a perfectly creamy custard that was the winner here. The Cassava Cake was a great soaked cake, I just love custard.

Leche Flan Creme Caramel (left) & Cassava Cake with custard topping (right)

This place seemed really authentic, from the servers to the patrons, we were some of the only white, non-Filipino looking people in the restaurant. Of course, I could be completely wrong, as this was my first experience with Filipino food, and we are usually the minority in a lot of great restaurants in Toronto. It felt like we were being let in on the secret of amazing Filipino cuisine. The service was pretty good, although it kind of seemed like we were forgotten about as we neared the end of our meal and the server took to busing tables around us while we just sat and looked at each other. We weren't in a rush, and it wasn't that long before she checked in on us again.

Likes: The pork belly. The oxtail. The peanut sauce. The custard. Overall, the food here was a hit!

Dislikes: The appetizers were not impressively presented or orchestrated and didn't make us too excited for the rest of the meal, a shame since it was all uphill from there.

Food: 4.5/5

Service: 4/5

Would I go again?: Hopefully. There are so many places to try, but this was a great experience and I would love to try out their regular menu beyond Summerlicious.

Sunfest & Gelato

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in London, Ontario. We headed out to Sunfest - a music festival in Victoria Park downtown - and true to form, I got way too much sun. We ate our way across the park, particularly excited to try what Kosmos had on offer. There was a guy holding delicious looking food out in front of the booth that made it impossible to skip. The line was long, and the sun was hot. After waiting way longer than we anticipated, we were presented with an amazing looking Crispy Chicken:

Crispy Chicken - chipotle aoli, lettuce, jalapeno, onion, honey mustard, pickles

The chicken breast was HUGE, and freshly fried to crispy perfection while we waited. It was so, so crispy. Everything seemed to have its place in each bite. The most unfortunate part of this enormous sandwich was how much it fell apart when I tried to eat it. That little dish did not catch it all, but it tried. Overall, I am excited to try Kosmos in the future, as everything we saw come out looked delicious (I'm looking at you, Fish Tacos).

After crisping up in the sunourselves, we headed up closer to home for some of the city's best gelato at Angelo's Italian Bakery and Market. When Scott and I first started dating, we frequented Angelo's a little too often. This was our first gelato trip of the year, and I was so ready!

Gelato - Mango & Mixed Berry, Pomegranate & Chocolate

We both made great choices. Scott picked one the all-time favourites: Mango. It has little pieces of mango throughout the gelato and is so refreshing. The mixed berry was a new one for us, and it was very nice. I tend to also go chocolate in some way or another. Pomegranate made a nice sharp and sweet addition to the semi-sweet chocolate gelato. If you haven't been for gelato at Angelo's, get out there!

Wooden Heads

This weekend I was at United Empire Loyalist Heritage Centre and Park for the Alberry Family Reunion in Adolphustown, On. First, I had to pick up my little brother in Kingston, ON, where we decided to get some delicious lunch at Wooden Heads. This downtown restaurant features a brick oven in the middle of the room where gourmet pizzas are fired. After scanning a pretty tasty looking menu, we decided to get 2 pizzas to share:

Meraviglioso - lobster curry, brie, caramelized onions, fresh basil

I ordered the Meraviglioso, not quite sure what to expect. This pizza was really sweet, and if it didn't say lobster on the menu, I wouldn't have known it was there. The 'lobster curry' seems to be a sauce, with very few pieces of lobster involved. The taste was pretty good - it is hard to go wrong with brie! The real star of the show was the pizza my brother chose:

Arrabbiata - superdynamite, pomodoro sauce, mozzarella, calabrese salami, banana peppers

This pizza was perfect. It was greasy and cheesy, so if that isn't your thing then maybe it isn't for you. Calabrese salami is one of my favourites, and the banana peppers were an amazing choice I would not have expected to work as well as it did. We didn't figure out what 'superdynamite' was and forgot to ask, but I am guessing it is a sauce that was involved...maybe? It was hard to tell where all the spice was coming from, but each bite packed some heat. We also ordered the Calamari Mumbai off the 'Tapas' menu and I failed to take a picture of it. I was more annoyed at the gratuitous use of tapas than anything else all day. It was a list of Appetizers, not really what you would picture as tapas, but sure, go ahead. The calamari was almost all cooked well, I got a piece that was overdone and too chewy. The sauce was tasty, but the naan felt cheap and I have had better from the grocery store, never mind an actual restaurant.

Likes: The atmosphere was nice and relaxing and the Arrabbiata pizza was delicious
Dislikes: The lobster curry was a bit of a miss for me. Restaurants should only do naan if you are going to be serious about it, it was a disappointment.
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Maybe. I am not in Kingston very often and there are other places I would like to try. A couple other pizzas on the menu might make it worth another visit.

Goodah Gastrotruck

I have been waiting weeks for this! Goodah Gastrotruck is one of the few food trucks in the city of London, and it is great. Today, and every Tuesday from 9 AM to 2 PM until late in the summer there is a Farmer's Market on campus at Western University. It looks like the Goodah truck will be there, and I can't be the only one hoping it is consistently. Today I ordered the Jalapeno Popper and added bacon ($9):

Jalapeno Popper - blend of roasted and pickled jalapeno, mascarpone, cream cheese, cheddar and monterey jack with a pickle and side of coleslaw

After paying in advance and a wait of about 10 minutes, they called "Betty White" and the sandwich was mine. The bread was crispy and perfectly fried, oozing with cheese. I prefer my addition of 4 slices of bacon for $1.50 over the base $7.50 Jalapeno Popper. The jalapeno pepper flavour was there, but it wasn't very spicy. The coleslaw was a miss in my opinion - with apple pieces that were tasty, but it was too creamy for me. The pickle was the perfect end to a lunch, and I benefited from a labmate's pickle, too. Overall this was a very satisfying lunch, especially considering what is usually on offer on campus particularly during the summer months.

Likes: Sandwich is crispy and delicious, filled with cheesy goodness
Dislikes: Coleslaw was a disappointment and I would expect something called a Jalapeno Popper to be spicier.
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Would I go again?: Definitely. I look forward to what will be on special and love cheese too much.