Pizzeria Libretto
Where: 550 Danforth Ave
Price: $$$ ($165 for 6 people, tax and tip included) but their lunches are cheap!
I came here for
lunch (which was delicious at such an affordable price!) and decided to take
the rest of my family here for dinner.
Pizzeria
Libretto makes VPN certified pizza meaning all their pizzas are certified by
the Verace Pizza Napolentana Association’s guidelines which were set out by the
Italian Government and European Union.
The one thing I love
about PL is their process of cooking the pizza – a mere 90 seconds in a hot,
hot, hot (900°F to be exact!) wood-burning oven. This ensures that the crust of
the pizza achieves the charred and blistered crust of a Neapolitan Pizza while
ensuring the ingredients on top stay fresh and not overly cooked
Service: The waiters
are very friendly but unattentive. Perhaps, I am used to the hustle-and-bustle
of an HK Café but service was quite slow.
PL's bread is made
daily by Thuet, is served at the beginning with a olive oil and balsamic
vinaigrette. I could eat that bread for days.. (although I’m biased because I
am a huge fan of Thuet, Petite Thuet, etc)
Arugula Salad (pears,
roasted walnuts, aged piace, gamay vinaigrette) $9
Unfortunately, we forgot to take a picture of this.. but to be honest, we
only got this dish as a way of lessening the guilt of soon-to-be consuming a
hearty meal of pizzas. Regardless, I enjoyed the combination of the tartness
from the dressing, the sweet pears and the bitter arugula. My only disappointment
is that the salad seemed noticeably smaller than the last time I came to PL.
Ricotta Gnocchi
Fritti (house-made crema fresca, lemon, chives, rosemary) $7
I quite enjoyed
these but my family were not too big of a fan. I loved the crispiness of the
exterior and the soft potato gnocchi. This is definitely a swab-and-go dish though. You fork a gnocchi and dip it in the crema fresca before popping it into your mouth. Fun dish to share but not very memorable.
Usually I grimace at the idea of ordering calamari in restaurants. It seems so simple and mundane, for some reason and I have been completely underwhelmed at some restaurants when I order it. However, my cousin (who is not from Canada) tagged along for dinner so I ordered it so he could try it. We were all very pleasantly surprised with this dish. Crispy batter that did not take away from the softness of the calamari along with a swab of a red pepper sauce. Truly one of the better dishes of calamari I’ve had in Toronto!!
We only ordered 4 pizzas because of all the extra appetizers and desserts we were planning to get. The crust on all of their pizzas is deliciously chewy, sweet and charred and blistered in the right spots, giving it a slight smoky taste. Mmmm!
Anchovy (tomato, bufala mozzarella, preserved chili, roast garlic) $15
This was the majority of the table’s least favourite. I personally didn’t mind it but agreed it was nothing to be wow’ed at. The anchovy taste is very evident in this pizza which I loved but would, understandably, turn some people off.
This was the majority of the table’s least favourite. I personally didn’t mind it but agreed it was nothing to be wow’ed at. The anchovy taste is very evident in this pizza which I loved but would, understandably, turn some people off.
House-made
Sausage (caramelized onion, mozzarella, chili oil) $16
Oh man, I will be dreaming about the sausage and chili oil for days. Make sure you ask for a side of chili oil on the side! This pizza is the epitome of a great spicy, oily pizza but in the best way possible. It is a truly guilty pleasure to eat this pizza!
Oh man, I will be dreaming about the sausage and chili oil for days. Make sure you ask for a side of chili oil on the side! This pizza is the epitome of a great spicy, oily pizza but in the best way possible. It is a truly guilty pleasure to eat this pizza!
Ontario
Prosciutto & Arugula (garlic, tomato, oregano, basil, shaved grana padano)
$16
We thoroughly enjoyed this one for the sole reason that it was one of the freshest tasting pizzas we’ve ever had. Normally, one may feel greasy, bloated and guilty after eating a pizza but this was very.. clean tasting for a pizza. This is what I love about their cooking method with the pizzas. The toppings on this pizza stayed fresh. My only criticism on this dish is that I wish there was more basil!
We thoroughly enjoyed this one for the sole reason that it was one of the freshest tasting pizzas we’ve ever had. Normally, one may feel greasy, bloated and guilty after eating a pizza but this was very.. clean tasting for a pizza. This is what I love about their cooking method with the pizzas. The toppings on this pizza stayed fresh. My only criticism on this dish is that I wish there was more basil!
Cremini Mushroom (bufala mozzarella, gorgonzola, roasted garlic, rosemary, thyme, pecorino) $17
This was one of the richer pizzas we had that evening – roasted mushrooms with
thick slabs of mozzarella cheese. Oh my goodness, this was truly a rich,
flavourful pizza. They are not skimpy with the toppings on this pizza!
Buttermilk Panna
Cotta $7
Panna cotta is one of my family's favourite Italian desserts so of course we had to try out PL's version of it! Perhaps, we have been spoiled with other panna cotta's but this dessert did not leave us speechless. There was nothing wrong with it, it just was not spectacular..
Panna cotta is one of my family's favourite Italian desserts so of course we had to try out PL's version of it! Perhaps, we have been spoiled with other panna cotta's but this dessert did not leave us speechless. There was nothing wrong with it, it just was not spectacular..
Chocolate-Amaretto
Budino + seasonal accompaniments $7
Budino is a
sweet Italian dessert of rich, creamy-like custard or pudding. PL’s serves
theirs in a jar giving it a very rich and rustic feel. The bottom layer is the
chocolate budino which was very rich (perfect for a chocolate-lover like myself!)
topped with fresh whipped cream and a raspberry reduction. Not overly sweet due
to the tartness of the raspberries. Very satisfying to eat.
Libretto Tiramisu $7
Served in a jar
and dusted with cocoa powder. The dessert, in theory, was great – Buttery cake
soaked in espresso but not drenched in liquer. However, it just didn’t wow us
and was sadly the least liked of the three.
Mocha Affogato
with Vanilla Ice Cream ($5)
Unfortunately, we devoured this to quickly to remember to take a picture..My family cannot deny a mocha affogato – it just can’t be done. The deep, bitter taste of a shot of espresso, coupled with a sweet, rich scoop of vanilla ice cream really hits the spot. That being said, PL’s version lived up to our expectations
Unfortunately, we devoured this to quickly to remember to take a picture..My family cannot deny a mocha affogato – it just can’t be done. The deep, bitter taste of a shot of espresso, coupled with a sweet, rich scoop of vanilla ice cream really hits the spot. That being said, PL’s version lived up to our expectations
Our total bill
came to 165 (tax+tip included) for 6 very satisfied people.
I have come here for lunch before and it is SO worth it. $15 for a huge salad, a pizza and dessert. I was completely stuffed!
I have come here for lunch before and it is SO worth it. $15 for a huge salad, a pizza and dessert. I was completely stuffed!
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