a toronto food blog
Well, what can I say. Libretto is still my go-to spot for a little dinner splurge here and there. One pizza and two sides (or one side and a dessert) is a pretty aggressive meal for us. Aside from the delicious pizzas, my favourites have been their Rocco’s Salad (arugula, ricotta, beets, butternut squash, prosciutto, fried poached egg) and a glass of white wine (I recommend Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico).
Have you seen The Hobbit yet? A bit of bore, right? But the late night dinner feast with the dwarves (how much cheese is in one hobbit’s pantry!?), the always-mutton-for-dinner jokes (very English, isn’t it?), and the riddle scenes were quite good. I liked this riddle:
A box without hinges, key, or lid,
yet golden treasure inside is hid.”
- Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit
An egg. Of course. (My favourite food item at all times.)
Food references are always, without a doubt, my favourite parts in any fantasy adventure films or books. Turkish delight in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe; second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon and afternoon tea in The Fellowship of the Ring… or butterbeer from the Harry Potter series! There’s just something very satisfying about it all. It’s probably just pure gluttony.
But anyway!
This post is about eggs. Here’s a round up of some of the forgotten dishes we’ve had last year, featuring the edible treasure box:
1. Goed Eten: Eggs benedict with salmon & waffles | 188 Ossington Ave.
2. Buk Chang Dong Soon Tofu: Bibimbap (also translated as mixed rice bowl) | 691 Bloor St. W.
3. At home, poached egg on toasted homemade brioche bread.
4. Quinta Restaurant: Steak & eggs | 1282 Dundas St. W.
5. Pizzeria Libretto: Deep fried poached egg on Rocco’s Salad | 221 Ossington Ave
6. Pizzeria Libretto: Egg & ham pizza with white truffle sauce, a special of the night | 221 Ossington Ave
I’m definitely not. I haven’t even looked a the guidebook at all.
A little Italian birdie once told us that Pizzeria Libretto couldn’t compare to the pizzas they make back in Italy. He said there was something off with the crust. After finally trying Libretto on Wednesday night I suspect that’s probably true. Pizzeria Libretto isn’t by any means bad. It’s a lovely busy place and the food is pretty good, but I feel inclined to say that I’ve had better, more satisfying pizzas at Gerrard’s for about the same price. As much as I really wanted to love it, I couldn’t get pass the soggy crust. But to be fair, the only exposure that I’ve ever had with pizza napoletana was through a tiny screen embedded at the back of the an airplane seat that was playing Eat, Pray and Love. Other than that, I’ve never had wood oven fired pizza – so, I’m not an expert on anything, but maybe it’s meant to be soggy? I guess we’ll have to try Queen Margherita Pizza to find out!
We started with the Buttermilk Calamari and a side of meatballs. Both appetizers were pretty standard, but came with some really delicious tomato and red pepper sauces that I’d like to recreate at home. The calamari were tender and perfect. The meatballs were crumbly, but good.
For the pizzas, we got their Housemade Sausage, Ontario Prosciutto & Arugula and a Margherita (I wish I got more basil…). We ended dinner with a really divine Lemon Panna Cotta with toasted hazel nuts, the difinite highlight of my night, and an affogato. Leo was eyeing their Gingerino cocktail, but since he now has campari at home….we didn’t get any drinks.
All in all, it was a pleasant dinner. Oh, while waiting to get seated we saw the guitarist from Metric! We took a stealth picture of him, but I feel awkward posting it.
Pizzeria Libretto
221 Ossington Avenue
