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Introducing: Via Mercanti, Kensington’s new Neapolitan-style pizza parlour from a pair of Queen Margherita exiles

Massimo Di Lascio making a pizza (Image: Caroline Aksich)

For those tired of Terroni’s traditionalism, Libretto’s lineups and the long ride on the 501 out to Queen Margherita, there’s a new, laid-back Neapolitan-style pizza operation in town: Via Mercanti. The latest addition to Kensington Market is helmed by two Sicilian expats, Romolo Salvati and Massimo Di Lascio, who both have some serious pizza pedigree—they left the Queen Margherita only two months ago to set up shop in the recently shuttered Back Alley Woodfire BBQ and Grill, where Salvati was once the chef. Their new venture reflects both of their passions: pizza and coffee.

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The Dish

From the Print Edition

January 30, 2012 | 4:14 pm

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New Reviews: The Playpen and Pizzeria Libretto’s outpost on the Danforth

A first-rate pizzeria and a ’70s resto-lounge

Pizzeria Libretto star ½
550 Danforth Ave., 416-466-0400
Rocco Agostino and Max Rimaldi, the team behind the west end’s Pizzeria Libretto and Enoteca Sociale, are approaching the status of restaurant imperialists with their third spot. The new Danforth location is a less frenetic version of their wildly popular Ossington Avenue pizzeria. Tables span two floors, so the space feels less cramped, and the owners have made the merciful decision to take reservations. Luigi Encarnacion, former executive chef at the ROM’s c5, is in charge of the kitchen, and his fine dining experience shows in the appetizers, like delicate crab ravioli in a ridiculously rich sea urchin and chanterelle cream sauce. There are two wood-burning ovens manned by young pizzaiolos turning out Libretto’s signature blistered, charred and chewy Neapolitan pies. One superb variation brings smoked tomato sauce, caramelized onion, pork belly and bomba, a spicy Italian relish. Aggressively attentive servers clear plates before they’re clean. An excellent list of affordable Italian and Ontario wines. Mains $10–$18.

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The Dish

Culinary Curiosities

December 1, 2011 | 10:14 am

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Digital pizza conjuring? There’s an app for that

It seems the once self-flagellating Domino’s Pizza is trying its darndest to put an end to home dough slinging with Pizza Hero, a devilishly clever iPad app. It starts as an innocent game, closer to Cooking Mama than Guitar Hero: using the touch screen, players select the toppings, slide the pizza into the oven, slice it and stuff it in a box for delivery (the central dough factory is notably absent). But hey, now that you’ve made the pizza, why not press a few buttons and have the real thing delivered to your home? Thankfully the app isn’t available in Canada yet, so Toronto’s children are safe…for now. [h/t Eater]

The Dish

Opening

November 24, 2011 | 5:23 pm

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Introducing: Pizzeria Libretto’s new location on the Danforth, now with reservations

Outside the new Danforth location of Pizzeria Libretto (Image: Gizelle Lau)

Nearly two years in the making, the much-anticipated second location of Pizzeria Libretto has opened on the Danforth in what was once the Iliada Café, bringing a little Ossington buzz to the east side. Not wanting to create a cookie-cutter copy of the original location, chef Rocco Agostino has introduced a host of new dishes to the menu, but we have a feeling people will be more excited about another feature new to the chain: reservations.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

November 8, 2011 | 1:35 pm

6 Comments

Queen Margherita Pizza to get into the delivery business with Full Blooded Italian Pizza

West-end partisans of Queen Margherita Pizza have often lamented their trek across Queen Street for a taste of their favourite pie. In about a month, however, they’ll be able to get a Queen Margherita–style pizza delivered to their doorstep with the launch of sister restaurant Full Blooded Italian on Lake Shore Boulevard West.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

October 21, 2011 | 4:10 pm

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Covert deep dish pizza parlour has cover blown on opening day

The city has a new underground restaurant: Parlour Deep Dish Pizza, whose pies can only ordered through a minimalist website. Its owner and location have been kept strictly secret—or at least that was the idea, until their delivery company blew it, as Corey Mintz revealed in yesterday’s Toronto Star. When the service launched on Thursday, orderit.ca’s listing revealed the parlour’s location: 38 Wellington Street East., the site of Trevor Kitchen and Bar (the address has since been taken down, but Google’s cache still shows the original flub). Chefs Trevor Wilkinson and Jesse Vallins apparently spent a year developing the covert service, intending to gauge its success before opening a full restaurant. “I blew it before it even happened,” Wilkinson told the Toronto Star. “I’m raging right now.” Still, we don’t feel too bad for the guy. Deep-dish pizza is notoriously hard to get in the GTA, especially since Vaughan’s Chicago Pizza Kitchen closed. If the lamentations on Chowhound are any indication, Wilkinson will get plenty of business. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

The Dish

From the Print Edition

October 21, 2011 | 12:57 pm

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New Reviews: Pizzeria Defina, Diana’s Oyster Bar and the Hoof Cocktail Bar

Thin-crust lust in Roncey, impeccable seafood in Scarborough and double-digit cocktails on Dundas West

PIZZERIA DEFINA
321 Roncesvalles Ave., 416-534-4414

The newest pizza parlour on the Roncesvalles strip isn’t world changing, but it’s a welcome addition to a neighbourhood brimming with families looking for quick, crowd-pleasing food. There are plenty of oddities on the menu: pizza salads and even a lasagna pizza (a margherita with ground beef and fior di latte). The baked pies, flash-cooked in a wood-fired brick oven, are tasty, though not Libretto, Queen Margherita or Terroni calibre. The crusts one night were a touch underdone, where they should have been blistered black. The tomato sauce is fine but doesn’t have the zip of a great San Marzano. The caesar salad is phoned in: the lettuce is still damp from washing, the dressing lacks punch, and the croutons are AWOL. Green bean “fritti” are tasty from lots of salt and pepper but floppy from deep-frying. Friendly service and a perfunctory wine list.

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The Dish

Opening

October 20, 2011 | 4:31 pm

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International chain Piola to bring pizza, rotating art exhibits to Queen West’s Bohemian Embassy

The 2011 issue of Piola Magazine

Queen West’s Bohemian Embassy condo will soon be home to the first Canadian location of Piola, a chain of eat-in pizza restaurants (not to be confused with local chain Pizzaiolo, whose closest location is 1.4 km east). The restaurant, which features a brick oven and 95 seats, touts its “rigorously Italian” heritage, although only the original location is in its home country (compared to eight in Brazil and 10 in the States). The Toronto menu is still being finalized, but we’re told it’ll be similar to the restaurant’s Miami fare, with a few twists.

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The Dish

Restauran-TO

October 13, 2011 | 2:11 pm

2 Comments

At long last, pizza cones make their Toronto debut

Concluding, apparently, that a slice of pizza wasn’t portable enough, the Mad Italian Gelato Bar has introduced a topping-filled dough cone it calls the Zazzu (the pizza cone is already an international trend).

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The Dish

Opening

September 30, 2011 | 11:33 am

8 Comments

Introducing: F’Amelia, Cabbagetown’s cozy new Italian restaurant (with a kitchen of ex-Splendido chefs)

Outside John Dawson and Todd Vestby’s new Cabbagetown Italian restaurant (Image: Renée Suen)

During the first week of operations for F’Amelia, a new Cabbagetown Italian restaurant owned by locals John Dawson (formerly of Table 17) and Todd Vestby, the house served over a 100 covers a night—without any press. With the restaurant’s grand opening slated for next week, we stopped by for a look at what has the neighbourhood abuzz.

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The Dish

Culinary Curiosities

September 29, 2011 | 3:07 pm

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VIDEO: Fresh ingredients to fully baked pizza in 90 seconds flat—from a vending machine

Although this is far from the first pizza vending machine out there, we’re rather tickled by how seriously this video’s narrator seems to be taking the whole thing. But we have to admit it’s pretty impressive: rather than simply reheating a pre-made pie, this automated pizzeria uses fresh ingredients and assembles it before your eyes. At full tilt, the machine can crank one out every 90 seconds—and if that seems too long a wait, the device comes standard with a 37-inch flat-screen TV to keep you distracted. The company responsible for this triumph of culinary engineering is Pizzametry, run by a New York jeweller and the retired CEO of a battery manufacturer. Five machines are currently in production. Sadly, no word yet on any orders coming from this side of the border. [h/t Eater]

The Dish

Weekly Lunch Pick

September 19, 2011 | 8:30 am

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Weekly Lunch Pick: a thin-crust prosciutto pizza in the theatre district

The prosciutto bianca comes buried in arugula (Image: Renée Suen)

The new theatre district location of Paese opened relatively quietly about a year ago and, like its older uptown sibling, serves Canadian-inflected casual Italian fare. The restaurant’s lunch options—antipasti, salads, pastas, panini, pizza—are served until 3 p.m., catering to neighbourhood office workers and tourists alike.

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The Dish

Opening

August 25, 2011 | 5:12 pm

15 Comments

Introducing Pizzeria Defina, the new Roncesvalles spot for Neapolitan, Roman, fried and “salad” pizzas

Inside Roksolana Curkowskyj’s new Roncesvalles pizzeria (Image: Karolyne Ellacott)

Pizzeria Defina, the latest spot to open on Roncesvalles, was for a long time home to take-out joint Cosa Pizza. When Roksolana Curkowskyj, a graduate of Ryerson’s fashion design program, purchased the property, she was planning to turn it into a bridal studio. But after exploring the space’s potential (including the giant pizza oven that came with it), Roksolana decided to apply her less-is-more design philosophy to pizzas rather than wedding gowns.

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The Informer

In Transit

June 15, 2011 | 5:55 pm

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Dalton McGuinty is urging a refund if GO trains are delayed—provided commuters (read: voters) like the idea

(Image: Loozboy)

Apparently, Dalton McGuinty is proposing to run the government like a pizza delivery van (at least, so says the Toronto Star): 20 minutes or it’s on the house. In a painfully transparent pre-election ploy, the premier is suggesting that Go Transit offer commuters a “service guarantee” that would refund their fare in the event that trains are 20 minutes late or more. Now, besides the obvious point that most pizza places don’t come anywhere near hitting that mark, it’s kind of a pointless promise.

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The Hype

To-Do List

June 15, 2011 | 2:35 pm

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Wednesday’s NXNE picks: Pat Jordache, Library Voices, We Are Wolves and more

For NXNE wristband holders and general music enthusiasts alike, today is the day. More specifically, it’s Wednesday, and more importantly, it’s the first full day of concerts at North by Northeast. We’re a little overwhelmed by the abundance of indie action, so today we decided to make five selections instead of our usual three—including Montreal talent, literary geeks, an ex–pizza shop employee and more. Check out our selections for Wednesday, after the jump.

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