I was hesitant to get Italian food in Toronto but this place really came through!
So their pizza crust is black. They offer gluten free options of dough for an additional $3. They add carbon to it to give it the dark hue as well as adding other vegetables (can't extrapolate but that's what I was told) so apparently both those additives make it "healthier"....
Kind of a standard pizza place but with an upscale vibe. It's hip inside and located up a flight of stairs. The tables are against the floor to ceiling window looking outside on the foot traffic on King St. it's neat and entertaining watching the crowds. They also have fresh parsley plants on each of the tables. It's a cute touch. If those tables are full there's a large community table stretching the length of the kitchen. Seems fitting for lunch.
My husband ordered the pizza. He ordered a double serving of the prosciutto which was the real deal. Thinly sliced and very pink, it looked fresh.
I was debating between the salads but the ingredients aren't listed on the menu, just the names. Rather than make the waitress continually repeat herself, I walked over to the kitchen area. The salad are premade & presented In large bowls behind the glass. I see this as a pro & con. You can see them but since they are premade so you cannot alter them or do any substitutions.
I opted for the Fennel salad. I loved it. The pungent taste of fennel, paired well with the aged Parmesan (real) & the dehydrated cherries were a sweet, minimal finish. It's finely chopped and filling. She also gave us a sample of the squash salad which I liked but had some kind of grain in it so I just ate the squash. It was no frills and very fresh.
Since I don't eat breads (though I sampled the crust at my husbands urging just for this review) I ordered the meatballs as my main. I liked them. The size was perfectly portioned and the sauce tasted homemade. They weren't dry but could've used a bit more seasoning in the meat itself. They were very lightly sprinkled with grated Parmesan. I'd order them again if we returned here. They def were not overly salty which was refreshing.
The pizza crust reminded me a lot ofNJ pizza, my personal favorite. Like NY, you can taste the water in the crust. Toronto has delicious water and so this really worked. I was very impressed.
My criticism is the pizza Took a long time to arrive and by the time it did I was finished with my meal. I'm dropping a star for this. I'd have rather waited to receive my dishes so I could've eaten with my husband. No biggie but worth pointing out.
Pistachioed edged cannoli- these were different. The shell was a bit on the soggy side but the filling didn't have chocolate chips mixed in which was unusual. The edges were covered in pistachios which gave it the crunch I'm accustomed to but the filling was a bit on the lemony side. They were fine but not the best.
My husband said it's some of the best pizza he's had, equal to NY. I can say the crust rivals east coast pizza. The meatballs rocked; this place is a winner