"1"^^ . "2"^^ . "2016-11-09T00:00:00"^^ . "3"^^ . . "3"^^ . . "We're back on the HUNT for Toronto's BEST! Stop #8, and the LAST stop: Pizzeria Via Mercanti\n\nTo wrap up the pie tour we weaved our way through Kensington Market to this bustling pizza restaurant. It's a sizeable enough restaurant with a ground level and basement floor, though since they make ample use of the space, things can get a little cramped. You'll be comfortable once you take your seat, but getting there may be a minor effort.\n\nThings started up with a complementary appetizer of fresh bread and caprese salad (with arugula instead of basil). This was a nice surprise, but I've got to be a little ungrateful and say that the mozzarella was sort of reminiscent to tofu, in that it lacked flavour. Things may have improved with some added salt, but for some reason the tables aren't readied with salt & pepper shakers. \n\nFor the main we skipped their Via Mercanti pizza since neither of us was prepared for two layers of pizza and the ensuing coma. Instead we opted for two red pizzas; the Capricciosa and the Calzone. The Capricciosa is a pie that is not shy on flavour. It has fior di latte, prosciutto cotto (i.e. dry-cured ham), mushrooms, and black olives. I've been a proud member of team bold flavour for a long time, but I think things went too far on this pizza, specifically with regard to the amount of black olives. The rendering down of the olives during the baking process allowed its flavour to spread throughout the pie, which would normally have been great, but went a notch too far for my liking.\nOn the other hand the Calzone kept things much more simple, and served up a spicy, yet comforting pie. On this pie you'll get bufala ricotta, cheese, and hot soppressata (i.e. dry salami). The soppressata quickly lets you know why it needs no other partnering ingredients on the pie. This was definitely the better of the two pies.\n\nWith this being the last review for the Pizza Hunt, let's see which pie reigns supreme.\n1) Maker Pizza\n2) Levetto\n3) Pizzeria Libretto\n4) Cucina Locale\n5) Pizzeria Via Mercanti\n6) Terroni\n7) Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza\n8) Bitondo's Pizzeria\nAssigning the top rankings wasn't much of a challenge. Libretto serves up some really innovative pies that will definitely have me coming back eventually, while Levetto creates some genuinely mouth watering experiences. In the end though, Maker Pizza finishes strong with a pizza experience so unique yet still delicious that it brings a smile to my face just remembering it."^^ . .