pizzeria libretto

pizzerialibrettohas the duck confit with bosc pears pizza as a mealshare menu item. now isn’t that motivation enough for you to go to pizzerialibrettoand support mealshare toronto?

pizzarialibrettois my favourite pizza place! i tried the danforth location for the first time last night. it definitely has some aspects that distinguish it from the ossington location. we were welcomed at the entrance and promptly taken to our table, which we had reserved. i had the white anchovy pizza and my wife ordered the prosciutto and arugula pizza. they forgot the arugula on my wife's pizza (we didn't mention it to the server), but nonetheless, both pizzas were delicious. how do they get such chewy dough? wonderful. the moretti beer went well with my pizza.librettoon the danforth is a great place for pizza.

2017/04/30
i've hadlibrettobookmarked for a while, and today it was around the corner from where we parked at lunchtime, so we seized the opportunity. the main dining area was mostly full, but we managed to snag the small booth in the back corner, right beside the open kitchen with the two wood fired pizza ovens.

there menu offers "pizza and other things". they have four main food sections: insalata (salads), assaggini (small plates or appetizers), pizza rossa (tomato sauce; about 6 choices), pizza bianca (white sauce; about 6 choices).

we chose to share thelibrettomeatballs and the nduja from the pizza rossa section. these meatballs were very good; tender, with a mix of herbs that gave each bite a bold flavour. the tomato sauce was zesty, with an after-burn of a mild, peppery heat.

the nduja pizza was also good. the base was a zesty sauce, on a thin, wood-fired crust. on top of that was buffalo mozzarella, crumbled nduja sausage (spicy calabrian sausage), garlic and basil. just enough spice to keep the tastebuds interested from beginning to end. the crust was done just right, and was flexible enough to fold each slice.

service was good from start to finish.

now i can say i've been to all thelibrettolocations in the city. this one is just as good as the others. i tried the arincini for the first time, comes with a dill salad instead of tomato sauce but surprisingly was good and i would order it again. we tried the eggplant pizza and the ontario prosciutto pizza. both were great but personally enjoyed the prosciutto one more.

this blog post contains mostly images of our lunch at pizzerialibrettoon the danforth. we drank a 10 oz. steam whistle pilsner 5% abv. a crisp and refreshing european style pilsner with floral hops and sweet grassy notes. we ate house breads, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chili oil; arugula salad - pears, roasted walnuts, aged piave, gamay vinaigrette (part of lunch prix fixe) or $9.00; buttermilk fried calamari – red pepper almond romesco sauce,librettoherb oil $12.00; cremini mushroom – mozzarella di bufala. gorgonzola, roasted garlic, thyme, rosemary, pecorino (part of lunch prix fixe + $5.00) or $17.00; and house-made sausage - caramelized onion, basil, mozzarella, chili oil $16.00. the lunch prix fixe comes with a choice of desserts. my +1 chose gelato - one scoop - espresso-cinnamon gelato.

so now i can finally say i have been to all three locations, each has it's own flare.  all have the same great menu.  this time around we decided to stay closer to home.  we were celebrating the completion of our house guests time here learning english and we wanted to send her off right.  with the idea of sharing we ordered the arancini, the meatballs, and the gnocchi.  (side note: the gnocchi was fried and had a delicious sauce for dipping.) we ordered thelibrettomargherita pizza, the classic red white and green my husband would say.  the crust was perfection, and the toppings tasted so fresh.  
i ordered a glass of the riesling from colaneri estate winery, which is one of my favourites from this region. tiramisu for dessert. 
the service was friendly and efficient. of course i will be returning.

i've been to pizzalibrettomany times and this time also did not disappoint. service and food is always top notch here. they have an awesome lunch prefix menu. this place gets packed easily so i would call and make a reservation. if you want great italian style pizza in toronto this is the place to go.

call me an undecided voter. i’ve been to terroni a couple of times and haven’t yet experienced queen margherita. i was invited to pizzalibrettofor a work function. i was coming from the east and had a treacherous drive down the danforth in a snowstorm to get there. once i arrived, i was greeted by the hostess and seated quickly. the waitstaff met hudson’s definition of cool; black tees and a laissez-faire attitude that wasn’t quite pretentious. i ordered a drink and waited for the arrival of the set menu. the first course was a piatto grande; a mix of meat, cheese and other things delicious including crostinis, arugula salad, olives, pickles and a delicious spread with a good amount of heat (top right) which was one of the best things on the tray. the other stellar component was the small piece of red wine rinsed blue cheese hidden just above the pickles. all in all, it was delicious start to the meal.

along with the antipasto, our table was treated to their version of bread. it was puffy and warm and seasoned with salt and rosemary to near perfection.

a larger arugula salad arrived shortly after which was served with pear, walnut and a nicely balanced vinaigrette. along with it came arancini balls which were bursting with basil and pine nut pesto, bufala mozzarella, peperonata and tomato. normally arancini are not on the top of my list, but i must say i enjoyed this version more than most.

at this point i should mention that there was too much food. as a result of the storm, we had three no shows so we only had 9 instead of 12 people. although we pointed it out and offered to pay for the committed 12, our request fell on deaf ears. dish after dish came out, including three of each of the following pizzas: the classic margherita, the duck confit (with pear and mozzerella) and the cremini mushroom pizza finished with gorgonzola and spices. each was exactly what it promised, highlighted by the signature crust cooked at 900 degrees for 90 seconds. normally i’m not a traditionalist, but the margherita was the best of the bunch driven by the delicious tomato sauce.

the dessert platter was a cornucopia of classics including panna cotta, tiramisu, budino and chocolate and espresso gelato. once again, a ridiculous amount was brought to the table. what you see is what you got. it was a good sampling of traditional italian dolci. in particular, the budino was worth a few extra bites.
in typical italian fashion, the food was simple and delicious. i had few complaints other than their insistence to bring out enough food to cover our no shows even though we asked them not to. half of us left with enough pizza boxes to make it look like we were on our way to a frat party at the university of toronto. now, i can’t confirm whether this was stubbornness, pretension or just the italian way (ie. feed people regardless of whether they want it or not) but it was a bit against my value system. remember, i come from a rather cheap culture where we could gladly get paid for food we didn’t serve. compared to terroni, i’m a fan of pizzalibrettofrom the perspective of the food, service and atmosphere. i haven’t had queen margherita yet, but i will make it a new year’s resolution in 2015. at that point, i can become a decided voter and join whatever pizza party i chose to.

although i can admit that italians can be cool (at least in the kitchen), i wouldn’t go as far as ray hudson in his bold proclamation of andrea pirlo as the coolest cat in soccer. sure, uk players look ridiculous with long hair (google gareth bale if you want proof); they don’t sport facial hair very well and they would need the backing of a spice girl and a marketing juggernaut to elevate themselves to the status of cool, but the on-pitch failures of liverpool and italian acquisitions alberto aquilani, fabio borini and most recently mario ballotelli makes me think italy still has some work to do when competing in one of the best leagues in the world (although i will admit the italian national team has basically owned england since i’ve been born). ray, your seditious and treasonous comments about the english game combined with the marvelous fireworks that emit from your mouth might make you football’s modern day guy fawkes…and i love it.

as a former greek towner, i am the first to admit that it took me way too long to make it to the popular pizzerialibrettoon the danforth.  i had tried a few slices (take out) from the ossington location back when they opened up shop, and was thrilled when i heard they would be opening up close to home.  even better was the news that this location would be taking reservations (which for me, increases the likelihood of me visiting a restaurant like 10 fold).  it was sunday, and we were planning on a late evening movie in the beach, so i thought it was a great excuse for an east end meal.
even on a sunday at 8 pm, the restaurant was roudy and full.  there was a really positive vibe going on in there, and the servers and hostesses were friendly and helpful. my only complaint about the environment was that it was pretty chilly in there, and with the weather we've been having lately, the last thing i wanted was to sit down to a meal feeling cold.  regardless, i got over it enough to enjoy our meal.

 
 

 

it was a sunday so we took it easy with the drinks, one glass of wine for him, and a sfocato (peach puree, basil and proscecco) for me.  easy to drink, and not too sweet.
we let our server know that we were in a bit of a rush as we had a move to get to in about 1 1/2 hours.  our server assured us that food would be out very promptly, and for the record, he really didn't lie (we were through three courses in less then an hour).
knowing how large those pizzas are, we opted to share one appetizer, two pizzas and a dessert. this is what we tried:

ricotta gnocchi fritti (house-made crema fresca, lemon, chives, rosemary)

 

this was tasty, but not as great as i was hoping. being of the ricotta variety, the gnocchi themselves were a little heavy, which made the contrast with the crispy fried exterior a little less satisfying.  the herbs were a nice touch, but i found the crema pretty bland.  actually, the entire dish was a bit spotty on the seasoning, with some bites being pretty salty, and some having little to no seasoning.

nduja sausage (tomato, garlic, oregano, basil, mozzarella, stracciatella)
 

 

this was the better of the two pizzas, but both were delicious. first up, i love libretto's crust, because it's chewy, slightly charred in some places, and has a gentle sweetness. i also loved the combination of salty, spicy sausage with sweet aromatic sauce, and a deliciously creamy mild cheese.  it may look large, but it's very easy to eat the whole pie.  i was also pleased that unlike a lot of thin crust pizzas in toronto, pl's crust didn't get soggy or wet.

duck confit (bosc pear, mozzarella)
 
 
 
i loved the flavours going on here, but i just wished it had a bit more meat and pear, because 70% of the time, all i could taste was cheese on bread.  regardless, the bites i did have with the rich savoury duck, and the sweet caramelized pear, were really solid.
 
 sfingi (italian-style doughnuts) (lemon curd, caramel sauce & strawberry couli)
 

now, i am a huge fan of pretty much any doughnut, but these were super delicious.  the sfingi had a wicked golden crust, but a soft and pillowy interior that seemed to almost melt once it hit my mouth.  i always feel somewhat confused when i see lemon and caramel paired up, but in this case, it totally worked where the bright citrus flavours could be balanced out by the rich caramel. i was also pretty grateful that the accompaniments were all plentiful, so that i didn't have to worry too much about rationing and running out by the time i reached the last sfingi.

so for 2 cocktails, sparkling water, 1 app, 2 pizzas, 1 dessert and 2 (very very good) cappuccinos, the bill came to about $100 including tax and tip.  pretty reasonable for dinner, and while it wasn't anything extravagant or innovative, the food was all very food.  i wish they would deliver, but then again, i think you lose a lot of the appeal of thin crust when you put it in a box for an hour and let it steam itself soggy.  i guess that just means i will have to be back to indulge my frequent pizza cravings.

food photos @abbeyskitchen.com

bad service. i've been to the other two pizzalibrettolocations and have had great service. as soon as we walked in the hostess told us we only had until 6:30 to be seated and we didn't really understand why-was there a booking? she replied yes. the entire reataurant was empty at this time. then we requested a table and she said no it's already set - meanwhile it was set for the same amount of people that were in our party. then she said oh you can have that table until 7 let me go ask my manager. in the end we sat at the 630 table and were greeted by our waiter who didn't pay much attention to us after we ordered - our water wasn't filled, 15 minutes after our food was done our waiter circulated the other tables but didn't come see us. it was to the point where we had to call another waiter to serve us. never returning to this location again!

you might be surprised to hear that pizzerialibrettois one of my favourite restaurants in the city given that i’ve never posted about them before. it’s our go-to when we’ve got a hankering for pizza or if we just can’t decide where to eat.

i can’t even count the number of times we’ve been to libretto.

this particular post is about the danforth location, the sister restaurant to the original ossington location. the space is significantly larger with a basement for extra seating. they’ve also made some tweaks to this location to fit into the neighborhood including allowing reservations to accommodate the families.

pizzerialibrettospecializes in neapolitan pizza…not just any neapolitan pizza, but vpn certified pizza. according to their website, “pizzerialibrettomakes vpn certified pizza,using the guidelines set out by the verace pizza napoletana association and as set out by the italian government and the european union.” pretty serious stuff, eh? chef rocco agostino knows what he’s doing here. 

while their core menu is pizza, they also offer salads and great sharing appetizers. we usually start with thelibrettomeatballs – spicy bomba tomato sauce, grilled crostino, grana padano ($10) if we’re feeling extra hungry. an order comes with three juicy meatballs which are quite tasty on their own. but the star of the show is definitely the accompanying tomato sauce. we always lick that plate clean – ask for extra bread to soak up every bit of that sauce.

whenever i come to libretto, i always order the nduja sausage pizza – tomato, garlic, oregano, basil, mozzarella, straciatella ($17). one bite and you’ll understand why it’s my favourite. the delicious kick from the nduja, strong garlic flavour and tomato sauce… it’s just consistently so good! the pizzas here are only blistered in their 900 degree wood burning oven for 90 seconds which gives the crust a nice char. the crusts are quite thin which makes it a little messy to eat. i normally take a quarter a fold it in half. 

a fan favourite is always the ontario prosciutto & arugula pizza – garlic, tomato, basil, oregano, shaved grana padano ($16) which mike often orders. it’s a classic combination with an intense saltiness from the prosciutto and bitterness from the arugula. there’s lots to love about this pizza as well. it’s always a crowd pleaser. 

if you want to stick to a true classic, there’s always the margherita d.o.p. – tomato, basil, mozzarella ($14) which is as basic as it comes here. the simplicity of it all showcases the fantastic ingredients used in building their pizzas. so don’t be fooled. while it’s a simple pizza, it still makes for an incredibly satisfying bite. 

what we love aboutlibrettois their friendly service and the fact that their food is consistently delicious. i often get asked what my favourite restaurants are in toronto, so now you know one of ‘em. enjoy! 

at a glance:

• specializing in vpn-certified neapolitan pizza

• 2 locations (ossington and the danforth) with a third on its way to the financial district

• the danforth location takes reservations; family friendly

• take-out available

• one of my go-to restaurants

• favourites: meatballs and nduja sausage pizza

ratings (out of 5):

• food: 4.5 stars

• service: 4 stars

• atmosphere: 4 stars

when i began my search for pizza similar to the kind i eat when visiting italy, many people recommended pizzeria libretto. not wanting to be disappointed, i decided to try this restaurant during lunch because their lunch special was very tempting:

lunch prix fixe monday - friday $15

primi

arugula salad or beet caprese salad

pizza

margherita d.o.p or marinara d.o.p.

substitute any pizza on the menu $5

dolci

biscotti or gelato (one scoop)

and what can i say? i fell in love with both salads-the arugula salad has walnuts and pear! i love pears in my salad. i also love beets and mozarella. so the salads alone had me loving the restaurant. but now to the pizza. when it comes to pizza, i am a big believer that if you can make a simple pizza well (my favorite pizza is margherita-with only three ingredients), then you have proven yourself as a pizza maker. it's easy to mask a pizza with sauces, cheese, ingredients, herbs, etc. but how many can make a pizza taste delicious with 3 toppings? well, pizzerialibrettocertainly knows how to create a delicious pizza that transported me back to italy. the three toppings on the margherita pizza is tomato, basil, mozzarella and after the first bite, i could taste each individual ingredient; the cheese, the fresh basil and the homemade tomato sauce. i was a happy camper.

another item that i always order but it is a hit or miss for me is the ricotta gnocchi fritti. how can you go wrong with house-made gnocchi with crema fresca, lemon, chives, rosemary? well, it goes wrong when it lacks seasoning and the gnocchi is not fried enough so rather than having a crispy texture, you get soft pieces of gnocchi (i like my gnocchi crispy on the outside with a soft and fluffy interior). and yet, i always order it because when it is done right, it is phenomenal!

and.....

always remind the staff about the free bread. their bread is moist, flavored with rosemary, and worth the trip to pizzaria libretto. now if i could only get the recipe!

oh pizza libretto, how do i love thee? let me count how many times i have eaten in your hallowed halls in the last month...

okay, maybe i don't really want to see an actual count seeing that i have just come from enjoying a wonderful lunch at this establishment. we can start with the fact that my pants are presently all too tight and go from there. i have finally wised up and now i don't order myself a pizza every time anymore. i share a pizza with the boys or they each get one and i have a little slice of each and then i indulge in something else. sometimes it's the spicy meatballs - all velvet textured and covered in a spicy bomba that actually gives the prerequisite kick that allows it to call itself spicy. i hate ordering something that claims to be spicy only to find myself asking for a bowl of chili flakes after the first bite but these little balls of meaty love deliver.

sometimes it's the arugula salad with pear and walnuts in all of it's refreshing, peppery deliciousness. if i feel like i need a bit more heft, i might go with the porchetta that sits on a nice little toast that is covered in chinotto bbq sauce that i would happily brush my teeth with, more peppery arugula, some little pickled onions and some chili for my always appreciated kick of heat. if i am feeling like i really need to go light, i go for the carpaccio - sliced so thin that the first time i saw it i thought they were beet slices cut on a mandolin - it was dark and it was a couple seats over and i am old and i don't always see all that well. the meat is tender and buttery and melts in your mouth and i really love the pesto like herby oil. its weird to say that raw beef is the lightest dish to choose but it really is.
the kid likes the calamari and luckily, he usually shares.

don't get me started on the pizzas. oh okay, i will start on the pizzas.
their crust is so chewy and thin, with little burnt bits here and there and so much flavour. too many thin crust pizzas are either soggy or almost like matzo crackers or , in the worst case, cardboard but this crust manages to stay real soft with great chew - it helps that they cook it at 800f for only 90 seconds i guess.

they could serve up just the naked crust like a naan and i would eat it dipped in their addictive flavoured chili oil as an app but all of the toppings are so fabulous, why would you do that? you know what? you are right. forget i ever suggested it.

between the three of us we have ate our way through the pizza menu. the first time we went , shack and i split a margherita d.o.p because, to me anyway, that is the base line. it's like going for dim sum and not starting with har gow and sui mai - if they can't do those two things well, there is no point ordering more treats frankly. clearly, we were thrilled with our margherita or i wouldn't be writing this little review. 

my next favourite has to the ontario proscuitto and arugula - are you getting the idea that i love arugula? when it comes to the table, piled ten feet high with greens you wonder how you are going to eat this thing and then you fold it in half and start eating or you cut the whole thing in half and then fold half of it in half and start eating. the heat from the pizza starts to steam the arugula just enough that it squishes down but not so much that it totally loses it's fresh crunch. perfection i tell you.
my next favourite is the nudja sausage with this spicy sausage, garlic, oregano, basil, mozzarella and stracciatella cheese. again, the advertised spicy sausage is spicy and everything just works. i have also had the house made sausage pizza and although tasty, i much prefer the nudja, although nobody seems to really know how to pronounce it and each server has put his or her own spin on the word. i am happy to just point and grunt. 

shack seems to favour the cremeni mushroom pizza and the kid sticks with the margherita dop because he doesn't see the need to mess with simple perfection and he does have a point. the only pizza i wouldn't order again was the eggplant pizza. it had no tomato sauce and the eggplant itself was kind of dry so the overall effect was a dry pizza without a ton of zip or flavour.
all of the other pizzas on the list are delicious and i would happily eat any of them.

the wine list is nice and not too expensive and i have enjoyed the different house cocktails i have tried. a really nice touch is the bottomless glass bottle of carbonated water for a few dollars. it's so nice to be able to drink as much as i want without the sting of seeing 3 bottles of mineral water at $7 bucks a pop and realizing that i could have paid for my entire lunch with the money we spent on fizzy water.

yes, if you go in the evening between, say, 7 to 9:30, you are going to wait a while for a table. the good news is that pizzalibrettonow takes reservations so if you plan ahead a bit, you can still eat there at a good time on a good night. it's never all that crowded at lunch as long as you don't go right at noon and with the great $15 special for salad, a margherita dop and a bit of dessert, it's almost a better time to try it out anyway. we have had really great service every time and it got us through a very tough couple of weeks when my father in law was dying and we just didn't have the energy to think about food - it was one of the only places we all felt like eating at during that time as well, which says a lot about the quality of the food, the atmosphere and general comfort level of a place which manages to be hip and trendy and cosy and neighbourhoody all at the same time.

now, if only the restaurant would also provide me with a few new pairs of pants to tide me over while i attempt to adapt my new, ramped up exercise regime to accommodate all of this pizza.

my favourite place for pizza in toronto is pizzeria libretto. i know there is a constant, never-ending debate about who has "the best pizza in toronto" but seriously, who cares? at the end of the day, everybody has different tastes and i personally like pizzerialibrettothe best. i admittedly have not tried every pizza place in toronto but so far, pizzerialibrettois my favourite.
i haven't been back to pizzerialibrettofor quite a while so i was really excited when i heard about their new danforth location. 

my friend and i went to the danforth location exactly a week ago around 7pm. we didn't make a reservation because it was a last minute decision to go. the restaurant was completely full and we were lucky to get the last two seats at the bar (it would've been more than an hour wait for a table).

the decor at this location is very modern, very "industrial" with the exposed piping, black and white walls, shiny concrete floors and the multi-coloured lights. this location is a lot more spacious than the ossington location, which also has a more cozy and warm ambiance. 

cheese agnolotti: pickled mushroom, mushroom broth - it was a perfect start to our meal; the mushroom soup was light yet flavourful...very appetizing. 

pork skewers - i love all the herbs, spices and seasoning. the meat was also very soft and juicy...it soaked up all the amazing flavours. 

gnocchi fritti lemon: lemon, chives & sour cream - love gnocchi, love fried stuff...perfect! 

arancini: braised lamb neck, tomato, mozzarella, mint & spicy aioli 

pizza fritta: "porchetta", chinotto bbq sauce, chili & arugula. exclusive to the danforth location, this pizza fritta completely blew us away. really...how can anybody not like this? thick slices of fatty pork belly slathered in a sweet & tangy bbq sauce, topped with fresh arugula, and then all that on top of a piece of pan fried pizza dough. i can have this again and again. 

apple & fig salad: blue elizabeth cheese, croutons, cider, white balsamic vinegar - i like everything in this salad. period.  

nduja sausage pizza: tomato, garlic, oregano, basil, mozzarella, stracciatella - spicy sausage and fresh mozzarella that is tangy and creamy, along with pizzeria libretto's signature tomato sauce, this pizza was delicious. 

brussels sprouts pizza: bomba, garlic, balsamic, bufala ricotta, mozzarella

since this pizza is not available at the ossington location, i knew i had to try it. to be honest, i'm not a big fan of brussels sprouts (i don't hate it i just don't prefer it) but surprisingly, i still liked it (probably because of all the cheese and balsamic =d). note that this pizza has a white sauce instead of a tomato-based sauce (my friend liked the nduja pizza more because of this). 

my friend and i both went into a food coma afterwards =p 

i can't wait to go back and have that pizza fritta again................

what we love aboutlibrettois their friendly service and the fact that their food is consistently delicious. i often get asked what my favourite restaurants are in toronto, so now you know one of ‘em. enjoy!