pizzeria libretto

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 firsttimei 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.

pizzaria libretto is my favourite pizza place! i tried the danforth location for the firsttimelast 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. libretto on the danforth is a great place for pizza.

my secondtimehere & it was just as good as the first. thistimethere were 9 of us for dinner. we ending up ordering a few appetizers & 5 pizzas to share.

i also tried the bellini fiori...loved it! great balance of flavours & sweetness. will be ordering that again next time.

the service was also great! our server was attentive, friendly & had a good understanding of the menu.

can't wait to go back again when i'm in the area.

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.  thistimearound we decided to stay closer to home.  we were celebrating the completion of our house gueststimehere 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 the libretto margherita 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 pizza libretto many times and thistimealso 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.

as a former greek towner, i am the first to admit that it took me way too long to make it to the popular pizzeria libretto on 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 thetimei 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

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 everytimeanymore. 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 firsttimei 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 firsttimewe 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 pizza libretto now takes reservations so if you plan ahead a bit, you can still eat there at a goodtimeon 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 bettertimeto try it out anyway. we have had really great service everytimeand 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 thattimeas 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.

good pizza, not so good service. secondtimeat libretto and both times same experience: tasty, delicious food but very, very slow service. the fried calamari is mouth watering and the pizza is just as great. is it the best around? i don't know. but it is nonetheless very satisfying! i had a rosemary-based cocktail and that was refreshing, i loved it! however, it filled a quarter of my glass... that is an expensive drink for what you get!
the service is almost terrible. both times, we waited a very longtimeto get our meals (thistimeover 1:15!) and we became very impatient as we were starving. overall, it's a lot of many spent for an evening out to eat pizza. but i still had a smile on my face when i left.

now finally, the star of the show, duck confit (bosc pear, mozzarella ) $17. this was a wonderful pizza. the sweetness of the pear and the saltiness of the duck provided a good balance. the oven thin crust was nothing to complain about. however, i did find the pizza a little heavy. maybe i'm used to the typical tomato sauce based pizza. i was definitely not able to have more than one slice (i was already full by thetimethe pizza came). it was good, but it was heavy.

i finally had an opportunity to try pizzeria libretto a few days ago with a friend. i've heard so many good things about their pizza so i wanted to see what all the hype was about. went in for lunch on monday afternoon. the staff was really nice and attentive. their lunch prix fixe meal was very reasonable priced (15 bucks for a salad, pizza, and scoop of gelato). i ended up ordering their proscuitto and arugala pizza; my friend ordered the duck confit. both pizzas were pretty solid. tomato sauce on the pizza was absolutely delicious! i think the tomato sauce is my favourite. nexttimei go to libretto, i'm pretty sure i want a margherita pizza haha. the topings were great too-- great quality and very fresh. the only thing that was kind of a let down was the crust. i know what to expect when i get neopolitan pizza (e.g. "the sogginess" in the middle and all that jazz). the texture was fine, but i was a little underwhelmed by the flavour. i felt like i got a better pizza crust from queen margherita.

solid pizza if you're looking for a cheap and delicious lunch. one of the best in toronto, but not the best imo.