Pizza, Pizza

Having read an extensive blog post on pizza, I've been salivating over the thought of really good pizza. With this in mind, I told the waitress at Marcello's that I'm looking for the best pizza in Toronto. She declared that the diavola here is where it's at. This Italian trattoria has been around for a long time and is supposedly one of the best pizzeria in town. It's definitely old-school Italian including patrons who speak like they've just stepped out of The Godfather.

My pizza came out of the stone oven nice and hot. I was unmoved by the hot soppresatta, only because I'm not a fan of that style of stringy, sour deli meat (see also: salami, pepperoni). However, the rest of the toppings were great including whole black olives. The crust was excellent: thin and crispy though not quite as nice a mouth-chew as Pizzeria Libretto. However, since it wasn't as thin either, it held up better as the pizza cooled. Unlike typical bland white dough, the pizza had a complex flavour including what seemed to be a dusting of flour that you typically see on fresh bread. I will definitely return to try other offerings.

Speaking of Pizzeria Libretto, I went back to this place twice for lunch. Although it has been getting rave reviews, being 1 of one 2 places in Toronto certified to make "authentic" Neapolitan pizza, I've been on the fence about their pizza. Their crust on the outer edge is awesomely chewy, but the rest of the pizza is so thin that things get a little droopy. But there's no doubt their $15 lunch special include salad, pizza (you're limited to a margherita D.O.P. or a Marinara D.O.P.), and dessert is a great deal.

On my last visit, and having ordered the Marinara which is without cheese, I had a revelation. To make the best of your eating experience here you need to:

1. Limit the number of toppings as to not overburden the crust
2. Don't put wet toppings on it such as the chili oil that's offered on the side
3. Fold the inner 3rd of the slice to get more "hold" on your slice
4. Most importantly, don't let the pizza sit and get soggy. The best way to do this is to treat the pizza as an appetizer not a main. In other words, if you're there as a party of 2 (or 4), order only 1 (or 2) pizzas. The first slice fresh out of the oven is the best slice. If you want to eat more pizza, see if you can get the waitstaff to wait until you've finished your first or don't order them all at once.

Next up on my list are a couple of locations in the East end, including the other "authentic" Neapolitan pizzeria.