There has been a mini-explosion of thin-crust, Neapolitan-style pizzerias in Toronto including top tier Pizzeria Libretto, Queen Margherita as well as second-ranked restaurants such as Pizza e Pazzi. Via Mercatti is another recent entry, started last year by an ex-chef from Margherita along with his childhood friend from Naples. With his family not adjusting to Canada, the friend has returned to Italy.
The restaurant felt warm and homey, with large windows and skylights casting cheerful sunshine into the space. No doubt the patio would be full by summer. They had just received a 3rd pizza oven, this one shipped from Italy instead of being built in-house like the first two. Apparently, the current ones, brick-built and wood-fired, use more wood than expected. The new one resembles something from a military ship, completely enclosed and smoothly black, with temperature dials built in. It can use both wood and electricity, had better temperature controls, and can accommodate up to 9 pizzas. It would be interesting to try a pie made from the new oven once they have installed it.
For lunch, I ordered the Margheritano ($13) with fior di latte, prosciutto, and parmesan. These thin-crusts are usually hard to pick up as their tips will sag, and it was doubly so here because of the large amount of oil pooling on the pizza. This was tasty but very messy pizza better eaten with knife and fork. The prosciutto was perfectly salty and chewy. The dough was soft, fresh, and had the slight sweetness of good flour, but it lacked that smokey, cooked dough taste of Libretto's. Perhaps the ovens weren't hot enough.
Via Mercatti won't claim the crown from Libretto or Margherita, but it serves good pizza. Add a pint or two, and it makes an excellent place to sit and engage in some people-watching.
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