Break Lively

On Wednesday, I headed to Little Italy on a scouting mission. Co-workers I haven't seen in months, ever since the pandemic lockdown in March, wanted to meet for lunch before the cold weather arrives. One wanted to not only sit outside on a patio but would also prefer to be as physically separate as possible. A tall order in downtown Toronto but one such establishment might do the trick.

Vivoli opened several years ago but wasn't a restaurant I ever visited. With a cheerful, noisy crowd at its ground-level and roof-top patios, this wasn't my dining scene. After a fire broke out in the building housing shawarma place Ghazale in 2018, both Vivoli and The Fish Store were also damaged. The latter reopened after about 6 months. But Vivoli needed more than a year for repairs, just in time to close again for COVID-19.

I sat down at a patio table. The crowd hasn't fully returned yet, especially for a mid-week lunch, and this four-seater was quite large. This set-up would probably do for my colleagues. Though they had a $10 lunch menu, I chose a Rimini pizza ($17) from the regular menu. The white pie was delivered in due time.

Overall, this was solid effort pizza, maybe a B- or a C+. The toppings of mushrooms, zucchini, and red peppers were good. The goat cheese was sharp without being overpowering. The crust was toothsome and had a good chew. There were some negatives though. I didn't detect any eggplant or XV olive oil (except what I added myself). The mozzarella didn't have much flavour; there should be better cheese in a bianca pizza. Finally, the crust was quickly losing its toothsome bite as it cooled. Similar to the classic rock/oldies playing from inside the restaurant, Vivoli was safe dining. You come for the ambience, watch the foot traffic, and eat acceptable Italian food.