Restaurants
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria opened this past week at the corner of Bloor and Dalton, with aspirations of making authentic Naples pizza easily (and quickly) accessible in an elegant setting. Replacing the James Joyce Pub, this place is polished – as it should be. Though new to the Annex, the growing chain has many locations throughout Canada, and its first Ontario location opened earlier this month in Yorkdale Mall.
There are no rigid seating policies here. You can browse the menu at the table then step up to the counter to order. You can pay upfront, or start a tab and enjoy your meal at your leisure.
The service concept here is unique in that it offers flexibility in the pace of your meal, but, rest assured that once you've ordered, you are hardly forgotten. Our server, Molly, is friendly and attentive; she is there with recommendations and to take incidental orders for drinks, dessert, and whatever else is needed.
Inside, the restaurant is bright and airy – dark wood floors, crisp white ceilings and exposed brick create a chic and neutral base. Pops of red, golden yellow and chalkboard black add touches of drama – even the restrooms are impressive (especially for the Annex).
We begin with cocktails – the Italian Spritz ($6.50 a glass or $24.50 a pitcher) is refreshing and not too sweet. Prosecco, Aperol and soda make for a welcome summer beverage as I sit back and take in the bustling atmosphere.
Our appetizers arrive quickly. The small Caprese salad ($8) layers thick slices of fresh mozzarella and local, vine-ripened tomatoes over a bed of greens.
The Caesar ($6) is dressed in a garlicky and tart vinaigrette – thankfully, not too creamy – and the prosciutto crisps and pecorino romano add dashes of salt and fat in the right proportions. The prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella balls (3 for $10) are served in tomato sauce and topped with basil and pecorino romano.
Next come our pizzas. For the true Naples experience I know we should have ordered the traditional Margherita ($11), but the Funghi Tartufo ($14.5) with roasted white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and truffle oil sounded too enticing. This 'red' pizza arrives topped with Campania tomato sauce, fior-di-latte fresh cheese, and fresh basil that still shows off the merits of Neopolitan cuisine.
The Prosciutto Arugula Pizza ($14.50) is made with Bianca sauce – a simple mix of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and oregano – then topped with fior-di-latte fresh mozzarella, and piled high with arugula and prosciutto. Made with 00 Caputo flour, these pizzas are baked in an enormous, 900-degree, dome-shaped oven for just 90 seconds to ensure a light and airy crust that's thin but not crunchy.
For me, the night's highlight is the gelato ($3.50 for one scoop, $4.50 for two) from Calgary-based Fiasco Premium Artisan Gelato. On offer are playful flavours such as salted caramel, burnt sugar banana chocolate and blueberry basil, and I sample them all. All of the desserts sound amazing, and the Dolce & Banana ($7) – caramelized bananas paired with crushed pecans, caramel sauce, and vanilla bean gelato – may even deserve its own visit.
Now the real question: is the pizza as good as their rival in the realm of Neopolitan pizzas, Pizzeria Libretto? Almost. Will you get a seat and be in and out in less time than it takes to get a table on Ossington? Yes. Unless of course, you'd rather take your time, then you're welcome to it.
Photos by Natta Summerky
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For the only pizza that comes close to the real thing in this city, go to via mercanti in Kensington.
"... they cut the pizza into the north american triangles...wrong."
WE ARE IN NORTH AMERICA.
Instead of Kensington, maybe hop a plane to Italy and stuff your face so full of authentic pizza you shut the f&^$ up.
Angry much? Theres north American pizza and then there's the original. Anyways, no point in debating with someone like you. Chances are, you're the owner of this calgarian pizza joint. What makes me think this? Overly Angry, macho cowboy attitude. Yee-haw.
anyway, the food looks great and i hope that i'll be able to try it when i'm back in the fall (:
Margherita was oversauced and underbasiled IMO but still good. Caesar was nice enough but nothing to write home about. Cocktail (lemon and gin) was refreshing. Espresso was nice and strong and the gelato was delish, though I didn't get much salt coming through in the salted dulce de leche.
The service was friendly, warm and very eager to please. Manager type walked around the tables checking in and thanking people for coming in to give their new place a try. Wait staff still young and a bit nervous and eager to clear plates but is perfectly fine. A few more weeks will give them the ease they need to jive with the summer crowd. Will try the pizza next time as it looked promising.
Libretto is a good reference to use for good pizza. I dont love it but i def like it. In this case however, maybe one cant compare the two simply because i was told that even though the oven at famoso's is state of the art and super hot, its not wood burning, which IMO gives a significant difference in flavour. The menu still looks pretty good and I'll have to try it out for sure.
Do you think people are that stupid?
Work on improving yourself instead of trying to diss others.
I've been to Famoso here (the one in Mission in Calgary if you know the city) many times and they've never cut my pies in triangles or any other shape. Must be for the Toronto market.
The pizza at Libretto is excellent and the crust is just right.
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I just went to Famoso. I will certainly go again. The location is convenient. I actually like that you order at the counter. Makes it more casual.
The pizza was good. The crust was pliable even after cooling down, which is a hallmark of good pizza. It was only slightly less airy than what I like, which means that it might have been kneaded just a tad too hard. Also, I would have liked it just a bit more charred than it was (charring imparts flavour).
The spritz was wrong, though! Way too much ice and no sparkling water!
But the pizza was good.
The soup was absolute delicious, but the sauce on the margherita was a tad bland. Still, it was a satisfactory dining experience.
Not as good as Pizzeria Libretto, but the service was faster, and the restaurant more accessible to me (being on Bloor). I look forward to trying out some of the other pizzas on the menu.
I had four cheese and my lady had the margarita. It was not the best pizza I have ever had. It was alright, above average but not by much. Crust was hearty and pita-bread like. Flavours were simple and understate. Maybe i cant taste much because i'm a smoker but i couldn't taste much. Then again maybe this is the traditional way?
The staff were very very nice and helpful, whatever they put in the kook-aid for those kids seems to work super-dandy! Props for service, they really tried hard and smiled a lot.
The place was clean and the staff nice, but not the best slice in the area. The odd ordering procedure will make for good conversation while your on a date with someone you met on plenty of fish. Smiles are free!
I give it a 6.9 fingers out of 2 hands.
Long story short, save your money because it was far from real Italian pizza. It was thin but not crisp, the dough stretched as much as the cheese and the ingredients were straight from the can.
I WILL NEVER GO THERE AGAIN
Speaking as an actual Italian Person here (as in, Really Italian, not somebody who hopped on over from the Jersey Shore), I don't want to eat the same food my parents and grandparents eat all the time. I appreciate interesting twists on old classics, especially if they're delicious. I don't give a shit about "authentic Napoli pizza" to be honest.
That being said, the food at the Yorkdale location, like so many other things about Yorkdale, is flat and devoid of any real joy or originality. Go the Annex one.