Don't let the unusual name throw you. Friends suggested we meet up for lunch and this was the place that won the toss up. I grew up in Hintonburg and I'll tell you, I'm very impressed with how far the restaurant selections have come in my old neighbourhood.
I arrived first and it was packed. The waitress greeted us as soon as we arrived and said it would be about a 20 minute wait for a table. My girlfriends decided to go shopping at Breads by Us another great find!
We were given a table by the window. It was really hard to decide what to order. Everything on the menu sounded good and then when the waitress pointed out the specials, we were right back at square one. Ultimately we decided to start with a couple of salads to share and watched as various dishes came by. We asked our neighbours what they had ordered and if they liked it.
The caesar salad is served very differently. It comes dressed with a lemon garlic dressing and sour dough bread croutons. Two of us had to have the warm beet salad with goat cheese, tarragon, fennel and apple vinaigrette. Personally I prefer my beet salad cold, but it was very good.
For the mains we decided to go with pizzas. They are made in a wood burning oven. You can smell the pizza from blocks away. Our style is to order a bunch of different plates and try a bit of everything.
I ordered their special of the day which was the lamb sausage pizza with gorgonzola cheese, arugula, toasted pine nuts and parmesan. When it comes to pizza, I prefer a thin crust with a white sauce whether it comes with just cheese, pesto or béchamel sauce over the traditional tomato sauce. It was incredible! I must say it's the best pizza I have ever had. The crust was thin and crispy, it had just the perfect amount of cheese and the sausage was delicious. Initially I almost changed my mind because I'm not a fan of Dijon mustard, but it balanced the favour of the lamb and give it a subtle punch. It was perfectly seasoned and the arugula gave it an element of freshness. When the pizza first arrived it looked like something was missing. Sure enough, there were no pine nuts. Not to worry, the waitress ran back and brought out a small bowl that had been freshly toasted. These added a nice crunch and nutty flavour making it the best pizza ever.
The others ordered The Capricciosa, The Elmdale and The Margherita. They were all good in their own right. I love artichokes and olives so The Capricciosa was my second favourite. Everything was fresh and made to order so give yourself time to sit back and relax, you won't be disappointed.
The servers were attentive and made sure you had everything you needed. The décor is more rustic making me feel like I'm away from the craziness of the city.
Prices are moderate to high, but don't forget they support local farmers and use organic ingredients. The food is fresh and made to order. They offer a unique variety and daily specials to suit all tastes. One of our party had an allergy and they happily accommodated.
A must have at our table was the lemon tart, but all the desserts looked good. Sadly most of us were stuffed so there was no room for dessert! We'll make sure we leave room next time.
This restaurant is on my top 10 restaurants in Ottawa list. I highly recommend it. If you like thin crust pizza and want something a bit different, this is the place for you.
Eat up and enjoy!
Carm the Foodie
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