Marcello’s Pizzeria: Family style restaurant in Toronto

Good location , Group packages menus

Marcello's Pizzeria surprised me with its family oriented style. It’s the kind of place you would take your parents out for lunch/dinner on a casual event.  On the corner of Dufferin St and St. Clair Ave West, the site makes for an excellent location. They have a pleasant atmosphere, yet very simple. The staff was polite and ready to serve us promptly. 

They have a great variety in their menu such as pasta, salads, antipasti and such. They even have 4 group packages, so the place is ideal for a family meal.

Let's talk pizza now. We ordered Barese and Positano.

Barese had Italian sausages, cherry tomatoes and rapini. Apparently, we, pizza amateurs, did not know that rapini resembles broccoli quite a lot. We just thought it’s a subtle way to make us eat our veggies.

Nevertheless, Barese was a good, fresh, homemade style kind of pizza.

Positano was bursting with tomatoes and sweetness. The taste reminded me of those ripe, gorgeous garden tomatoes you only have in the summer. It was topped off with grilled chicken, although it can make for a great vegetarian pizza as well, if your family or friends prefer. 

Now…my favourite part: I think we officially found the best, largest, cheapest slices of cake in this area. I’m very curious to find out if anyone else can beat what Marcello’s Pizzeria is offering in terms of desserts.

$5 CAKE!!!

Do I have your attention now?

The cake on the left is a Milky Way Cake. Yup. That’s right. Milky Way all the way.

Does anyone remember these awesome chocolate bars from when we were kids?

It’s the first time I eat anything like this, and I think it had everything a chocolate lover could ask for: 4 layers of fluffiness, with perfect chocolate frosting in between and a caramel layer on top. It really did taste like Milky Way. Even better.  LOVED IT.  

The one on the right is a lemon cake.  I will try to describe this as well as I can: imagine eating a lemon flavoured cloud. It was fluffy to perfection; Light as air, velvety, lemony, sour, sweet, cold, so refreshing.

All in all, I would go back to Marcello’s Pizzeria when I need some sugar in my system. 

The pizza was good. The cake was phenomenal. 

Appearance: 3/5 gems; Ambiance: 4/5 gems; Service: 4/5 gems; Menu Variety: 5/5 gems; Taste & Food Quality: 3/5 gems; Price compared to Food Quality: 5/5 gems; Overall Experience: 4/5 gems; Is it the gem of the week? DEFINITELY!

Pizza Rolls Beats the Cold

Happy Hour Pizza Rolls!!!

Hey everyone, 
as the cold continues to ruin my Friday  nights shenanigans, I decided to take it upon myself to have a little party of my own at home.

so for under $10- I embarked in a journey of spicy sauces, unwanted calories and of course BACON. because life is everything, when bacon is on the table.

This week recipe is home made pizza rolls with mozzarella cheese, and grilled chicken. 
PS. Sweet & Sour Pic as a Bonus for next week.

As Always,
Enjoy!

WHAT YOU NEED
1. Homemade Pizza Dough
2. Tomato Basil Sauce
3. Grilled Chicken
4. Maple Bacon


DIRECTIONS
1. Roll the dough thin
2. divided it in 2
3. Add Sauce evenly. Do not forget the corners
4. Add that delicious mozzarella cheese
5. Alternate Grilled Chicken & Bacon
6. Add other topics if needed or wanted. Personally, I love me some Italian Sausage, wild mushroom, Jalapeno, or Pineapple.
7. Add the other layer of pizza dough. be careful, it gets tricky here. 
8. cut in stripes evenly
9. Twist or Braid stripes in pairs
10. Bake at 200 C for 20 mins
11. Let it rest for 10 Mins
12. Eat it all. #No Regrets

That is all, Until next Week
-A

Saturday Night Out & Pizza - Ferro Bar and Café

Ferro Bar and Cafe is a place where I would definitely go out on a Saturday night with my friends. The decorations are truly special: a multitude of paintings and objects that don’t seem to have any connection with each other, yet they work perfectly in creating a vibrant and colorful atmosphere. You have to see it with your own eyes to believe it. 

The walls are something you could stare at and not get bored while your pizza is getting ready – not that it took long by the way. Service was very fast and the staff was super friendly and in a great mood.

I have to say that this has been my favorite so far. Don’t get me wrong – I do enjoy those fancy, abstract-tasting kinds of pizzas, but they are something that I would indulge in only once in a while.

The first one, which is my absolute all-time favorite at the moment, is called LINA. Its main ingredient was the Smoked Atlantic Salmon. You NEED to give this a try – it was fancy, but casual in the same time. Something that I would eat when I’m out with a bunch of friends.

 The second one was called IANO and it had us at “grilled chicken breast + smoked bacon”.

If you won’t go to Ferro for the pizza, at least try the dessert. We had a mini Nutella calzone. That was not mini AT ALL.

And if that didn't convince you either, get yourself a beer and stare at the decorations. They’re so beautiful.

Photos are courtesy of Ferro Bar & Cafe. 

Appearance: 5/5 gems; Ambiance: 5/5 gems; Service: 5/5 gems; Menu Variety: 5/5 gems; Taste & Food Quality: 5/5 gems; Price compared to Food Quality: 5/5 gems; Overall Experience: 5/5 gems; Is it the gem of the week? DEFINITELY!

BEST PIZZA DOUGH EVER

BEST PIZZA DOUGH EVER! YES.
I decided to do something crazy this weekend. I made my own pizza dough from scratch (which fortunate came out looking pretty good- after the 3rd try) so here it is: I hope you all like it

-A

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups of warm water- you CAN also use Beer! Believe me, it gives it a great taste and its effervescent so it works with the yeast
1 tbsp of Honey or Sugar- But because I am Canadian I went with Good Old maple Syrup
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp of Salt- Sea salt is much better if you happen to have it already
4 1/4 of bread flour 2 tbsp of Bread Machine instant yeast

DIRECTIONS
1. MEASURE EVERYTHING- I discover due to many fail attempts, that in baking you need to measure everything, so save yourself some trouble and just do 
2.Add all the wet ingredients first -Water+Maple sugar+ Oil+ then the Salt (Pepper + Other condiments if wanted)+ Flour and lastly the Yeast!
3. Add it to the bread Machine. Select Dough Button and leave it there for 1 hour and 45 min 4. then cover the container with plastic wrap and let the dough breath for 1 more hour.

Then its ready to Go! 

WHAT TO DO
You can pretty much do anything with it. Pizza Pretzels which will be my next post
2 Medium Pizzas or 1 Large Bite Size Pizzas
Whatever you want!!!!

EXTRA THINGS
I personally used the "Breadman" Bread Machine, which I 100% Recommend. Info linked down below.
Wallmart $149 worth every cent of it
http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/breadman-professional-bread-maker/6000016234499

MEAT LOVER FEAST!!

WHAT YOU NEED
1 lb Refrigerated Dough
1 tbs Olive Oil
Half Cup of Fresh Mozarella Cheese
Half Cup of Fresh Ricotta Cheese (Add Salt, Egg Yolk and Pepper- to make it extra sticky)
Handful of Cherry tomatoes
Fresh Basil Leaves
Cooked or Raw red Pepper
Homemade Tomato Basil Sauce
3-4 Italian Deli Sausages
Home Made Roasted Beef (Season it, Add Rosemary, Thime, Salt & Pepper, Onion, Garlic and Olive oil- Cover it, and out it in the oven in 220 for 35- 50 mins- every 15-20 mins, check on it, bath it on its own sauce and cover again, Add BBQ sauce in the last check in time)


**if you want to**
Add extra Mushroom, chili Flakes, Olives, BACON (Because its Bacon)

MAKE IT
Heat Oven at 200 C
Spread Sauce Evenly & Don't forget to add those chunks of Tomato- They will be a nice bite surprise later
Spray Oil on Pan
IF you want, you may spread butter on the bottom of the pizza dough. it will make it extra golden and cook more evenly
Add all ingredients, as shown Below

Bake for 20-25 mins
eat it all!!!

TIPS
I recommend adding a sunny side egg on top of your slice after- the runny egg yolk is very tasty with the saltiness of the meat and veggie toppings

Pair it up with your favorite Cold Beer or Sparkling Lemonade, and you will have a Feast worth it of its own Instagram Post- I Guarantee it!

Enjoy, and don't forget to Share & Comment down Below.
See You Soon

-A

Hawaiian Pizza- What I Had During The Super Bowl.

WHAT YOU NEED!
1 lb Refrigerated Pizza Dough (Add sesame oil and Basil for Additional Yummy Flavor)
1/2 Home Made Tomato Sauce ---> 3 Fresh Ontario Tomatoes, Half a finely chopped red onion, Mashed Garlic, Pinch of Salt and Pepper, Freshly Squeezed Lime. Stir at Medium to Low heat for 5 minutes, Add Flour slowly until you get the consistency you want.. It TASTE AMAZING
150-200 grams of Organic (Preferably Farmers Market) Mozarella Cheese (Don't shread it, just break apart with your fingers)
1 cup of Diced Pineapple
5 or 6 strips of Maple Bacon.. Got to Keep it Canadian!- You can cut it in small stripes or keep it whole
1 cup of Mixed Ham diced in small pieces.

 Additional-
You may also put your own spin to it
Add Caramelized Onion, Shitaki Mushroom, Roaster Pepper, Jalapeno, Maple or Honey Syrup. :)

MAKING MAGIC HAPPEN!
Heat oven to 200 C. Pat and stretch dough on top of a round baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray- then smear that delicious sauce Top with Cheese, Ham, Pineapple & Bacon Bake for 15- 20 mins, or until cheese is melted and crust is crispy/ golden brown.

That is what I call a MONEY SHOT $$ 
Most Importantly, EAT IT ALL. No Judgement Here

 SERVING SUGGESTIONS!
Cold Beer
ICE COLD COCA COLA
Lemonade with Cucumber Slices, and Mint + Ice
Mixed Green Salad with sesame oil dressing

TOTAL SERVINGS
6-8 Slices,  Under 450 Cal

Don't Forget to Rate it & Share it COMMENT DOWN BELOW- Any suggestions for what I should cook Next- 

Let me know - All the Best & Enjoy

-A

Friends, Family and Pizza – Pizzeria Libretto

Pizzeria Libretto is a great place to hang out with a group of friends or family when you want to eat great pizza. The atmosphere is fun, full of energy and loud. The music combined with overlapping conversations gives the place a charming vibe, something that reminds me of a large family dinner at home.

There were two things that immediately caught our attention. First of all, there was this:

Then, there was the open kitchen, where you could see your food getting ready. We got a table very close to that so we can observe what happens in Libretto's kitchen.

Service was excellent and very prompt, although the place was fairly busy (lunch hour). The staff was very knowledgeable and gave us a quick description of each pizza and then recommended us Thursday’s special. We got that and Prosciutto Ontario. Yes. We got two. Don’t judge us. It’s for research purposes. Don’t worry. We will also open Fitness Gems after Pizza Gems. Thursday’s special was a super juicy although it was soft and moist in the middle, so it was a direct invitation for you to drop that fork and knife, grab it with your hands, fold it and eat it. Just like home. It had a really nice kick from the spicy homemade sauce, which we loved. We were really impressed with how incredibly puffy the dough was. That, the sauce and the sausages on top gave me a very homey feeling, the same I get when I eat something homemade, fresh from the oven.

The second pizza had the same kind of puffy, soft and light dough. On top, it had something that Andrea kept describing as “tomato jam”. It was very sweet, fresh and full of flavour. And on top there was, of course, the prosciutto. Even though this might seem a very simple combination of ingredients, it had a very powerful taste. What we liked the most was the combination of textures: The puffiness of the dough, the juiciness of the tomato sauce and that fresh bite of prosciutto. Yum.

Thursday’s special was my favourite and Prosciutto Ontario was Andrea’s favourite. If you’re looking for a place to bring a large, noisy group of people, Pizzeria Libretto is it. It will definitely infuse you with good mood and positive energy. Just like a huge family dinner.

Appearance: 5/5 gems; Ambiance: 5/5 gems; Service: 5/5 gems; Menu Variety: 5/5 gems; Taste & Food Quality: 5/5 gems; Price compared to Food Quality: 5/5 gems; Overall Experience: 5/5 gems; Is it the gem of the week? DEFINITELY! All photos courtesy of Pizzeria Libretto