I am so blessed to not live in the suburbs.  Not only do we have the river bank,  lots of green space, bike and walking trails, but we have our pick of some of the best restaurants in the city, all within walking distance.  On this day I was meeting a work associate, who had already started her summer vacation, but was including me in her day for us to iron out some last minute details.  The destination had to be one that made her feel as if she were truly on vacation (and perhaps no longer in the city).  The patio at Pizzeria Gusto delivers that wonderful feeling.

It was hot but breezy and we choose to sit without an umbrella.  This became a wise decision when the winds pick up and people were getting the surprize of a huge canvas umbrella crashing across their table. Gusto took on additional meaning at this lunch.

Both my lunch date and I are adventurous eaters and he have both dined at Pizzeria Gusto before, so we were looking for something completely different and our wishes were satisfied by the bistro’s eclectic offerings.

We asked to share both a salad and a pizza. Our salad choice was the Altezza, so named for the tail lights of a European sports car.  Beets are roasted and then married with arugula, goat cheese, toasted walnuts, a balsamic reduction and sea salt.  Orange segments were a lovely surprize addition to the menu description.  This proved to be a beautiful melding of sweet and salty tastes that is my palate’s favourite combination.

Also shared was La Coppa pizza. Now “coppa” of course is Italian for “cup” but can also depict a roughly made sausage.  In this case I think it aptly describes our rough looking pizza toppings of carmelized onions, pancetta, more goat cheese, the novel topping of thinly shaved raw brussel sprouts and a soft cooked egg!  The sharpness of the sprouts, offset the rich creaminess of the egg and cheese and the salty pancetta made for a full spectrum of tastes in each bite.  In truth, I could just eat the hearth fired pizza dough bare naked (the crust, not me).  The textured is firm and chewy and the sweetness of the grains, brought out by the flame is just my coppa tea.

There was no room (or time, unfortunately) for dessert.  Besides, the wind was picking up and we had enough excitement from the flying umbrellas for one day.

Kath’s quote: “A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”-P. J. O’Rourke

Love-that is all.

Share on Facebook