PICKING THE PIE IN THE SKY
Lesley Chesterman shares her top 10 pizza places
When exactly did Montreal’s pizza scene swivel from old-school pies to the Neapolitan-style pizza that has flooded the scene today? I’d say the fall of 2006, when Bottega Pizzeria opened its doors, and what a thrill it has been ever since to wolf back one excellent pizza after another.
Yes, the old-school pizza still hits the spot, but the Naplesstyle pizza served in the city’s trendiest restaurants is simply sensational, especially when made with homemade ingredients, paired with sharp side dishes and enhanced with inexpensive and interesting (preferably organic) Italian wines.
Here are my favourite spots to grab some of the city’s best slices.
BOTTEGA 65 ST-ZOTIQUE ST. E.
Owned by brothers Fabrizio and Massimo Covone, Bottega is the pizzeria that got the Naplesstyle craze underway. Its Italian wood-burning oven flash-bakes the pies in a matter of minutes, at temperatures hovering around the 900-degree mark, resulting in pizzas with the requisite puffy, blistered crust and perfectly Dalmatian-spotted colouring. My favourite is enhanced with capicollo, cherry tomatoes and basil atop a thin layer of smoked provolone. Perfection! Side dishes are a hit as well, especially the scrumptious fried calamari, arugula salad and meatballs. There’s a superb wine list, and the Negronis are excellent — and potent!
GEMA 6827 ST-DOMINIQUE ST.
Chef-partners Michele Forgione and Stefano Faita opened their pizzeria in 2014 smack in the middle of Little Italy, right across the street from their terrific restaurant Impasto. Their pizza just keeps getting better and better — which is impressive, as the kitchen uses an electric deck oven imported from Italy, rather than a wood-burning model. The mozzarella di buffala they use is made with Quebec bison milk, and their pepperoni is homemade. A fun feature is the monthly pizza special designed by guest chefs like Martin Picard and Bob le Chef. For starters, don’t miss the calamari or the market salad, and for dessert, the frozen custard is rich but drop-dead delicious, especially with the preserved Italian cherries over top. Excellent choice of wines, many organic.
MELROSE 5779 SHERBROOKE ST. W.
This wildly popular neighbourhood restaurant offers a halfdozen starters and 10 pizzas, with a few daily specials worth exploring. Start with the classic Sicilian orange-and-fennel salad, the braised squid or, when available, braised artichokes. As for pizzas, with more of a thin/crisp crust than the popular Neapolitan-style pizza, these pies are not only beautiful to look at but also taste superb. Faves include the white-sauce garlic and rapini pizza with spicy sausage topped with fresh mozzarella, as well as the tomato pizzas, with more sausage on one and plenty of little meatballs on the other, with a fine tomato sauce as support and just the right amount of cheese. For dessert there’s a crazy-rich Nutella pizza, but you don’t want to go there. Or do you?
MAGPIE 16 MAGUIRE ST.
Opened in 2010, Magpie was my go-to destination when dining with kids, or just about anyone when in search of delicious pizza, cocktails and a great Caesar salad. When Bottega was packed you’d go to Magpie, and when Magpie was packed you’d stay home. At its best, Magpie’s pizza is highly scarfable. The ingredients are top-notch, and the choice of toppings — think goat’s cheese and arugula, fennel sausages with roasted red peppers, and artichokes with spinach and fontina — are inspired. Even the basic margherita tastes sublime. Sometimes the crusts can be floury and sometimes service is a bit off (and the choice of wines by the glass is pretty limited), but when Magpie is running on all cylinders, it’s a heck of a fun night out.
MOLESKINE 3412 PARC AVE.
Fred St-Aubin is one of Montreal’s top chefs, and the upstairs restaurant at Moleskine serves his elegant, modern Italian cuisine. But downstairs is where the party’s happening. At the seats surrounding the open kitchen you’ll see chefs busily stretching pizza dough, shovelling pies in and out of the oven, or maybe even changing records as the vintage vinyl spins day and night. As for the pizza, there are nine on the menu, ranging from the classic margherita to the “raclette” pizza made with porcini mushroom cream, kale, spinach, roasted garlic, fresh mozzarella and raclette cheese. The salsiccia, a tomato-based pie topped with sausage, mozzarella, Parmesan, peppers and arugula, is simply fantastic. St-Aubin’s crust is pillowy on the inside, crisp on the outside, with a distinct flavour of charred wheat. Start with a charcuterie plate and a glass of the Marcel Lapierre Beaujolais they have on tap, and finish off with a frozen parfait, soft serve or slice of pie.
PIZZERIA NO. 900 LOCATIONS AT NO900.COM
I’m a fan of this Montreal-wide chain, which counts 10 restaurants in its portfolio, from St-Lambert to Outremont to Mile End. The newest outlet is in the Rockland shopping centre. Prices are reasonable, the pizzas are sharp, the few side dishes on offer are very good (try the Caesar salad), and the wine selection is made up of all organic or natural bottles. As for the pizza, at its best the crust is perfect, soft and pillowy, with great flavour. Favourite toppings include a white-sauce pizza with pancetta and figs, and their sausage pizza with tomato sauce and rapini pesto. I find the restaurants are better when not too busy, and waits for tables can be long, so consider picking up pies to go. (You can even purchase a bottle of wine to go with your order.) When dining on site, finish off with the killer cannoli.
PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA 189 DANTE ST.
Since 1948, this bustling restaurant has been serving some of the best pizza in Montreal to couples, families and groups of friends. More old-school in style than Neapolitan (despite its name), Napoletana serves a large selection of antipasto, pastas and 22 varieties of pizza. You’ll probably have to wait for a table, but once seated you’ll be served quickly. A favourite of so many Montrealers (I went on my first date here), Napoletana is also a bring-your-own-wine restaurant, which helps explain its popularity.
FIORELLINO 470 DE LA GAUCHETIÈRE ST. W.
Begin a night at this swish downtown restaurant with a beet salad or porchetta tonnato, but save space for the sublime pizzas, with their pouffy/crisp/ blistered/slightly charred crusts, topped with the likes of soppressata, roasted red peppers, mushrooms and fior di latte. I inhaled the Carciofi, a pizza with mushrooms, olives, ham and artichoke, revelling in the superb mix of textures and flavours. Of the “bianco” (tomato-sauce-free) pizzas, I would recommend the speck pizza with stracchino, radicchio and smoked prosciutto. This is serious pizza, but if pasta is your pleasure, the pappardelle with pork and cabbage ragu is swoon-worthy, as is the classic tomato gnocchi. For dessert, try the velvety pannacotta topped with preserved cherries and a couple of biscotti. Nice wine list, friendly service, rockin’ ambience.
STELLA 1327 LAURIER AVE. E.
The 11 pizzas on offer at this Plateau favourite have a crust that is more crisp than the pouffy Neapolitan-style pie, and the colour is on the light side rather than deep golden. The toppings are nicely varied, from classic margherita to the “Italian” enhanced with sausage, mushrooms and a truffled tapenade. When available, try the pizza garnished with porchetta, tomato, arugula and smoked provolone. Pizza aside, what I like best about this restaurant are the delicious appetizers (the tuna salad is divine), the buzzy ambience and the solicitous service. Great wine list, too!
BRIGADE 1428 STANLEY ST.
This downtown pizzeria is a brilliant choice for picky eaters (especially kids), and you can either opt for one of their delicious pies or design your own. Another draw is that you can watch them build your pizza before it is baked in an Italian wood-burning oven. I enjoyed this restaurant and my kids went bonkers, but a word of warning: seating isn’t all that comfortable, and there’s not much in the way of ambience. Popular with students and couples (many, it seems, on first dates), Brigade is a good choice for families, or how about a kid’s birthday party?