Famoso is both a pizzeria and a hang-out spot. It’s the first retail location that offers great food and affordable prices with a unique serving style. Whether just in it for appies, a pizza, a glass of wine, gelato or simply coffee and dessert, this unique little spot with 2 locations in Toronto, Yorkdale Mall and Bloor West, offers that unique atmosphere where the customer decides his or her meal plan…not the restaurant.
So what is that exactly? It simply means you arrive on location, pick a table, and write down your order using the menus and note pad found on it. Then, you head over to the counter and place your order. You can choose to pay at that moment, or start a tab if you feel you might be coming back for more. Once your order is placed, all you then need to do is relax until your order arrives at your table.
When I visited Famoso for their pre-opening night event, my first round consisted of some tasty Prosciutto Wrapped Mozzarella Balls, and of course, an order of a lovely Pinot Noir. The dish looked more like a soup when it arrived, but once I took my first spoon of juicy goodness, the mozzarella balls were very present and took over the dish completely. With the added touch of basil and accompanied with some fresh house-made flat bread, this Famoso experience started off on the right note.
Next up, and in no particular order…the pizettas! At Famoso, the flour and tomatoes used in the pizza are authentic imported ingredients from Italy. The flour used is double zero caputo flour and the interesting part is that water is never added to the dough mix. I know this for a fact as during the event, owner Justin Lussier asked me to help him demonstrate how the pizza is made. Boy, was that fun! Pizzetas are a small, personal-size version of the pizzas. What I love about this concept is that for smaller parties, it allows us to try different flavours. With rossa (red), bianca (white) or new world pizza options; we decided to try one of each! First up, the Funghi Tartufo… Roasted white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, truffle oil and reggiano parmesan made this pizzetta a great second course.
Following next with the Quattro Fromaggi.A succulent and cheesy preparation of fresh mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, gorgonzola and pecorino romano cheeses. With the added touch of lemon, I named this pizza my favourite at Famoso. My sister, who is always my partner in crime for these events, was a fan of Famoso’s new world pizza…the San Andreas.
This pizza consisted of a base of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, oregano, fresh mozzarella and chili-lime marinated roasted chicken, that is then baked and topped with fresh avocado slices, diced roma tomatoes, diced onion, cilantro, drizzled with light cream and served with a lime wedge. Need I say more?
Up next, and probably the favourite part of my Famoso visit…dessert! Going up to the counter to order it, and also hoping the walk over will help me make room for more; we found ourselves with Famoso’s gelato distributor, innovator and chief idea officer behind all the delicious concoctions at Famoso, Mr. James Boettcher from Fiasco Gelato. The only place where one will be able to find Fiasco’s gelato creations in Toronto, for now, is at any of the two Famoso Pizzerias in the city. The flavours are completely out of this world and so fresh. We had a delicious blend of the burnt sugar banana cioccolato.
The freshness of the gelato was so present, we could smell the bananas when it arrived at our table! Now that is something we have never experienced before.Some other of James’ unconventional gelato flavours included the fior-di-latte, key lime graham cracker and salted caramel.And so our meal at Famoso ends. But before we can say arrivederci to the owners, I am once again reminded of why this place is such a neat and fresh concept to the city…is the freshness and craftsmanship of how things are made, including my goodie thank you bag, a beautiful basil plant. Thank you Famoso!
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