Lo Zingaro Ristorante Pizzeria

http://www.lo-zingaro.com/

What a crazy, muddy, wet week this was… We were looking for a small evening snack to enjoy after our weekly volleyball game and passed by Lo Zingaro Ristorante Pizzeria.

APPEARANCE
dark ruby, in an old style bottle
We noticed the old fashioned pizzeria sign first. It had yellow blinking light bulbs all around and looked like an anachronism here. It is however, not difficult to pass unfortunately. Few flower baskets outside add some country charm to the appearance. A narrow and long space with few tables wide open to Queen Street – doing their best to capture some of the summer weather while being bound to a tight downtown location.
We were lucky to grab a seat right next to the window. Ma Cherie ventured inside to survey the premises while taking a few photos.

NOSE
dark cherry, red fruit, needing more attention and aeration
The impressive bar corner had preserve jars and bottles on the wall. There was also an open kitchen with a very active chef visible at the end of the long corridor, at the back. Beautiful incandescent light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, a flower basket by our window and…lounge music?(not the ultimate fit) A great atmosphere other than that! Some muttered chattering at the table nearby, noisy Queen St and a warm July evening. We had a candle on our table in a branded Remy Martin glass (not sure why). What else to wish for? Maybe a bit more attention from our host. He seemed very preoccupied with making espressos and lattes for other guests. We did have to call him a couple of times.

SWIRL
light spices, vanilla
After exploring the simple and well organized menu, we decided to go with their Quattro Stagioni to share - ma Cherie was enthusiastic as it is not a popular one outside of Italy. We wanted to get Italian beers, so asked for Peroni and Lozi. It turned out Lozi isn’t, so we instead wanted to ask the 666 Devil’s Pale Ale.
As we waited, we settle in and enjoyed the small and stylish interior. The light bulbs were lightly dancing in the air. It made us reflect and talk, while feeling awfully romantic.
Our beers didn’t take long to make it to our table. The Peroni is light, yeasty and malty with light bitterness near the end - nothing out of the ordinary. On the other hand, the Ontarian 666 Devil’s Pale Ale is dark, very hoppy and a bit sweet - on the intense side.

PALATE
full bodied, ripe-tasting
It took maybe 10-15 minutes to get our food. Chef himself brought our order in, a very nice touch (although he could have spend few more minutes with us to make it perfect).
Our pizza was sizzling hot and fresh from the oven. The crust was thin and the dish was not overloaded with ingredients. It was lightly cut, so we had to repeat the lines. It was a perfect meal to share - slightly burned Italian ham, olives and mushrooms accented the simple crust dough just enough not to overshadow the cheese and artichokes. The ingredients were separated into four areas (hence the name) and we had a chance to experience the difference. Overall it was mouth-watering.
Ma Cherie couldn't help but share the main mushroom slice, even though I am no fan of them. We had to clarify what kind of mushroom was used, as we liked it so much. Turned out to be cremini. Jumping ahead, we made a cremini rizzotto the day after.
To top the meal off, we got panna cotta. Quite interesting although not as exciting as the pizza (which is good, it is a pizzeria after all). A traditionally made desert with some fresh berries on top. Hopefully made in-house, but it was hard to tell on the spot. Should have gotten an espresso as well in retrospect...

FINISH
spicy, tobacco addition
If you are looking for an authentic pizza place - Lo Zingaro should at least be on your list. It is reasonably priced and very accessible. Being tucked in a bit, it is easy to miss. We hope more people will have a chance to enjoy its flower decorated tables by the window and artisan pizzas.


Overall, a close-to-heart Valpolicella.

Mistura

http://www.mistura.ca

Heard of this place due to its famous chef, Massimo, and had marked it on our radar for some time now. Mistura is normally quite pricy, so we figured for $45 each at Winterlicious, we should taste some decent dishes.


APPEARANCE
a tinted bottle, elegant labelonce poured, 
you can see the rich golden colour
Dark from the outside, bright orange sign with playful writing, Mistura is hard to miss on the dark corner of Davenport with Valet parking signs at the front. Once inside a lady traded our coats for a metal number - making us feel important.

SWIRL

smooth and lively - some obvious legscan lightly feel the vanilla character
Walking further inside the long room, we felt like we are part of a magic show - mirrors, long white table cloths, high contrast spot lights, interesting glass structures with candles dancing as the air moved. We sat at an elegantly laid booth table with a long, narrow tablecloths stretching from one side to the other width-wise (a bit restraining, I thought). The paper sheet menus for winterlicious didn't belong there much. With the large Mistura wordmark (in case we missed it), a thick black frame close to it and plenty of text to follow - the menus didn't do their interiors justice, as they cram any available space.

NOSE
citrus, melon, as well as a strange 
unidentifiable aroma
Our polite waiter was in no mood to chat. We were asked to order all at once. I asked for their Tuscan Onion Soup, Trofiette main dish, and a Pistachio Panna Cotta. I asked for advise between their Cave Spring Riesling and 2011 Italian Pinot Grigio, and he recommended the ladder. I asked for 1/4 L and Cheri did the same but for a 2009 Caliornian Merlot. We got some warm bread, so the balsamic & oil dip to the side, as well as the tomato tapanade, came to use.The restaurant ended up filling by 7pm, and the crowd seemed on the older, mature side, and some seemed to be regulars.I have to add, we kept on picking up a cologne (perhaps one of the Polos), sadly we thought it was one of their staff.


PALATE
a bit dry and herbaceous to start, medium-bodied, oaky character
To begin, I got my soup - a light version of French Onion Soup. It had parsley and a bit of pecorino on the crostini floating, which I had trouble chasing and cutting it into smaller bites. Cheri's Braised Quail had a bone sticking out and the rest cut nicely and laid on the polenta, with squash and onion on the side. The meat was a bit dry, but Cheri quite enjoyed it.Next came my Trofiette Pasta - seemingly home made, as they were all so different, I was genuinely amused by the shape. Unfortunately it was a bit too chewy. The pasta came with plenty of cauliflower, some ricotta, parsley, a hint of truffle and perhaps some walnut. It was a bit too very heavy for me to finish and I was definitely getting a bit un- enthusiastic with every dish having parsley. Cheri's small Pork Loin came topped with a bit of Apple, Kale, Chestnut, with some Squash Puree and Onions. The pork was nowhere close to being lean, lard was a good third of it, but overall interesting flavour combinations.

FINISH
a long aftertaste perfect for those with a sweet tooth
Desserts were the best part! My Pistachio Panna Cotta cream reminded me of my grandma's pudding. It was topped with mascapone some fruits and mint springs. It was under subtle orange polenta cake and strange candied oranges on the side. Cheri's Warm Walnut Cake was delicious - crumbed and served in a cup, covered in salted caramel and topped with mascapone and a few fruits - beauty.
Oh, we had to google what Mistura meant (thinking it had to do with Mystery) but it turned out it is a Portuguese word for Mixture/Fusion. The interior would have been a perfect match for Mystery.

Overall.. a Chardonnay needing some work in the midst 
of the experience.