PIZZERIA GEPPETTO - PIZZA

STUB REVIEW - PIZZERIA GEPPETTO:

GREAT PIZZA, AND SOMEHOW THEY MADE SALAD TASTE GOOD(!)

Their website:  http://www.geppettopizza.com/

2504 Notre Dame St W, Montreal, QC H3J 1N5    
Telephone:(514) 903-3737

Their menu:  http://www.geppettopizza.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/menu-geppetto-pizza.pdf 

Price Range:  ~$15-$30 per person including one drink, meal, tax, and tip

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Ah... The joys of new discoveries. So, recently I was scheduled to catch up with a former classmate at one of her favorite places. Given the fact that she's had her own foodblog and an award-winning webshow on food, I was inclined to at the very least be intrigued by her recommendation. And so, off I went to Pizzeria Geppetto in Little Burgundy.

One of the first things I noticed (and for which I kicked myself) upon parking in front of the restaurant was that I'd passed this place by like, a MILLION times without ever having gone in. The thing is, there are tons of other places in this neck of the woods that I frequent - two pubs (which I'll blog about later), a brunch place (ditto), a coffee shop, the mother-lovin' Atwater Market, and so on. In fact, after taking a quick little jaunt up and down the street, I realized that Pizzeria Geppetto was the ONLY food/drink place I hadn't visited in the six years that I've been regularly coming to the area. Hm. Always something hiding in plain sight, huh? Well, I certainly had to rectify that mistake!

And so, I walked into the warm and inviting Italian restaurant and sat down. Supper began with appetizers. For me (the carnivore), I ordered the meatballs. I mean, of course I ordered the meatballs ($10). 

The meatballs. Also called "polpettes". Look Ma, I can speak Italian! (... no, no, I really can't)

These were DELICIOUSSS. It's pretty hard to screw up meatballs, but it's also pretty hard to get them just right. And Geppetto gets meatballs "just right" more than a lot of other places. My word - the texture was soft and chewy, the parmesan levels were just right, and all the other flavors I expect to be present were there in the correct (to my palate) balance and weight. My only complaint about the meatballs? NOT ENOUGH, GOD DAMN IT.

My classmate ordered the beet root salad ($13):

A tasty meat-free salad. My head reels at the thought.

And, as the title of this post suggested, this salad was good. Made of beetroot (whatever that is), fennel, nuts, goat's cheese, and radish, the salad was nice and creamy. And the nuts added some serious crunchiness and chewiness to it (chewy in a good way, that is). Effectively, this salad didn't really taste like a salad, as far as I was concerned. Because, y'know, it had flavor. Previously, the only way to get me to fully embrace a salad was to slap a t-bone steak on top of it (you think I'm kidding? THAT'S the kind of salad I serve at my place! Rare t-bone, cut into small pieces and placed atop salad!). I think the secret to making me want to eat a salad is to make it rich and creamy. Which, admittedly, might be defeating the health purposes of a salad, but I digress... :P

And now, the main events. PIZZA! Geppetto serves the more traditional thin-crust types cooked in wood-burning ovens. Lighter than the ones I normally get, but scrumptious all the same.

First up, the Margherita ($14):

Delightful simplicity.

A simple pizza with only sun-ripened tomatoes, olive oil, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil as toppings, the Margherita is an elegant, delicate pizza. Pretty tasty, and is great for when you don't want something heavy. Which, for me, is rare - not the type of pizza I normally order. Which is why I ordered something with meat on it.

Ergo, the Pancetta ($16):

Mmmmm... Pancetta... (Y'know, I get the feeling I have a lot in common with Homer Simpson).

This delightful little thing is topped with mozzarella, onions, and, most importantly, crispy, crispy pancetta. Y'know, Italian bacon. Oh, how I love, love, love bacon. Truly, a genius invention, that bacon. 
Ahem.
Where was I? Oh, yes, the Pancetta pizza. The Italian bacon is crispy and the onions are cooked to the point where they're nearly caramelized. What's not to like? Nay, what's not to LOVE?

So, yeah, overall, I liked this first visit a lot. Before Geppetto takes a spot in my hallowed favorites list ("hallowed" - aren't I arrogant, eh?), I will have to come back and try much more of their menu. Still and all, this place left a great first impression! Definitely worth a visit, I should say!

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Mouthwatering Montreal - Pizzeria Geppetto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.