It is always a great occasion whenever old friends come for a visit. Giving an opportunity to try new things or revisit old experiences, it forces me to change from the long days of resident life. Almost to the exact day one year ago, one of my fellow medical school classmates came to visit Winnipeg for a weekend and the opportunity came up again for a revisit for fun and good eats. One of the restaurants we had wanted to try the previous year was Pizzeria Gusto, known for their take on traditional wood fired pies and upscale Italian fare but alas our time had come up too short. And so certainly we were not going to miss the change this year!
To be be honest I did not like pizza as a child. Growing up I was always told of how awesome and delicious pizzas were, how the best birthday parties were the pizza parties and how the best lunches at the school cafeteria were the single serve caked over cheese pizzas ... Needless to say I did not get it and ended up developing a hate-hate relationship with the glowing signs of Pizza Hut or Domino's. That is until I tasted traditional Neapolitan style pizza, with their skin crusts and bevy of ingredients that actually can be tasted as opposed to just that of cheese. And while to this day I would rarely go seek out a pizza, I have come to appreciate their flavours and place in the culinary world.
Pizzeria Gusto is an elegant and upscale Neapolitan style restaurant on busy Academy Road. It has won numerous awards including being named one of the top 50 restaurants in Maclean's Magazine, a weighty honour for the humble restaurant. And indeed local Winnipegers have come to rave about ingenious and unique pies that emerge from the large wood fired oven sending out wafts of delightful aroma and flavour through the small and quaint space. The restaurant itself has a nice combination of olden Italian feel with new modern touches. Its roots are obvious with large paintings of Italy and ... what I presume to be the chef's family .... lovingly adorning the large walls. Yet the true centerpiece is the huge wood fire onion and the chef carefully crafting the pies and tending to its hot coals. Occasionally you can sneak a peek into the oven and see the tendrils of flame licking the pies to perfection. Amongst the aroma of these pies is a cacophony of sound from happy diners, the click and clang of wine glasses and the laughter of conversation.
The menu is a great combination of new and old flavours. A rather small menu but the focus is indeed on the pizzas each with their own unique names and flavours. You will not find the usual "pepperoni" or "ham and pineapple" fare here, rather shaved mozzarella, arugula and prosciutto make the list. A smattering of starters and salads surround the pies while a thoughtful and varied collection of wines offerings compliment the meal.
We started with their
Calamari starter. Pairing sauteed squid, chilis and lemon is a classic combination and the version here did not disappoint. The rings of seafood were nice and springy and had a nice roasted garlic and parsley aroma. The flavour itself had just a hint of chili (from chili flakes) interspersed with the sourness of lemon and while certainly not bland, I felt there needed something else to compliment the lemon to complete the whole flavour profile. The bed of arugula and fennel gives a colourful fresh contrast.
I still remember the
Cesare salad from my last time dining at Pizzeria Gusto. There is something so novel and exciting about grilling a whole romaine heart that makes me, someone who usually shies away from salads, want to order it. And certainly the presentation is unique and awe inspiring. The large half heart of romaine has a nice grilled aroma and is topped with an anchovy dressing, pancetta, crouton and finished with shavings of fresh parmesan. The grilling process gives the lettuce a tasty hint of sweetness and warmth that envelopes the strong and creamy dressing. I only with they were able to grill the lettuce for longer as it only had the hint of char on the outside and could have used a more pronounced grill flavour.
The special of the night was a
Bruschetta topped with Italian sausage, tomato, wild mushroom and red onions. A little different than the traditional bruschetta, Pizzeria here takes a huge slab of chunky grilled bread which works well to soak in all the juices. The best part is the cooked Italian sausage, fatty and bursting of flavour; missing though were the wild mushrooms which either were very small in quantity or did not impart a lasting flavour of impact to the dish. Finished with a fresh basil topping.
And onto the stars of the night! Three pies to share, three pies to indulge in, three pies to rule the world ... (perhaps a bit of hyperbole). Let's get some of the common features of the pizzas through first though. Each pie emerges from the aforementioned wood fired oven and is finished at an screaming hot temperature reaching 500 degrees Celsius. The quick cooking process gives each pizza a crunchy toasty crust onto which the toppings are loaded upon. The dough used here is incredibly thin, done intentionally to cook evenly and fully through in the heat without burning and overcooking. This combination makes the crusts here some of the best pizza crusts I have ever had ever.
We started with the
Regina Egitto. The sauce is herbed olive oil and roasted garlic while the protein is thin Italian prosciutto. What makes the Regina special are small slices of fresh pear which add a surprising but delicious burst of sweetness and crunchiness next to the prosciutto. Topped with arugula and finished with pecorino, this was by far my favourite combination of flavours and ingredients.
The
887 was a nice contrast to the above Regina. Its base is a thick and flavourful tomato sauce while the toppings include roasted red peppers, sausage and salami. The sausage and salami are thick cut and have a nice crispy exterior while still chewy and tender on the inside. The fatty proteins were cut through by the sourness of the tomato sauce while complimenting the meaty slices of fresh mozzarella. Delicious.
The only pizza that disappointed was the
Sophia. It too is a herbed olive oil based pizza and is topped with "drunk" mushrooms, pecorino and while truffle oil. We had all loved the aroma of the truffle oil when the pizza arrived but found the flavours a bit missing. The "drunk" mushrooms tasted merely like sliced button mushrooms and while the pecorino was salty and delicious we needed another strong flavour to compliment and finish the pizza.
I usually do not order dessert but at the behest of my dining mates we went with the
Chocolate Budino. A slice of chocolate mousse cake greeted us with a kiss of shaved salt on its top and complimented by a scoop of fresh (and homemade) ice cream. Thick and creamy the cake had a profound chocolate flavour which, by itself would have been overwhelming, but was instead contrasted nicely by the cracked salt on top.
Pizzeria Gusto remains one of my favourites for pizza in Winnipeg. The star is of course their pies, all finished in their huge traditional Neapolitan wood fired oven whom all come out fresh and delicious topped with a combination of old traditional and new flavours. Definitely worth a visit for those with a craving, just make sure to snag a reservation or be prepared to wait.
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