SubscribeDINNER May 13, 2008
With the arrival of summer the late weekday night dinner returns. Sitting on a terrace in Little Italy is just a lot more satisfying when you don’t have to share your table with a four-foot high snowdrift and who isn’t able to get out of the office for a 9pm meal at least once a week ?
Over the course of the past few months there have been a few interesting development in Little Italy restaurant demographics, most notably a mushrooming of purportedly high-end pizzerias that seem eager to replicate the success of Bottega. While it is unclear whether Ustica has met its Waterloo (it has been closed for 5 months but the tables are still set as if to open tomorrow), signs announcing the opening of Vinizza on the corner of Casgrain right beside JTM and the merciful closing of Pesca, replaced by Pomodoro, demonstrate that dreams of turning dough into cash still abound in this neighbourhood.
Pomodoro settles into the well trodden space that has recently housed the none-too-impressive Pesca and Crazy Horse and before that Quelli della Notte (which in its heyday was actually not bad). Business was slow on this night with a single table on the terrace and no punters inside. In spite of this, none of the tables on the terrace were set for service (unless dirty ashtrays count) leading to a scramble to set our table as we were being seated. Since lazy front of house and lazy kitchen go together like a horse and carriage, I took this as a bad omen.
Pomodoro bills itself as a pizzeria but also offers a menu that will be familiar to devotees of North American Italian such as prosciutto and melon, grilled squid, veal scallopini and a more-or-less standard line-up of pastas. There are a couple of interesting appetizers, as well, such as Roman style grilled lettuces.
I must say that the service, if unprofessional, was really quite friendly and the interaction with our waiter was good. Not a hard task for a waiter to be pleasant whilst serving two tables, but we must give credit where credit is due. A complimentary antipasto consisting of marinated peppers with olives and a simple tomato bruschetta were proferred but both were a little on the bland side. Still, it is a pretty impressive freebie and substantial enough to pass as an appetizer in a lot of restaurants. No word on whether this is standard business practice or a flourish reserved for slow nights. The pizzas range from the humble margarita to a few more exotic numbers and are priced at $12 to $19. We chose the Positano with tomato, spinach, ricotta, black olives and parmesan; and the Crudaiola with fresh tomato, ricotta salata, mozzarella di bufala, aragula and proscuitto di Parma.
The other table (of two) next to us got their pizza but the order was wrong and had to be taken back. Looking at their plates, I began to foresee an entirely forgettable and overcooked pizza in the Pizza Napoletana championship frisbee style and I began to regret the moment I had ever seen that Pomodoro sign.
And then it happened; the pizza came and exceeded all expectations. With a crispy on the outside yet pliable crust similar to the one that has rightly made Bottega the king of Italian-style pizza in Montreal, Pomodoro vaulted itself into consideration as a serious restaurant. I wouldn’t say that the crust was equal to Bottega’s but it is a lot closer to what I have experienced elsewhere in the city. Pomodoro’s pizze are larger than those served at Bottega and the toppings are piled on much thicker. As many of Bottega’s detractors cite these as its biggest failings perhaps Pomodoro will find some fans there. As a technical note, I think that the liberal use of toppings causes a bit too much sogginess in the center of the Pomodoro pizza but this had virtually no effect on my enjoyment of the pie, so no points deducted for that. The combination of ingredients was, in both cases, excellent and the quality of the ingredients without reproach.
Prior to the pizza I was certain that I would never come back to Pomodoro and that I would be eating at the same table but in a new restaurant next summer. But after trying it I will definitely come back. Having just recently opened, Pomodoro is still finding its feet as a restaurant, but the comedy of errors we witnessed on a night when the staff outnumbered the customers does not bode well for the time when they get a packed house. And when they do, we will also see if they can churn out consistently good pizza or whether what we had on this night was something Pomodoro can only make when there are only two tables to serve. Just in case, it might be a good idea to try it now, before it gets packed.
Cost: Approximately $60 with tip and a couple of liberal pours of a non-descript Sangiovese
Pomodoro
6834 St-Laurent
514.667-3867
I have been to Pomodoro last week and I must say that I disagree with you. It was a busy night, the service was friendly and efficient. I was accompanied by 3 friends. We had great antipastos. We ordered 4 different pizza. We shared the 4 pizzas. Each pizza was delicious and, to our taste, cooked to the perfection. The restaurant decor and ambiance was great. I have also been to Bottega. I find that it is overated and overpriced. I have also been to Pizzeria Napoletana. It s not the same type of Pizza you may find at Bottega or at Pomodoro, but they must be doing something right, or else a whole lot of people would be terribly wrong. Overall I think that you get a lot more for your money at Pomodoro than you do at Bottega, and the ambiance is less prententious.. After my visit, I have sent people at Pomodoro,and they were all very pleased. I am definitely going back.
Pomodoro seems to be drawing a good crowd consistently. My return visit was a bit of a disappointment though, as the pizza was not as good as on my first visit. Good dough and well cooked but no finesse on the ingredients (roughly hewn vegetables and a bland sauce). I’m a little disappointed as I really enjoyed the pizza on my first visit. The service was comically bad this time, which, combined with the less than sparkling pizza, is enough for me to cross Pomodoro off my list of neighbourhood eats. Why suffer a snooty waiter when you can get good service and (generally) better food at Vinizza…never mind much better pizza at Bottega?
I went to pomodoro last saturday and it was excellent. I started off with a calamari entree, which was to die for and finished with a standard margherita pizza. Their pizza reminds me of the one i had in italy. This restaurant is beeing a lot compared with Botega, but i agree with Lina, Botega is overated. The service was very friendly and i have nothing else to say about it. Another fantastic point, the wine is very cheap and also the menu in general. I will definitly go back to Pomodoro and enjoy the wonderful terasse they have.
The pizza at Pomodoro also reminds me of one I had in Italy, unfortunately it was one I bought in a cafeteria on a ferry (sorry, I couldn’t resist). I don’t think anyone is seriously comparing Pomodoro to Bottega, though I agree the terrace is nice.
This restaurant’s terrible service overshadowed any consideration of the quality of the food! The restaurant’s 2 owners/partners? sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant during dinner rush hour overlooking their kingdom while they feasted. Essentially taking over a revenue table for their own pleasure. This restaurant is in desperate need of a Manager! Too many water boys who slowly walk around as if unsure of their duties, and the wait staff’s serving area is so large and disjointed, that the servers never have time to pay attention to their tables. Pizzas are, as mentioned earlier, soggy. They are also very frugal with sauce on the pizza. The pizzas were almost on par with something from Dominoes or Pizza Hut thin crust pizza. Never again. A word to the wise…stay away!
I haven’t been back in over a year and agree that service is the Achilles heel (unless its the food). I see they have started using red checked tablecloths, the coup de grace which lands them firmly in the land of “red sauce” Italian.
I was at the restuarant the first week of July, and would highly recommend to stay away.
the service is horrific–and the food is comparable to fast food kiosk, served very, very slowly.
please try and avoid the washrooms, and basement in general where things are falling apart.
Thoroughly disappointed.