Food blogs we wish were still active

 

The one I dearly miss and wish was still active is Pizzas for sale. This gentleman (his name was Sale) was so passionate and accurate in his reviews of those great pizze.

He was one rare  genuine connoisseur  of Pizze, one who knew what he was talking about and had all the tools to talk about it (a great palate, a superb understanding of the required know-how to properly review his pizze, highly accurate in his descriptions)  and seemed disciplined in what he was doing (definitely not one of those so called “food expert” / clowns who have their palate muted because they drink plenty of alcohol while eating the food they are actually reviewing …so much alcohol,  that the accuracy of their review is drowned in the alcohol they drink… you have many clowns like that).

Sale’s  Pizzasforsale blog is not updated  since a very long time, and yet it remains a personal coup de coeur and I still peruse it regularly because it is  a treasure to see such  a genuine connoisseur sharing his findings. Fast forward years later, the web is now full of clowns who visit a city for the first time, spend 3 hrs in that city and come up with stupid reviews such as  “top 10 best eateries of that city”… as absurd as it gets and ages away from the  serious and rigorous work of Sale.

And you, what food blog you wish was still active?

Rita, Montreal

Rita is, according to my tight-knit network of local foodie contacts, one of the latest hottest restaurants  in town.

They bake pizza using a wood-burning oven. I happen to be partial to wood-burning oven pizza, so right there, Rita caught my attention. Aside from wood-burning pizze, they do also offer the usual food items you typically find in most Italian-inspired bistrots (pastas, salads, etc.).

Rita is straightforward when it comes to her identity: on  her instagram she describes herself as ”  C’est un peu l’Italie, c’est surtout Montréal” which is French for “It’s a little bit of Italy, but mostly Montreal”.

 

I went to eat at Rita’s for the first time and  here’s what happened:

First, I  ordered the meatballs. Rita offers 3 of them for $14. The expected juicy texture in evidence, the aromatics and seasoning properly balanced. The Chef, who happens to be also one of the co-owners,  is Italian. His wife who is Québécoise is the other owner, hence the Italo-Québécoise or Italo-Montréalaise identity of the restaurant. Apparently, according to the staff, he is relatively young, but what mattered most is the observation that both him and his kitchen brigade know how to cook proper Italian food. The meatballs had proper Italian flavour profile and if you meet an Italian who disagrees with this, then the dude is still living in his “several decades ago nonna’s” fantasies. Do not get me wrong, I too love la nonna and the rustic and the classic and the traditional, etc… trust me, if Dal Pescatore is for me the #1 restaurant in the world…it’s because a nonna is there, doing some magical things in that world class restaurant and I have the highest respect for that…you know, I could have easily picked Noma, Alinea, The Fat Duck, Quique Da Costa, Mugaritz, Geranium as the restaurant of my dreams. Instead it is Dal Pescatore. That speaks volume for  my profound admiration of  Italian classic cooking. So, if I say that the Chef of Rita is cooking food that has a genuine Italian identity, that is not coming from a random tourist who, after couple of heavy drinks, has decided that …oh.. that is genuinely Italian. Nah! There’s no one who will genuinely tell you that Dal Pescatore is great based on approximate understanding of Italian cooking, trust yourself on that one! So, the Chef  of Rita is offering a refined contemporary  approach of Italian cuisine, indeed, but do not confuse that with anything else: he is not altering anything, the flavours are genuinely Italian. A superb dish of meatballs (simple, as always with Italian cooking, but simple does not mean ordinary when a skilled Italian Chef cooks. Which was the case, here). Great. 8/10

 

-Then I went on with Verdun hot honey pizza (vodka sauce, Provolone, Grana Padano, coppa, homemade ricotta, red onions and hot honey). At first, I wanted to order the Pizza Rita which is their closest take on the Margherita pizza. But based on the previous dish, I knew the Chef and his kitchen brigade would get that one right, too easy for them as they have proven to be capable of proper Italian cooking. So I decided to go with one of their other popular pizze. According to the online reviews on Rita, the verdun hot honey pizza  appears to be popular. Glad to see that Montrealers seem to appreciate a hot honey pizza. The Montreal restaurant scene, when it comes to trends, it is generally years behind. Hot honey pizza has been enjoyed by hordes of patrons elsewhere, and yet for Montreal it sounds like a novelty. Anyways, better late than never, I’d guess, Lol.  I was curious to see how Rita’s  would fare. Usually, the sweetness of honey goes well with, let us say, a hard cheese like parmesan, some marinara sauce, olives, sausages. Here, no marinara sauce, but the vodka sauce worked really well with the hot honey as you would expect. No olives, no sausages, no parmesan, but I find the  the softer, butterier and delicate flavour profile of the grana padano to be a better companion to the hot honey (and of course, it goes without saying that the ricotta is a natural pairing, here). The hot honey highlighting perfectly the sweet and salty combination of this pizza. No boozy feel or smell, from the vodka, at all (vodka being a neutral spirit). And even though ‘honey’ is part of the equation, you will not feel any heavy  sugary / syrupy input here (the honey input is subtle, which is actually my preference). Add a bit of the chili oil (it’s there, you cannot miss it, they will serve it alongside the pizza), here and there, to add a bit more fun to the pizza. It’s not that hot, so do not worry, your tongue will not split in half  Lol. Few weeks prior, I was at a legendary wood-fired pizza parlour in Mile End, one that I have cherished since its very first day (in  2010) and all I wish to them, nowadays, if continued greatness matters to them, is to come here and reconnect with how a proper wood-fired pizza is done. GG (Genuinely Good). 7.5/10

As a side note (a note that has nothing to do with the current review), talking about Pizza: I am motivated to take some space from the current review and praise  Pizzéria No 900 at 1021 Rue Fleury E – Not all Pizzeria No 900 have impressed me, but this one took the cake for me, with a classy and educated waitstaff and superb pizza. I value classy people who apply themselves to do things well. I value this specific Pizzéria No 900, granted that they continue to be the superb Pizzeria that I have eaten at 3 times this past year. My generation is the generation that values people who work well all the way, which means who respect  my hard earned money by offering great food and great service. Therefore I will always be an untiring advocate of this kind of business.

 

–Gnocchi al Forno (tomato sauce with vodka, cream, dried cherry tomato, ricotta, Provolone & Grana Padano). What drew me to this dish is the tomato vodka sauce and my love for gnocchi (one of my preferred types of dumplings … flirt with couple of superlative gnocchi and it won’t be long before you fall in love with it, Lol – trust yourself on that one). The vodka sauce, I like it because I love the simple things in life that can be hugely rewarding for the soul, and the vodka sauce is a simple sauce that can be  soul satisfying (basically a tomato-based sauce with a hint of vodka, with a bit of heavy cream). The tomato/vodka sauce packed with superb bright tomato flavours that were further enhanced by the hint of tanginess left behind by the (obviously evaporated) vodka (a taste sensation that I am partial to). One supreme example of a superlative dish of  gnocchi was this one I once had at A Cantina da Mananan (Corniglia, Cinque Terre), which was the  stuff that dreams are made of, indeed, but Rita’s, although not in that same league, was still perfectly enjoyable (can’t go wrong with such comforting flavours) and well executed (timely baked). Rita is using quality ingredients, a feature of this dish as well as a feature of all other food items I have sampled. 7/10

 

–Affogato – Homemade Ice Cream and espresso. Last year, I heard, from a local foodie, about their young pastry Cheffe. According to that foodie, she is Italian in her late 20ish. At that time, I did not really pay attention to what that foodie was telling me but he was basically saying that he was at an Italian event and there was that young pastry Cheffe who had baked some superb nonna worthy cakes, etc. Anyways, I forgot about that until recently, when that same foodie told me that, since I would give Rita a try, I should also try their desserts as their pastry Cheffe happens to be that very same aforementioned young Pastry Cheffe. Now, I generally do not order sweets/desserts at Italian restaurants. But what that foodie told me piqued my curiosity, therefore I ordered not 1, not 2 but 3 sweets/desserts, to see what this young Italian pastry Cheffe was all about. First, the Affogato – Homemade Ice Cream and espresso. Well, this young Pastry Cheffe is not joking. I am notoriously picky with sweets/desserts, but her work forced me to surrender, Lol: the ice cream packed with exciting flavours, the espresso would make a nonno really proud (I particularly do not mess around with my espresso – as explained in this post, when I need to make my tiramisu at home, I drop by an old school Italian caffe for the espresso I will use for my tiramisu. That tells you how I am very serious about the espresso. Well, this young lady did pair that world class ice cream with a world class espresso during that meal. It was that excellent. And yet  the pasticciere had other tricks up her sleeve … 9/10)

Next move of the pasticciere:

 

–Homemade cannoli. Superb crisp fried shell (so light and delicate – a marvel of engineering. I respect the old school heavy textures of the cannoli, and I would guess that some old minds frozen in the past would have hard time adapting to how cannoli have evolved, Rfaol, but this new sophisticated light shell was dazzling ) with an equally superb filling (of seaberry/raspberry flavoured ricotta). The pasticciere is young, but it was easy to see that she could do whatever she wants, whatever you need, a  testament to her great skills: you need it old nonna school way, she will get it done. You need it in its contemporary rendition, she will make it happen. So, contemporary and refined this one was. Top top marks! 9/10

 

The  pasticciere continued to steal the show. I know, not her intent Lol. But it is what it is. Next and last act of her superb work:

Olive oil Italian cake, whipped mascarpone cream, jam.  The mascarpone tasting fresh, the jam adding extra exciting sweet tones. As mentioned earlier on, they use quality produce and that makes an obvious difference as well. The cake flawlessly executed  (again, exactly as with the work of the main Chef, the Italian flavour profiles are never altered. It is not because it does not look old that it is not genuine. Old means old. I respect “Old” — we are ALL going to be Old at some point in our lives, right?  — but Old does not necessarily means Genuine. That is what needs to be understood, here). Another superb creation of this amazing skilled young pasticciere. 8/10

Moving forward, all my reviews (starting from Jan 1st 2023) will mention the service ONLY if I found it necessary/worthy of mention (there is a problem of education, these days. Many people have no education, consequently all they have to offer is poor/bad service, and you find them everywhere, in the restaurant business and anywhere else, and it’s so common that it is easier for me to simply mention the places where I had a good service, Lol. No kidding). If I do not mention the service, needless to guess what I mean, Lol. So Rita does not suffer from that problem, which is why I am taking the time to mention the service at Rita’s.  The service at Rita was really good, indeed. As I have just mentioned, I generally do not mention the service when it is of the “untrained” — or, as I would politely describe, in my mother tongue, French,  as “éducation de porcherie” —   sort, but here, at Rita’s, it was of the classy sort and you can see that they are trained and educated. As an example, these days, in Montreal, at a bistrot-type dining establishment (which is the case of Rita), you will see more and more of the ‘keep the same utensils all along your meal ” mentality. But here, they are classy: they change your utensils for every single course as classy people are used to. I mean, I do not care anymore…either approach works for me…my philosophy in life being “I’ll deal with crap wherever there’s crap and I’ll appreciate class wherever there’s class”….so anything goes, Lol…but I value classy people, therefore I took a moment to salute their classy service.

Bottom line: I know that I am sometimes not kind in my views of  the restaurant industry, deservedly so, but Rita is the proof that, if you do things right, I will happily give you props when that is deserved. I loved Rita. Really did. Because I do not ask and do not expect the moon. Never. I just expect the basics / the minimum that is expected from a restaurant to be fulfilled. Just do the basics and do it well, and I will be a happy camper. Rita did exactly that. So, yep it is one one of the better restaurants in town, right now. Smart move on their part not to go with yet another classic Italian formula (there are many good classic Italian restaurants, already, in and around Montreal), but to inspire themselves from Italy and come up with something that is cosmopolitan and contemporary exactly like the city where they are situated, Montreal, which allows them to think outside the box when need be ((even though, as clearly explained in the review, the core Italian flavour profiles are there, for the undistracted minds), and that  is a good thing. Here’s what I found impressive about Rita: they could have walked away with some approximate Italian food with the excuse that “Hey…I already told ya that I am just a bit of Italy but mostly a lot of Montreal“, as per what they clearly mentioned on their instagram, but No…they have opted to be Italian where it should be and doing it very well. That is the kind of action that deserves high respect. Top respect to Ya, Folks! Top respect! As for  this young pasticciere,  if she is not already taken, then please marry her (sorry Rita!) !!!…hahaha!!! Cara mia pasticciere, come cucini bene! Molto impressionante! I would happily eat here again! Rita. Addr: 3681 Wellington St, Verdun, Quebec H4G 1V1. https://ritarestaurant.ca

Sorbillo, New York, NYC

 

New Yorkers, those lucky bastards! Lol. They attract the best of the best! Sushi Saito (Tokyo) is the current best sushiya in the world. Guess what… they had one of their Chefs who was ready to go working abroad, but it had to be ..guess where…in NYC, of course (Chef Shion Uino now working  at Sushi Amane at Mifune ). You remember the legendary Jiro, of Jiro Dreams? Well, that is not ‘new’ news anymore, but his apprentice  Nakazawa (one of the main characters of the movie Jiro Dreams) is ..guess where?

Examples of great Chefs attracted by New York are endless (Ferran Adria, Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, Rene Redzepi, Massimo Bottura, Enrique Olvera, ), with the latest being Legendary Neapolitan Pizzaiolo Gino Sorbillo.  Gino is known as one of the best Pizzaioli  of Napoli (just to give you an idea of how popular the eatery is – locals do wait, on average, one hour in front of his pizzeria to get their fix of the best pizza of  Napoli ) and he is also famous for his  feud with  the local mafia over his refusal to pay  the pizzo. The pizzeria is so popular that it quickly expanded to Milano in Northern  Italy, then now, in New York City.

I have long been fascinated by Pizze, particularly the Neapolitan Pizza. Actually, one big dream that I do have would be  to spend 3 months in Naples and review every single of their Pizza shops (a bit like what this guy did, many years ago, but I will stick to Naples, world’s ‘temple’ of the Neapolitan Pizza).  It took me a while to be prepared for this project: first, I wanted to spend years tasting all sort of Neapolitan pizze, understanding  the techniques, the ingredients, etc.

I did that for the past 20 years and do, consequently, nowadays, feel ready for the last step before visiting all the Pizza shops of Napoli:  doing an apprenticeship at 3 of the best Pizza shops of Napoli. This will not be easy, perhaps even impossible, but where there is a will, there is a way!  If that happens, the 3 shops will not be reviewed  (I am a bit ‘old school’ about this, and do have nothing against those who think otherwise — I mean we are in an era where most critics do not care about such details — but I insist on never reviewing establishments that I am familiar with), but revealed, of course  (I would like the relevant blog to feature videos of what I am learning at those shops, as well as detailed written  accounts of my journey as an apprentice pizzaiolo in Napoli) .

Regarding Sorbillo NYC, as we all came to  expect,  the food journalists  did  review it inaccurately.  In order to protect their friends of the local pizza scene, they applied themselves to diminish the importance of Sorbillo in their reviews:  they had, of course, to review pastas at a …. pizza shop. They had to. They just could not refrain from using  that cheap shot. Mind you, there is not much they could do:  they never went to Napoli and went on reviewing  this shop with their North American taste. And more importantly, everyone knows that some of the major web sites reviewing those restaurants do have the restaurateurs ‘paying to play’ on their platforms. And those web sites cannot hide it anymore (just look at their disclaimers regarding their affiliation to the restaurateurs).  Gino Sorbillo is a restaurateur who has challenged the pizzo  of the mafia back home in Italy. Needless to guess that he was not going to accept the pressure of the ‘paying to play’ online  system that is so common nowadays.

You cannot  fail to identify those who have no clue of what to expect from a Neapolitan pizza: they will complain about the crust being a bit limpy (Americans prefer a crispier crust). Well, it is the way it is done in Napoli, folks! If you want a pizza which pie is crispy, then opt for a Roman style pizza or any of  your usual  Italian-American pizze. Some will complain about the sparse burnt edges of the pizza, Lol. Others will rage against  the fact that they could not ..fold their pizza… total DELIRIUM!! Ignorance is a bliss, indeed.

But the true connoiseurs of Neapolitan pizza were not going to be fooled by all of that –

Margherita con bufala – Mozzarella Bufala, San Marzano Tomatoes, Basil, Terre Francescane Organic EVOO. What I was looking for at Sorbillo is exactly what a true connoisseur of Neapolitan pizza would look for in his Neapolitan pizza: Is the dough made with Italian type 0 or 00 wheat flour (this takes educating your senses, palate, etc, for some time, but once that is done, you will know if your pizza was made with a dough of such quality) ? kneaded by hand or with a low-speed mixer and formed by hand? Is the dough topped with raw, pureed San Marzano tomatoes from Italy? is it made in a true wood burning brick oven? Were the ingredients fresh and of quality? fior di latte made from cow’s milk or is mozzarella di Bufala? fresh basil and extra-virgin olive oil? Are the ingredients all-natural and fresh? The answer to all the above raised questions was positive.

I also ordered:

Polpette Napoletano – Meatballs and tomato ragù. The meatballs simmered in the sauce as it should, the consistency ideally  moist, the hearty flavor of the sauce in evidence. The sauce was hard to improve upon, its texture and taste as perfected as you will get from a Chef that knows his Italian food to the T, and most importantly…that knows how to technically execute it flawlessly. Only someone who has no real clue about what a legit version of the polpette does smell , taste and feel like would argue against that polpette. La Nonna or any Italian who truly knows his Italian food  would certainly be very proud with what this brigade  is doing as the essence of the  traditional recipe is faithfully applied here. 8/10

Crema di Tiramisù – The mascarpone/eggs/ sweet marsala wine competently rendered mix did blend appetizingly well with a perfectly fine espresso coffee  flavor.  Well judged quantity of mascarpone so that the tiramisu retains a proper creamy texture rather than verging too much on a mousse. This was also timely chilled to let the flavors develop. One version  of the tiramisu that would certainly make any Italian who knows his Tiramisu happy, which was actually the case of an Italian family sitting  at the neighboring table and who seemed to have  enjoyed both the very same polpette I did order  and this tiramisu as items that are executed properly . 7/10

Babà Napoletano – The rum-soaked oven-baked dolce was properly executed: leavened  to its traditional soft spongy consistency (whoever baked the mini cake did not take any shortcut as it was evident that they took the time that was necessary to go through the time consuming / slow leavening process that is required to make this cake), it was not too boozy and it did express a well judged intensity of sweetness. The cake was not too light, therefore its inside was not too dry (though a tidbit dryer than I would have liked, in some parts, but I am  nitpicking here). It  had very little alcohol. Its   texture was soft, as it is supposed to be.  The nice golden brown exterior was also achieved as it should. It was served at room temperature, which was the right thing to do. A perfectly legit version of the Babà Napoletano. 7/10

Extra points for making all the desserts, the bread (really nice for a place that is not dedicated to bread), as well as their gnocchi   on the premises! It is way more that what we came to expect from a pizza place.

Bottom line: Those truly in the know would have found the  Sorbillo’s Neapolitan pizza I was having as authentic as a Neapolitan pizza will feel, smell and taste like outside of Italy:  A properly rendered thin and soft crust, the crust bubbling up as it should be, the charred spots present, again, as it’s supposed to be. The fresh tomato sauce packed with the minerality and bright acidity that is expected in a Neapolitan pizza (I saw way too many reviewers inaccurately complaining about the bright acidity of the tomato sauce in such pizza…not trying to be rude folks, but c’mon…take some lesson, learn how such pizza is authentically made before assessing it as you really sound ridiculous with such suggestions as ”I did not like it because the tomato sauce has ….bright acidity’ ), both the technique and the ingredients are on point. Sorbillo NYC 334 Bowery, New York, NY 10012, USA  Phone: (646) 678-3392 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SorbilloNYC/ Overall food rating: 8/10 (Category – Best Neapolitan Pizza shop outside of Italy – you need to be seriously clueless about Italian cooking to give this place the low ratings that the food journalists have rated it. Any serious Italian who knows his food will agree that this is a very good Italian Pizza shop), Service : 9/10 (Attentive, friendly and yet professional) ***UPDATE FEBR 2021: according to Google, this restaurant is now closed