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Popular Restaurants | Miscellaneous Restaurants Tips | All Tips (9)
 | |  |  | PAZZO RISTORANTE, BAR & PIZZERIA: Tucked away beneath it all... | Tip Rating:    Satisfaction:   |  |  | |  |
Pazzo's has renovated. Though, I'm not sure for the better. The upstairs restaurant has surely "borrowed" from Susur looking a little too clinical during the day. White tables, white chairs, lots of light...this transformation is 180 degrees from its previous look.
I'm not sure why else you would choose to eat here other than for the pizza. Actually, I haven't tried anything other than the pizza.
How about the Sophia Loren with smoked gouda, roasted red onion, pancetta and roasted red peppers?
Or the Soprano with spicy calabrese sausage, portobello mushrooms, and asiago cheese?
Or the Za Za Gabor sausage, roasted red peppers, pesto, goats cheese and arugula?
You can create your own pizza with more than thirty toppings to choose from. Just don't try the roasted garlic - it's mushy and tasteless. Opt for the fresh garlic if you need it.
When you ask for water they bring it in a glass bottle - none of this plastic fantastic business.
This downstairs pizzeria/restaurant is quite different from the main upper dining room. The pizzeria invites you to stay, have some food, check out the wine cellar and chill out in the darkened ambiance.
You'll find some of the actors from the festival here.
Too dark for photos at night.
Sophia Loren (the pizza), two pints of Creemore and an espresso. Leave a Comment Theme: ItalianPrice: US$21-30 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Ontario St. (main strip upon entering Stratford)
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| | | | Garlics: How not to open a restaurant... | Satisfaction: | | | | |
Garlics looked cozy, dimly lit, fireplace in the side, candles. Perfect for a chilly night. So, let me peel away the exterior to reveal "How not to Open a Second Location until You are Damn Well Ready to do So".
Garlics is the creation of proprietors, Craig and Barbara Henderson, with its flagship restaurant in London, Ontario. The Stratford restaurant is the second installment of what obviously looks to be the wishful beginnings of a greater franchise operation.
Our night began with an inexperienced server - nice lad but looking a little nervous. We ordered a bottle of Merlot but were told it was sold out. No biggie.
During our conversation with the server we learned this new location only opened on Tuesday - hence the smell of still fresh paint in the air. Our server was quick with excusing himself adding "I don't knows" or "I'm new" quip to many questions. Better yet, he even told us our wine choice wasn't as good as the wine we originally requested. How nice.
So, four days later the wine list was already depleted(?) It took four days to sell out selections from your wine list? Wouldn't this be a small hint to purchase a greater quantity of wines especially if the more expensive bottles are selling out?
This new location was problematic. My suggestions:
- finalize the menu including wine suggestions that match the wine list
- renovate the bathrooms
- get rid of the .50 cent candle holders on each table; find a little class
- lose the packets of table sugar unless you belive you're operating a greasy spoon
- close off the kitchen; you're not open concept
- spend more time training staff
- REPLACE the dirty, old and shredded t-bar ceiling above the bar. It looks nasty.
The bathrooms. I've seen better facilities in the back of a chippie. Pea green walls, two urinals and a stall fit for a third division Welsh football club.
The menu was nothing special. We ordered brie and garlic on a Portuguese style bread. We could taste the garlic but the brie (I'm sure that's what the menu claimed) was melted down to some semi brown shellac-like consistency. We honestly thought the server brought the wrong dish to the table.
Tracey chose the "Garlic's Linguini" - the signature dish. (linguini with roasted chicken, pancetta, wild mushrooms and snow peas in a garlic cream sprinkled with fried garlic) I tasted it and would say it was nothing extraordinary. The fried garlic was burned and the garlic cream was more dowdy petticoats than sexy slip.
I chose the roasted lamb special with red onion chutney, spinach and potato roasties. I did enjoy the lamb - it was cooked perfectly. But the roasties, oi vey. Nothing but a thick, mushy patty of shredded potato with zero flavour.
The most amusing part of the menu was the "recommended wine suggestions". The suggested wines weren't even on the wine list! LOL. I was informed the menu I was consulting was the London location menu so not everything would be available because...Stratfordites have a different palate from their London cousins!
**Updated July 3**
Preface: No reservations made, we were starving and neither of us were in the mood for street meat.
The second visit was baffling. Our server began by reciting the two specials off a scribbled piece of paper.
"Mahi-Mahi", she started, "is a fish that swims with the dolphins". "Aka dolphin fish or the dorado," I countered.
"Yeah, yeah, I tell people it's mahi-mahi so they don't think they're eating dolphin because, you know, some people would find that really gross," she added.
I'm glad she cleared that up for me because, you know, I thought I was eating dog crap. Leave a Comment Theme: Eclectic/InternationalPrice: US$31-40 » Currency ConverterComparison: about averageAddress: Downie StreetDirections: Located near the Avon Theatre, Carter's and Foster's Inn.
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on July 3, 2005
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