Restaurant Review: Queen Margherita Pizza

panna cotta

This past Saturday night I finally convinced the Boy to check out Queen Margherita Pizza with me.  I had gone a few months ago with my book club and loved it and I just knew the boy would too.  With the holidays and all of the craziness that that entails we didn't get there, but were finally able to this past weekend.

We didn't make a reservation and got there around 7:30ish on Saturday night.  It was busy, but they luckily had two spots at the bar that couldn't have been more perfect for us.  We got to feel like we're in the thick of it and there was a TV with the football game on.

The deal at QMP (as they cheekily have printed on the staff t-shirts) is they do a $25 prix fixe which includes a choice of appetizer, any pizza or dessert all for the low price of $25 per person.  A pretty great deal if you ask me, especially since it's what they always do, not like a special Sunday or Monday thing like so many other restaurants.

caprese served in a parmesan crisp cup

Each appetizer sounded equally yummy especially the Italian Sausage and Polenta but the boy and I each went for salads. He got the Caprese in a parmesan crisp cup which totally won for presentation and I got the pear & gorgonzola salad with balsamic vinegar.   I'm a sucker for crispy parmesan and of course had to have a few bites of his cup. The salty parmesan paired so nicely with a bite of tomato and mozzarella fior di latte all drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  The pear and gorgonzola were served on a bed of romaine and butter lettuces with dried cherries.  While the gorgonzola was great with the pear and cherries I felt like a darker green would have work better, arugula or frisee would have been ideal but even a spinach could have been nice.  I saw a few plates of the polenta go by and have to admit I wished I had gotten that.  That being said it wasn't a bad salad, just not my personal fave.

pear & gorgonzola salad

For a main course the Boy got the Mezza Luna, a calzone-pizza hybrid that was half Margherita pizza, half ricotta stuffed calzone and all delicious.  I don't think he uttered a word when he started eating, which is always a good sign.  He loves the ricotta and mozzarella-filled calzones we get when travelling through upstate NY and said this one was far superior to even those that he loves from there.  I was able to steal one quick bite and it was pretty awesome!

smiley face with a mezza luna & chili oil eyes, courtesy of the boy

I got the Giovanni, which was a pizza with tomato sauce, fior di latte cherry tomatoes, prosciutto and arugula.  It was basically topped with a whole bunch of my favorite things, so it was a no brainer to order and it did not disappoint.  I LOVE the crust at QMP, just the right balance of crisp and chew. The tomato sauce just tastes so fresh, it's like eating a tomato out of your backyard.  The saltiness of the prosciutto with the peppery arugula and the smooth, supple mozzarella was a match made in heaven!  It will be hard to go back and not order this pizza.  

heavenly chocolate hazlenut mousse

Even after only eating half of my pizza, I had no room for dessert but have a hard time turning it down when it's presented.  I got the Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse, which was a light and fluffy perfect version of Nutella.  Despite my overly full tummy I couldn't help but finish it.   The Boy got the panna cotta and enjoyed it too.  I had one bite, but as panna cotta has never been my favorite I don't really have much to say either way.  He enjoyed it and it sure was pretty.

All in all with a deal and food like the have at QMP, I'm certain we'll be back time and again.

Queen Margherita Pizza
1402 Queen Street East, Unit 8
Toronto
416-466-6555