BUCO Pizzeria + Vino has a wide range of unique pizza toppings, including charred lemon, clams, egg and goat cheese. I had the Pollo Pizza, which has chicken, sun-dried tomato aïoli, goat cheese and fior di latte. For those who are not familiar with Italian cuisine, the terms aïoli and fior di latte might be confusing. Aïoli is a sauce made of garlic and olive oil, and fior di latte is mozzarella cheese made from cows’ milk.
It is very easy to overcook chicken on a pizza, especially when using a wood fired oven like the one at BUCO. However, the chicken was cooked to perfection – not too dry but not undercooked, either. The pizza had an interesting contrast between a sweet and tangy taste; the sweet coming from the sun-dried tomato aïoli and the tangy coming from the goat cheese. The two opposing elements served to enhance the other perfectly.
It’s no surprise that the pizza was flawless; Matteo Cesarotto, the Food Service Supervisor at BUCO, was honoured as Chef of the Year at the Canadian Pizza Show on October 1st, 2017. He earned the award with his impressive Mush ‘n Boar pizza at the finale.
Aside from the food, the most interesting feature of the restaurant is the fact that there are two chairs mounted onto the wall at a very high height. I’m not sure why that design choice was made, but it gives a bit of contrast against the otherwise fancy atmosphere. Lightbulbs hang from the ceiling, suspended by wires only. The bowls and plates are rectangular, with gently sloping, rounded edges, adding to the unique ambience.
I can highly recommend BUCO Pizzeria for its unique take on pizza and the polite waitstaff. I’ll go back to BUCO Pizzeria + Vino very soon.
– Candace Valentine
Image from HMS Linea Design
