Dude, Little Italy was lit last night, bro! After the Azzurri beat Belgium in the Euro Cup, people were out dancing and celebrating in the streets — the cops actually blocked off College until 8 o’clock, three hours after the game ended! OK, so there might not have been as many people as we wouldda seen pre-pandemic, but I’m pretty sure they still exceeded the limits of an “outdoor social gathering” under Phase 2. And we were right in the middle of all the action at Trattoria Taverniti, this cozy, family-run Italian joint that’s been at the corner of College and Clinton for the past 10 years!
Man, this place has almost an entire page of pizzas to choose from — 24 in all — so you KNOW I’m gonna crush a pie, paisano! But first, here’s a take on bruschetta thatta I’ve never even seen before, bro…
Now, who needs tomatoes when you can have spicy sausage and cheese, though? At Tavernitis, they top this toasted bread with n’duja sausage spread and some creamy stacciatella, and then finish it with a drizzle of honey. I dunno what they put in that salsiccie, but it was pretty, pretty spicy! And yet, the sweetness from the honey really cuts through the mix. Man, I don’t think I can go back to regular bruschetta after this…
Now, it’s hard to pick a favourite among so many great pies, but when in doubt, I go with the one that has the most meat. (That’s probably, like the fifth rule of Flavourtown, or something.) In this case, that would be the Carne, a combination of pepperoni, Italian sausage, and no, that’s not bacon — it’s guanciale, bro! Crust was nice ‘n crispy, and 18 bucks gets you a pie that’s probably enough food for two people…but you KNOW I ate it all and still had room for dessert!!!!!!!
And when it comes to il dolce, I gotta go with an Italian classic — we’re talkin’ tiramisu! Nice ‘n creamy, with a hit of cocoa and not too, too much espresso…pretty sure I could slam at least three of these, bro!!!!
Burgers, Bacon & Beer 