Carbone Coal Fire Pizza
400 - 1580 Taylor
Ave
204-488-2554
Twitter: @carbone_pizza
August 2012
Carbone sits in a strip mall on Taylor Avenue that's devoid of
character and colour. Even Carbone's glowing sign barely attracts any
attention among this whitewashed dune.
Outside, the sterile façade looks colder than winter, but inside, the
dark and cozy dining room oozes warmth, highlighted by the coal-fired oven in
the middle.
Carbone boasts to have the only
coal-fired oven in Canada, blasting their
pizzas at a searing 850F. I can’t argue
with the results as Carbone puts out one of the finest pizza crusts I’ve
tasted. The high heat cooks the dough
quickly and seals in the moisture, meaning the thin, Italian-style pie crust
tastes wonderfully crispy near the edges, with good structure throughout. Because of the high heat, you might get an
occasional burnt corner, but that’s easily discarded.
Their pizzas come with lots of meats, although
the high heat tends to dry them out. The
thin pieces of sausages and the thin slices of turkey meatball come out
crustily dry, taking away some of its nice flavours. The chicken pieces are very dry but the ham
turns out well.
By contrast, the fresh and plump pieces
of vegetables taste moist and juicy. An
army of delicious mushroom slices decorates the platter but onions are a bit
scarce. Similarly, I would like to see
bit more of the sweetish, herbaceous tomato sauce. Carbone doesn’t skimp on the cheese, which is
essential to pull the whole thing together.
Even with tons of cheese, you don’t see any grease on this pie.
Carbone makes a delicious pie, but if
pizza isn’t your thing, they offer some wonderful salads and innovative
soups. The Mixed Greens come with fresh
leaves and ripe tomatoes in a light, red wine vinaigrette. The chickpeas
highlight this starter, providing wonderful texture and unexpected flavour, and
I love the sliced egg on top. The Caesar
also features fresh leaves with a light Caesar dressing. The crispy focaccia
croutons and fresh ground parmigiano cheese ensures that this ubiquitous dish
is done superlatively.
Carbones also has some excellent
specials, including a pizza, salad or soup and coffee/soda lunch special for
$11 (although our coffee never came). I
especially like the Tuesday and Thursday specials, where wines go for half
price. The menu includes some
interesting and delicious wine choices, but if wine isn’t your thing, they have
some alluring craft beers as well.
Carbone may be in the middle of
nowhere, housed in a nowhere strip mall, but you should make the effort to dine
in their warm dining room, complete with competent service and great food. And do try the pizza!
**** /5
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This is a free product that I'm happy to bring to you. If you enjoyed reading this, please consider clicking on the accompanying ads. This is the only payment I receive for offering this public service. Thank you as always for reading.
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