It’s been three weeks since I visited Pazzo, but I still think about it now and then. That deep fried buffalo mozzarella….mmm.
Pazzo is a small restaurant that packs a punch! Not only does it consist of the Taverna (main eatery), but it also has a pizzeria in the basement and a bakery next door. (I tried the salted chocolate chip cookie. Heaven.) Whatever they do, they do it well, and it shows.
Pazzo Taverna has appointed Yva Santini as head chef for 2013. Her dishes are made with fresh sustainable seafood, house-made pastas and locally sourced produce.
We were all collectively wow-d by the three tier seafood appetizer platter that was brought out! The Grande Platter ($145) was heaped with 16 shrimp, fresh scallop ceviche, P.E.I marinated mussel salad, 2 king crab legs, lobster tail & claws, a dozen oysters and tarragon aioli, with warm butter. Eating this in combination with the fresh baked focaccia bread that they brought to start off our meal was heaven.
Next up was a fantastic selection of mozzarella and a variety of bruschetta.
The bruschetta was delicious, but the cheese from their mozza bar stole the show for me. It was simply amazing. Fresh mozzarella dipped in honey and served with grilled figs, pingue prosciutto. House made burrata with Sicilian olive oil, roasted garlic that melted in your mouth and fried rosemary.
My personal favourite was the Fried burrata with tomato jam and pesto. I could have eaten that entire cheese by myself! Seriously. Each dish was $14 and was served with grilled focaccia.
House made burrata with sicilian olive oil, roasted garlic and fried rosemary
fried burrata with tomato jam and pesto
At this point we were all pretty much stuffed. The very last dish to arrive was the gnocci. ($18)
The gnocci ($18) was served with Baccalà, cream, lemon and black pepper. I was worried that it would be a very heavy dish, but it was done with a light touch. Baccalà is salted cod. There were small chunks of this lightly salted fish in the creamy lemon sauce. It was the perfect end to a fantastic meal.
Pazzo is at 70 ONTARIO STREET, Stratford, Ontario.
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