Pazzo in Stratford offers hearty and authentic homecooked Italian cuisine even when you don’t have much time before your next show. Photo by Julia Simmons
By Galen Simmons
When time is factor – whether you’re seeing a show or there’s just somewhere you need to be – there’s no better place to have a thoroughly enjoyable, homestyle Italian meal than at Pazzo Pizzeria in downtown Stratford.
Recently, Julia and I joined our friend and singer-songwriter Melissa Dutch for an early dinner at Pazzo before Melissa was set to play a gig at The Bunker a short distance away. We didn’t have a tonne of time before Melissa needed to be at sound check, but that really didn’t matter much as the team at Pazzo ensured we had our drinks and our food with plenty of time to spare.
Even before the main dinner rush, the atmosphere at Pazzo is always electric as theatregoers chat about the plays they’ve seen or those they’re about to see and locals catch up over a beer and a pizza or a plate of freshly made pasta.
Every time I’ve eaten at Pazzo, the service has been excellent as the friendly and professional staff put together a perfectly timed culinary experience – drinks come promptly, followed shortly by appetizers and then the main course arrives only moments after the appetizer plates are taken away.
Our waiter, Avery, who has served Julia and I before, was extra attentive as she checked in with us during each course, ensuring each course was to our satisfaction, and we had everything we needed. Since we shared the PEI steamed mussels, I asked for a few extra pieces of toast, which the kitchen and wait staff hurried to our table in record time.
The meal started with drinks, as it so often does. Julia had the Something Rotten cocktail, a fresh, zingy and citrusy Jamaican rum drink made with orange juice and themed after this season’s production of Something Rotten at the Stratford Festival. While she enjoyed her drink, Julia said it was a strong pour and might not be suitable for those who don’t enjoy the taste of Jamaican rum.
Melissa, meanwhile, calmed her pre-show jitters with the sangria, a fresh-tasting and citrusy twist on the classic, and heavy on the grapefruit.
Not interested in a cocktail, I turned my attention to the beer menu, and the featured tap – Peroni Nastro Azzurro – caught my eye as it was one I hadn’t tried previously. While I’m not usually one to gravitate towards IPAs – they can be a little too strong and bitter for my taste – this one was quite good It had a light citrus flavour with floral hoppy aroma, and a dry, clean finish. It was the perfect compliment to my meal and another example as to why I like to try the featured tap at any restaurant I visit.
A favourite starter of Julia and I, the PEI steamed mussels were perfectly cooked and steamed in a wonderful garlicy, herbaceous pesto cream broth with finely diced onions and tomatoes. Alongside some focaccia toast for soaking up all the broth, the mussels were a great precursor to the heavy pasta dishes to follow.
Though Melissa said she doesn’t usually eat anything heavy before a performance, the ravioli caught her attention and wouldn’t let go. Made in house, Melissa said the ravioli were tender yet firm and filled goat cheese, ricotta and parmigiana for a mild yet perfectly balanced flavour. The pasta was served with impeccably cooked cremini and shiitake mushrooms in a garlicy cream sauce. For a hit of extra protein, Melissa asked the kitchen to add chicken – something that at many restaurants is more of an afterthought. At Pazzo, however, the chicken was beautifully incorporated into the dish and felt as if they belonged.
Julia felt the call of the shrimp spaghettini, a deliciously satisfying combination of perfectly seared shrimp and tender-crisp broccolini tossed in a fresh pesto and finished with chili crisp for a mild spice and parmigiana. Julia noted the pasta was cooked to a perfect al-dente and the basil pesto balanced the spice from the chili crisp and the salty, cheesy, parmigiana flavour excellently.
Meanwhile, I was in the mood for a classic – spaghetti and meatballs. In my opinion, if an Italian restaurant can’t do a fresh tomato sauce and homemade meatball right, they’re not worth a second visit.
Luckily, Pazzo does both well. The sauce itself was fresh and tangy with a hint of sweetness – the marker that it has been simmering all day – and the generous portion of meatballs, made with beef fresh from McIntosh Farms in Atwood, made for the most satisfying meal I’d had all week. The pasta was, again, cooked to a perfect al-dente and the dish was topped with basil and parmigiana, as it should be.
Thanks to Avery’s attentive and timely service, we certainly would have had time for dessert, but by the time we finished out mains, none of us could manage another bite, so we politely declined.
Had this been a pre-show dinner, the three of us would have had plenty of time for a leisurely stroll along the Avon before heading to the theatre. As it was, Melissa made it to her sound check with more than enough time to spare.
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