When you have a group of more than 20 people in a restaurant, there’s a lot of food around. Also, there’s a lot of people’s food you can take pictures of. This post is extremely overdue…but a while ago the Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Society (I was a co-secretary) went to Pacifico Pizzeria Ristorante for a three course dinner ($27/person.)

There were three appetizers (primi) to chose from:

1) Caesar Salad: A classic favourite with our creamy roasted garlic dressing.

2) Giardino Salad: Mixed seasonal greens with tomato, cucumber, and shaved carrots

3) Caprese Salad: Bocconcini, roma tomatoes drizzled with a balsamic reduction and basil oil

I decided to try something new this time and ordered the Caprese salad. I didn’t know the slices of cheese were that huge, so I shared most of it. Either than huge chunks of cheese, the blend of basil oil and balsamic reduction fitted nicely with the refreshing taste of tomatoes. It made a good palette cleanser to start off the meal.

I tried some of the ceaser salad as well, the lettuce tasted fresh and the sauce was very creamy.

For the entree (entrata) there were three choices:

1) Penne Alfredo: cracked black pepper, garlic and butter in a Parmesan cream sauce with a hint of nutmeg

2) Spaghetti Bolognese: tender beef with herbs braised in pomodoro sauce

3) Margherita, Capriciosa or Vegetariana Pizza 

I chose the Margherita pizza. I haven’t had a real Margherita pizza since I went to Italy in ’09 and I was excited. However, when it arrived on my table, the pizza wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. It wasn’t a true Margherita pizza- there wasn’t dispersed bits of basil and not enough tomato sauce. On the other hand, it was a really delicious cheese pizza- being it was steamy hot and a rich cheesy flavour. The crust was a bit tough to chew as my jaw hurt after a while.

For dessert- there was a choice between traditional New York style cheesecake or Tiramisu. I opted for the tiramisu. I thought the tiramisu had too much cream compared to the lady fingers so I had to dig deep until I got to reach the cake part. If it didn’t have too much cream, the tiramisu would’ve been much better. The portion was quite big and I could not finish it.

Given the price I had to pay for the meal, I would say it’s worth it- but I wouldn’t pay full price for it. The main course was definitely most enjoyable even though it didn’t have a true Italian feel to it. I loved that it was fresh out of the oven, and would definitely consider this place again if I wanted pizza in a classy fashion.