Mar 30 2004
I told you so…
Faithful readers know my declaration that Amelio’s Pizza in the McGill ghetto makes among the best — if not the best pizza in Montreal. Amelio’s makes thick crust, thick cheese, thick sauce Chicago style pies that are fresh and tasty. They are real gut busters because you just can’t stop eating until the whole pie is gone.
I’ve been a loyal patron of Amelio’s since 1987 when I first arrived in Montreal. I quickly zeroed in on the “vegetarian” as my favorite of their offerings — which is unusual as I generally like pepperoni on a pizza. There was something special about Amelio’s vegetarian pizza however, and before long it became almost the only thing I would ever order. It is thick and luscious with green peppers — in chunks, not slices — mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and the occasional artichoke heart.
Over the years I’ve recruited many people to the restaurant, who without exception have agreed that Amelio’s pizza is among the best they’ve had. I’ve written about Amelio’s on this blog and on Boots ‘n All, and have eaten dozens — perhaps hundreds — of their hot and gloriously delicious pies. By now I think I may be something of an authority on the subject. (Google amelio’s pizza montreal: the top four hits are all from my keyboard.)
One of the things that make that vegetarian pizza so special is that the vegetables seem to be cooked right into the sauce. Anyone who has made a pizza at home knows that if you sprinkle chunks of green peppers and slices of zucchini on a pie and bake it hot and fast for 15 minutes the vegetables will still be crunchy unless you’ve sliced them paper thin. At Amelio’s the vegetables are soft (not mushy) as if they’ve stewed in the sauce. It’s almost like ratatouille, but swimming in bright red tomato sauce.
That slow-cooked flavour and texture, topped with way more cheese than anyone’s doctor would approve of, is what nails this as the best pizza in town. However, I had never confirmed my theory about the sauce. Would Amelio’s really have two batches of sauce on the go at all times? One just for the vegetarian pizza and another for all the others?
During my many visits to Amelio’s I have often posed this theory to whomever my date was at the time, only to receive a skeptical look and a change of subject. It’s like those repeating scenes from Atom Egoyan’s film “Calendar” where you see the protagonist enduring date after date in which he presents himself only to be quietly rejected. No one has ever said “Yes, Blork, I think you’re right” or even “that’s a plausible theory.”
I recently paid a visit to Amelio’s with two friends. Both of them are geezers like me, grumpy old codgers with office jobs and a general sense of dissatisfaction with how we fill our daylight hours. All three of us are long-standing Amelio’s fans, and when I brought up the issue of the vegetarian sauce they gave me the usual doubting look and added the scowl of derision one sees on people who lament the stupidity of their peers.
At the end of the meal we were chatting up the young waitress, the way greying men do when they’re among their own and away from their female partners (a practice that is likely seen as “badgering” by the waitresses). Emboldened by a notable quantity of red wine, I posed the question to her: is there a separate sauce for the vegetarian pizzas, with the vegetables already cooked in it?
She answered in the affirmative. “Yes.”
Whoa dang! I couldn’t believe it! There was the proof — or at least credible evidence. I said “I’ve been eating those vegetarian pizzas for sixteen years and I’ve always wondered about that!”
She looked at me for a moment and said “Why didn’t you just ask?”
21 Comments on “I told you so…”
We now know the secret: men will only ask for directions if they have had notable quantities of red wine.
AND a young female to badger ;)
So, did you get her phone number?
But, Ricardo (who puts out these lovely little cooking magazines) did classify Amelios as one of the best pizza places in town. No surprise there.
Martine, not every man refuses to ask directions. I mean, the quicker I can get somewhere, the quicker I can get to sleep. I’m *always* asking direction.
Ok Michel, I’ll correct that:
We now know the secret: Blork will only ask for directions when he’s been drinking lots of red wine and when there’s a young and pretty woman around.
It’s nice to know this bit of trivia about the Amelio’s vegetarian. When I moved to Montreal last August, and in desperation, Googled “Montreal best pizza”, I took your advice (you seemed serious about pizza) and I’m still grateful.
Any food advice on this blog, I take like the Gospel!
oh yeah: it *is* the best pizza in town! when i worked at mcgill, i’d order myself a small pizza for lunch: all my colleagues were drooling as the pizza made it’s way – and left it’s incredible aroma along the way – to me. yum. i miss it a lot.
Woo hoo! Believers!
Michel: Infoman busted Ricardo buying Kraft Dinner. I get all my important information from Infoman.
Um, bfd? Ricardo is cute enough to be forgiven. Just saying.
Besides, we all need the KD occasionally.
LOST IN TRANSLATION:
hmmm are you sure… she didn’t reply to something else. Let’s make the truth here. This is the uncut director version:
I posed the question to her: is there a separate place for a romantic meeting with you ready to be cooked in it?
She answered in the affirmative. “Yes.”
Whoa dang! I couldn’t believe it! There was the proof — or at least credible evidence. I said “I’ve been eating you with my eyes for sixteen years and I’ve always wondered about that!”
She looked at me for a moment and said “Why didn’t you just ask?”
Rhaaa Blork… you have really bad memories
to michel… KD is not Kraft Dinner, but Karl Dubost… a lot cheesier.
Damn you Karl! How did you get inside my head???
So Karl, are you therefore saying that we don’t all need a bit of you (whoever you are) occasionally?
Interesting version of the story Karl (who will now be known as “Zee Kraft Dinner”). But if he’s been looking at that young woman for 16 years, that means he started when she was only 3, and that kind of freaks me out…
Nooo, she was at least six!
But seriously, what freaks me out is this: Amelio’s hires a lot of McGill students as waitresses. So when I first went in there in 1987 there were a few 19-year-olds who probably caught my eye (I don’t remember any specifically). However, in my mind’s eye, they haven’t aged, but in reality those 19-year-olds are now 35! They’re lawyers, and mothers, and doctors, and executives. Yet, I really don’t feel so different!
Confirmed. Very nice pizza. Very cute waitresses. Yummy. LOL.
Best pizza on the planet is Como pizza in Laprarie and Delson on the South Shore. I’ve had Amelio’s and there’s no comparison. None. Really.
Whoa, dude, that’s a pretty serious challenge!
I might just have to make my way to Delson to check it out.
I live on the island and I go to Como at least once a month. It’s that good. I should warn you, if you go on a weekend, it’s packed. Weekdays are better.
Hasn’t anyone ever been bothered by the fact that Amelio’s closes half an hour earlier than the 9pm posted on the door…
And that the owners are a little mean (and psychotic) to their (pretty) waitresses?
The pizza is good, I agree. And they just installed an ATM machine, phew, it was about time.
Amelio’s is good. But there is better pizza to be had in Montreal at Elio’s on Bellechasse corner Drolet (Rosemont Metro) and–a worthwhile trek–at Da Bologna in Montreal North on Charleroi corner Alfred. Enjoy!