Best Pizza in the city

With international travel on hold for a while I wanted to update the blog with a local post.
In a city as diverse as Toronto, it's hard to say with any sort of certainty which restaurant is 'The Best" in any category.  But I am convinced the best pizza in this city, by far, is Pizza Libretto.

This wood oven pizzeria opened on Ossington only a few years back but already has a popular following that would make most downtown restaurant green with envy. It's not unusual to wait upwards of an hour for a table, any given Tuesday evening.  Thursday-Saturday night you should probably have a snack before you head over and wait.  But I promise you, it is worth it.


My all-time favourite pizza's are either Nduja Sausage (Sausage, Tomato, Garlic, Oregano, Basil, Mozzarella, Stracciatella) or Ontario Prosciutto (Prosciutto, Tomato, Basil, Mozzarella). A slice of one of these with a nice glass of red wine is probably heaven on earth.

If you're not willing to make the treck downtown, Pizza Libretto has just opened a second location on the Danforth. 

(Image of the Nduja Sausage pizza thanks to BlogTO)

Costa Rica: Puerto Viejo

Our second city in Costa Rica was much more lively.  Unlike the quiet, hidden-paradise feel Cahuita offered, Puerto Viejo was filled with life.  The roads were lined with restaurants, bars, hostels and shops.  I don't want the city to sound like the busy streets of New York city, it is just that in comparison to Cahuita, it offers a much different vibe.

The town is still filled with friendly people; locals and travelers.  In fact we met our surf instructor the first afternoon in town by simply striking up a conversation with a stranger on the beach.  (Note: If you are interested in surfing this is know worldwide as one of the best places to do so.)

The food was also fabulous.  I had the best taco of my ENTIRE life in this city at a Mexican restaurant bar called TEX MEX (owned by a retired man from England) .

Prior to our trip we were warned this city could be unsafe.  What we found is that you simply need to apply common sense.   Do not wander the streets late at night, on your own, with lots of cash on hand.  I know this seems like the most basic information for anyplace one travels however, I believe the laid back island-feel of southern Costa Rica somehow makes people forget the most basic safety tips.

Although the city is much bigger than Cahuita, by our second day in Puerto Viejo we already knew a handful of locals. By the time we left, we couldn't walk into a restaurant or bar without finding someone we knew to sit down with.  The most common question we were asked was "Why are you leaving?" Believe me, as the trip came closer and closer to the end, the question became harder and harder to answer.

Costa Rica: Cahuita

The first stop on our trip to Costa Rica was actually San Jose, the country's capital.  Almost all international flights into Costa Rica land in this large city.  Although it makes a trip a lot easier to stay somewhere close to San Jose, I promise you a much more authentic experience if you venture into other areas of the country (even if they are not easy to get to). 

We jumped straight into a van and began (what we thought would be ) our 4 journey through the mountains and down the eastern coast (Caribbean side) to Cahuita. The drive was beautiful but tedious!  There is only one road through the mountains and unfortunately that afternoon, there was a rainstorm which led to a 4-foot-wide tree collapsing onto the road.. +2 hours.  When it rains in Costa Rica, it pours!  By the time we were 6 hours into our drive we hit the low lands which were filled with rain waters.  To make a long story short, at one point there were cars floating passed us, water up to the bottom of our van windows, and some Spanish prayers being whispered by our driver.  As luck would have it, we did actually make it to Cahuita that night.

This small coastal city is as far away as you can get from the hustle and bustle of a big city. I couldn't find the exact population of Cahuita, it's estimated to be around 3,000 people.  There is one main road with about a dozen places to eat and shop.  The biggest draw to this Caribbean influenced city is that not only does it boarder a beautiful beach, but also the Cahuita National Park.  The vast number of animals and plant species that can be found within this park and other neighbouring forests is breath taking. It truly was inspiring to see how much of a priority Costa Rica has placed on environmental preservation.

 

We spent an entire morning hiking through one of the forests that boarders Panama. Without man-made trails, you have to literally wade through rivers and climb rocks in order to get around. We were able to see monkeys, sloths, iguanas, frogs etc. Even better, by hiking through the forest with one of the locals we learned about dozens of plants and flowers, and what the indigenous population had used them for.  (Everything from grass for cleaning teeth to flowers to help with stomach cramps).  The best part, we ended our hike with a swim at the base of a beautiful waterfall.


Some other great things we were able to check out in Cahuita included a sloth sanctuary, a chocolate making tour, and zip-lining. But the biggest selling feature of this city has to be the locals.  An extremely safe and friendly city, my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Coral Hills. A small bed and breakfast owned by a retired couple originally from Sweden and the US, it literally feels like you're staying with family.  They upkeep a beautiful garden and have 3 large and spacious cabins for travelers to stay in. Plus each morning, a lavish breakfast is served with local fruits, fresh croissants and buns, and a homemade treat from Joe!