Sibling Rivalry: Ragazzi Bistro (82 Ave)
So last month, the PizzaMonsters visited the renowned Tony's Pizza Palace, and enjoyed some great NY style pizza.
Well, it turns out Tony has a brother. It also turns out that that brother makes pizza too! Vinny, along with his brothers Tony, Mario & Silverio (I know, the names couldn't be more Italian!) used to sling pizza here in Edmonton back in the 70's. We all know what happened to Tony, but as it happens, Vinny and his sons also got back in to the pizza game, opening Ragazzi, originally named Pizza Boys ('Ragazzi' is Italian for 'Boys') back in 2001, and have been pumping out pizza ever since.
Does good pizza run in the family? The PizzaMonsters went to find out!
Ragazzi Bistro Italiano is located on Whyte Ave, just east of Bonnie Doon mall and both inside and out is a little unassuming, but cute and clean. All the staff were super friendly & helpful, and did their best to get us in and seated in the packed restaurant as quickly as they could.
It was Saturday and an Oiler Playoff game night, so it took a while, but then the Pizzamonsters were in and more than just a little hungry...
There are steaks, pastas and salads on the menu, and the food coming out of the kitchen all looked good. (Doesn't everything when you're hungry?) But Pizza was what we were hungry for... go figure, and luckily there's a great selection of Italian favourites to choose from. A couple of minutes of decision-making over a delicious drink and we were ready to munch!
The Grub
1x 14" Margherita (Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil, Bocconcini, Parmesan Cheese)
1x Peroni Beer
1x Orangina
The Damage
$27.85 (-tax & tip)
Kingston
The Place: 2.5 - Kind of boring, but it has nice people.
The Crust: 4.5 - Amazing crust! I think it's my favourite!
The Sauce: 3 - *Sigh* Needs mooore sauuuuce...
The Cheese: 4 - Really yummy cheese, it's pretty stretchy too.
The Toppings: 4 - They were really good, but there wasn't enough on there.
The Drink: 4 - These Oranginas are delicious!
The Leftovers: 4 - Still good. I ate it cold and it was all really good still.
PizzaMonsters Verdict: 4 Fantastic pizza, with super-good crust. Gimme more sauce!
4/5 PizzaMonsters
Steve
The Place: 3.5 - Clean & friendly place. Very nice staff.
The Crust: 4.5 - Excellent crust! A crisp, floured bottom with a soft, chewy bite. Probably the best crust so far.
The Sauce: 4 - Also a very good sauce. Not enough of it, as some bites were a touch too plain, but very tomato-y and tasty when encountered.
The Cheese: 4 - Very good Bocconcini. Stringy & quite plentiful.
The Toppings: 4 - Being a Margherita, we are talking Cheese, Sauce & Basil, so it's as simple as pizza gets. But simple needs quality ingredients and they are here.
The Drink: 4 - Fancied a Moretti but they were out (Everywhere always is with Moretti), so went for the Peroni as I had with Tony's.
The Leftovers: 4 - Eaten cold, it really held up well, especially the crust.
PizzaMonsters Verdict: 4 Brother Tony takes the victory as far as the restaurant itself goes. A little more character and the spot to watch the dough-tossing give them the edge there. But I feel I might have to give the edge to Brother Vinny when it comes to the pie. Another visit may tell me for sure, but I feel like this crust, with a little more of that great sauce and maybe some Italian Ham would be the winner with a 4.5+. Buonissimo!
4/5 PizzaMonsters
As the weeks & months go on, the PizzaMonsters will explore YEG's pizza places and munch our way through their best pizzas to try and find the Magic Golden Super Best Pizza in Edmonton!
Stay with us...
