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Cross-Posted from Calgary is Awesome.
I'd heard good things about Famoso, the Calgary offshoot of an Edmonton-based franchise that specializes in Neapolitan pizzas. The only other place where I'd had a Neapolitan-style pizza was at Pulcinella over a year and a half ago, and I didn't really enjoy the charred, burnt-tasting crust. Since then, I've become more familiar with the idea of a Neapolitan-style pizza, and the fact that Famoso is the most "talked about" Calgary restaurant on Urbanspoon right now made me curious to give it a try.
I have to echo most people's sentiment that the service at Famoso is confusing. Seriously, if you have to dedicate a page on your website to how the restaurant works, then it's probably not a good format. They make it sound easy - you seat yourself, read the menu, order at the counter, and the service staff take care of the rest. However, since it was a busy Friday night, they had hostesses seating people that night. To add to the confusion, there are also four tables downstairs, which you can jump the line and take if you're ok with not sitting in the main dining room with the cathedral-style roof and floor-to-ceiling windows. Downstairs, the waitress offered to take our order, but she seemed busy when we were ready so we went upstairs and ordered at the counter anyway. At the end of the dinner we paid our bill at the table, though in the past I've heard that some people had to go up to the counter to pay.
I'm sure this "fast casual" style of dining works when the restaurant isn't filled to the brim, but still I don't see any speed/service advantage to it, especially in a two-storey space. It just feels like a sneaky way for the restaurant to save money on staff... somehow...
Still, the service was pretty friendly overall, despite the fact that the server at the counter couldn't really hear me over the noise and seemed really perplexed that we only ordered one glass of wine - the Monte Antico Sangiovese ($11.25 for 9 oz), which was a smooth blend of Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
We chose two pizzas - one from the traditional Pizza Rossa (red sauce) menu, and one Pizza Bianca, which forgoes the tomato sauce in favour of a simple drizzle of olive oil with fresh garlic and oregano.
Our Pizza Rossa was their Vesuvio ($13.50), which features a fresh-tasting tomato sauce studded with red pepper flakes and topped with mozzarella, spicy sopressata (a type of salami) and fresh basil. I ordered it because I generally don't believe the "spicy" icon on menus at non-Asian restaurants. However, the Vesuvio delivered - while real spice fanatics would probably laugh it off, for me it was just a little too intense (especially the sauce).
I preferred our Pizza Bianca, which was the simple Prosciutto Arugula ($14.50). This was a very light-tasting pizza, especially with a squeeze of lemon, that highlighted the "sauce" of olive oil and garlic. Eating a mouthful of the peppery arugula made me feel a little virtuous, even though I know in reality that pizza is not healthy by any means!
All of Famoso's pizzas are about 11" - slightly too big for one person but also too small to split between two - but we managed to finish all but one slice. The pizza here is definitely better than Pulcinella - the thin, chewy crust still features those charred bubbles, but without the burnt taste. Still, there's room for improvement - the pizza was not piping hot for something that came out of a wood-fired oven, and I was quick about taking my photos (notice how there are only two of each pizza and they are all very similar); parts of the crust, especially on the Vesuvio, were more soggy than chewy as well.
B. and I were too stuffed for dessert, but if I wasn't, I would've probably gone for a scoop of Fiasco Gelato while he would've probably gone for their tiramisu. Overall I think I might be willing to go back on a weeknight, but it's missing that "wow" factor for me.
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
105, 2303 4 St SW
Calgary AB T2S 2S7
(403) 455-3839
Open 11 AM-11 PM every day.
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6 comments:
I would have to argue against your comment regarding pizza as an unhealthy option. Store bought/restaurant style pizza is not the most healthy option, but pizza made at home or those from restaurants/stores with the focus on vegetables and fresh ingredients are a great option for changing it up. Portion control is the key and the addition of a salad or vegetable on the side certainly improves the meal.
I had lunch at Famoso on Friday and the size of the pizzas are perfect. Not the 11" ones, but rather half the size, so you can consume the whole thing without feeling super-stuffed. Because, let's be honest, it's not like you can reheat those neopolitan pizzas as they are best fresh. My favorite is the Vesuvio.
I do agree with you about the service. I've eaten at Famoso in Edmonton when it first opened and the restaurant made sense where you went to the counter, paid, and retrieved your order. Now, not so much. It's still a great pizza though.
Jen - I agree with you that pizza made at home can be healthy, but even then portion control is an issue. And, since most pizzas are topped with canned tomatoes (sauce) and cured meats, sodium is usually a problem as well. So I would say more often than not, pizza is not healthy.
You make a blanket statement about pizza being unhealthy because of what you put on it. Well guess what, soy sauce has sodium in it and my fish sauce does too ... so I guess any Asian cooking is unhealthy - with your logic anyways.
Disagree with Above - I would disagree with your comment that I made a "blanket statement" that pizza is unhealthy. I said, "more often than not" it is unhealthy; I used sodium as an example as it is often the forgotten component when it comes to health - most people already know that the cheese and many of the meats used on pizza are high in saturated fats.
And yes, I would say that some Asian cooking is unhealthy because of the sodium levels. Again, the issue is portion size - a tablespoon of soy sauce has about 900 mg of sodium; over 1/3 of the maximum amount of sodium that a person should have in a day. But if you are only adding a teaspoon to a dish that is to be shared, then that should be reasonable. As an Asian person myself, I feel that the idea that Asian cooking is healthy is a myth - we can have some pretty unhealthy meals at home! Epidemiological studies have also found that despite lower levels of obesity and heart issues in Asian countries, they do have disproportionately high rates of blood pressure/stroke, which could be related to their higher sodium intakes.
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