Restaurant Review: Bocce

 

Friends often ask me about my favorite restaurant in Calgary and with all the great choices it’s always hard for me to pick just one. However Mercato’s has always remained a top restaurant on my list. So when they opened a Mercato West near Aspen landing, I had to make my way out there and it was no different when I heard they were opening a restaurant specializing in pizza on 4th street. It was inevitable that I would have to stop in to Bocce and order myself some pizza pie.

Atmosphere: Bright modern dining area featuring white and green décor, patio seating and extensive bar.

Price Range: Mid $10s - $20

Food and Wine: The mussels sounded intriguing so we got an order to start. Cooked in a white wine garlic broth with semi dried tomatoes, fennel and caper berries, the mussels
were fragrant and flavourful. The broth was perfect for dipping. It was light and didn’t mask the taste of the mussels, a great plate for sharing.

It was hard to choose from the menus since everything sounded delicious, but we knew we were there for the pizza and ordered one red and one white. The Calabrese Rosso Pizza had spicy fennel sausage, black olives, and roasted red peppers topped with mozzarella cheese. It had a bit of a kick due to the sausage but that just added to the allure of this pizza. It wouldn’t be the same without that bit of spice making it a delicious bite. The extremely thin crust was truly amazing, both chewy and crispy, epitomizing the perfect pizza pie.

My favorite was definitely the Boschetto Bianca Pizza featuring mortadella, pistachios, semi dried tomatoes, olive oil and both mozzarella and parmigiano cheeses. Everything on this pizza was a winner from the meaty mortadella slices to the crunchy pistachios, it all made sense and packed a whopping flavourful punch. Couple that with the amazingly thin dough and it’s a true taste of Italy.

We sampled both the Umani Ronchi montepulciano d’abbruzzo and Castello Romitorio chianti colli senesi wines with our meal. The chianti was smooth, medium bodied and a nice pairing for the mussels or lighter fare. I really enjoyed the Umani montepulciano, with flavours of plum and cherries, this medium bodied wine really opened up and had an amazing finish. Both our wines were served in little glass cups as opposed to wine glasses to elicit the feeling of eating in an Italian bistro on the streets of Naples.

My Picks: Boschetto Bianca Pizza

Overall: After dining at Bocce I have definitely added it to my list of restaurants to recommend to family and friends. Not only a great dining space, but the food and service were excellent. If you haven’t gone, definitely make your way over to sample some of their delicious offerings.

Bocce
110 2207 4 Street SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 516-6162
Website: eatbocce.com

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