Marcello's pizza at half the price?

[Mooshmouse]

Let me preface this post by clarifying that I am neither a pizza aficionado nor an Italian food connoisseur. That being said, the Mouse Family made the trek up Hastings to Da Francesco to taste-test the pizza and had a fantastic evening.

It’s always a good sign when the wonderful aroma of tomatoes and garlic envelops you as soon as you walk through the door. We were warmly welcomed by our server and immediately felt right at home in this casual, unpretentious neighbourhood restaurant.

The three of shared an order of the Osso Bucco with penne in tomato sauce and a medium Quattro Staggione which combines 4 types of pizza: al funghi (mushroom), veggetariana (artichokes, mushrooms, green peppers and onions), salami, and napoletana (anchovies). Sadly, we replaced the anchovies for pineapple, Noah’s favourite... but I’ll be back for those anchovies! Pizza crust was crispy and not too, too thin with just enough of a doughy bite (yes, Lorna, it had that perfect char on the bottom!). Osso Bucco was good, but the most memorable part of the meal for me was the penne. Perfect al dente pasta and the best sweet garlicky tomato sauce I’ve tasted in a while. I’ll have garlic oozing out of my pores for days, but it was worth every delectable mouthful.

To accompany our meal, Ian had a Peroni Nastro Azzuro beer and I had a glass of house red (2003 Amore Osso Rocco). I probably could have tried a little harder with my wine selection but, hey, I was about to order an Aranciata and didn’t want to think about it too much; nonetheless, it was a light, enjoyable red.

Dessert was a dish of nutty chocolate gelato with chocolate sauce and a cappuccino made with Saquella Caffe Espresso Crema Gran Forte beans. Ian and I ate it Affogato style: a bit of gelato in the spoon together with some cappuccino. Bliss.

Service was friendly and accommodating. Even Francesco himself came out to say hello. And another positive sign was the Italian clientele… food always has a way of bringing out lively conversation with strangers. Dining at Da Francesco felt like sitting around the table in an Italian family kitchen and chatting with friends over a home-cooked meal. No pretense, no fuss. Just good company and good food. Molto bene. We’ll definitely be back.

[Ling]

^That sounds like a great meal. My favourite pizza at Marcello's had anchovies (but I loved nothing more than pineapples on my pizza when I was a kid too.) Thanks for the review. Did they have tiramisu on the menu? I had pretty good tiramisu at Marcello's.

[Mooshmouse]

Did they have tiramisu on the menu? I had pretty good tiramisu at Marcello's. 

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Actually, I'm not sure. Noah's gelato craving overrode any other dessert considerations.

[inanimate]

Was just there tonight for dinner with my brother and girlfriend.

The place could be a little more comfortable, but I'd eat in a ditch if the food were good, so it wasn't a huge deal to me. It's not uncomfortable, but it's definitely not fancy. Moosh is right when he says it's like sitting at a family table having dinner.

What you get in return though, is an outstanding pizza for very little money.

We had an entree each and shared a medium quattro staggione, which came last when we were already quite full, but it was worth the wait and pain. Beautiful taste, beautiful crust. I haven't had incendios and its been years since I've hit marcellos, but this was fantastic. It had a touch more cheese than i prefer, but I kinda like my pizza to have just a sprinkling of cheese on it. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed the veggie slice.

Loved it. The osso bucco was good, and I loved the risotto. I'm not well versed in good risotto though, so I'm not the best judge of it. But it had a really great flavor. The only thing about it I was unsure of was the texture. The rice had begun to soften a bit, somewhat like it was starting to blossom like rice does in a congee. It still had a bit of that al dente bite to it though. Being a congee slurping chinese machine though, I still really enjoyed it. Pasta was perfectly al dente, and sauces had a fresh tomato taste unlike the cooked to hell boston pizza-like sauces. The seafood flavor came through really well in the frutti de mare linguine my brother had.

Service was very pleasant, but there was a slight mix up on an order (though we didn't mind and were offered a fix) which led to a beer on the house.

While our entrees were all good, the pizza was easily the main event. I'd make the drive any time I'm in the mood for great pizza.

[Vancouver Lee]

Just HAD to get another pie, so I called ahead to place a take out order, renewed my passport and headed over to Hastings and Slocan.

Fast or accurate they are not (an extra-cheese-pepperoni-mushroom became a margherita), but who cares when this pizza is this good?

The place was populated by older Italian men, all speaking their native language and enjoying their lunches. You have to love this place.....

[hayasaka.k]

I've had an on-going pizza craving because of a long-established doubt there exists a "safe" pizza place in Richmond. There isn't, is there? I'm putting untold mileage on the bf's car in the name of tasty eats. Of course he shares in the spoils too.

Edited to add: *yay*

We made the trip out for lunch today and shared a penne gorgonzola, the osso bucco with mushroom risotto and a prusciutto et funghi pie. The risotto was too mushy for my liking; but as satisfying as the pizza was, the penne stole my heart. Nothing like basking in the afterglow of simple perfection.

The noise level (of 3 tables plus a couple waiting for takeout, ourselves included) was a morning dim sum equivalent condensed within its tiny quarters. Service is top notch. Made me wish I were Italian so I could throw the server a kiss and shout "Ah honey, ciao!" from out the door.

Edited March 5, 2005 by hayasaka.k (log)

[nwyles]

Went to check out new place with wife and kids for dinner Sunday night.

No go - closed on Sunday

Decided to go to Marcello's as we were in a pizza mood and it is in our hood.

Over 60 minutes to wait for a pizza. Quoted 25 minutes, arrives in over 60 minutes.

Kids are getting fidgetty, little one starts to melt down. Neil not happy at all. I have been down this road before at Marcello's, same scenario. I guess I am just a glutton for punishment. Really though 5:45 on a Sunday night, the table next to us has theirs in 20 minutes - WTF !!!

I think that will be the last time we ever go with the kids. Just not worth the wait. And bloody expensive too. $9.00 for a tiramisu ! The total bill was nearly a C note ( $100.00 for the uncool ) - one salad, two small pizzas - and really skimpy on the toppings as well - I can't imagine why it took over nad hour to cook about 4 ozs of stuff - two apple juice, 2 beer and sparkling water, and tiramisu to go

I think it is time to raise the price of gingerbread ! - It has been $6.00 since the day I opened. If this place is getting $9.00 for a small tiramisu, g bread is goin' up !

[Daddy-A]

I think it is time to raise the price of gingerbread ! - It has been $6.00 since the day I opened. If this place is getting $9.00 for a small tiramisu, g bread is goin' up !

As long as there is an eGullet discount, I'm in favour of the price increase

Too bad you missed out on Da Francesco. J & I checked it out on Saturday night just before the Animation Festival at The Ridge. Da Francesco was easily the highlight of our evening. Animation festival, except for 2 films, sucked large.

We shared the Osso Bucco, with penne and rosé sauce, and a medium Quatro Staggioni pizza. Osso Bucco was really good (could have used a few more minutes to get really tender) and was a huge potion for $12.95. That price also included the penne. The rosé sauce ... dear God! We couldn't stop eating this stuff! Absolutely fantastic.

The pizza ... also a steal at $10 ... was large enough for us to have 2 pieces each leftover for breakfast. I have to agree with Keith on the wood-burning oven comment. But for $10 I'd be willing to look the other way. For the record, it was much better than my last pizza at Marcello's.

Add two glasses of the premium house red (no notes, sorry) and we got out of there for $45, tax & grat included.

Now, if they could just do something about the faux-finished walls ... so very 80's!

A.

[butter]

Decided to go to Marcello's as we were in a pizza mood and it is in our hood.

Over 60 minutes to wait for a pizza. Quoted 25 minutes, arrives in over 60 minutes.

It hasn't changed in the past year, I see. It's nice to be reminded. We talked about the bad service there before. Deja vu, hey Neil.

I think it is time to raise the price of gingerbread ! - It has been $6.00 since the day I opened. If this place is getting $9.00 for a small tiramisu, g bread is goin' up !

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Now here's a good debate. Who will pay $9 for the G pudding?

[nwyles]

Decided to go to Marcello's as we were in a pizza mood and it is in our hood.

Over 60 minutes to wait for a pizza. Quoted 25 minutes, arrives in over 60 minutes.

It hasn't changed in the past year, I see. It's nice to be reminded. We talked about the bad service there before. Deja vu, hey Neil.

I think it is time to raise the price of gingerbread ! - It has been $6.00 since the day I opened. If this place is getting $9.00 for a small tiramisu, g bread is goin' up !

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Now here's a good debate. Who will pay $9 for the G pudding?

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Now that you are all hooked on it, you all will. Sometime I feel like a "dealer" , getting you hooked and then jacking the price. Perhaps a frequent flyer discount is in order ?

[Vancouver Lee]

Decided to go to Marcello's as we were in a pizza mood and it is in our hood.

Over 60 minutes to wait for a pizza. Quoted 25 minutes, arrives in over 60 minutes.

It hasn't changed in the past year, I see. It's nice to be reminded. We talked about the bad service there before. Deja vu, hey Neil.

I think it is time to raise the price of gingerbread ! - It has been $6.00 since the day I opened. If this place is getting $9.00 for a small tiramisu, g bread is goin' up !

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Now here's a good debate. Who will pay $9 for the G pudding?

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Now that you are all hooked on it, you all will. Sometime I feel like a "dealer" , getting you hooked and then jacking the price.

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I just had this vision of Ling mugging some poor old woman outside HSG to get money for her "fix"....

[sanrensho]

We shared the Osso Bucco, with penne and rosé sauce, and a medium Quatro Staggioni pizza.  Osso Bucco was really good (could have used a few more minutes to get really tender) and was a huge potion for $12.95.  That price also included the penne.  The rosé sauce ... dear God!  We couldn't stop eating this stuff!  Absolutely fantastic. 

My wife and I were there on early Saturday evening as well, and ordered the exact same thing (but with linguine).

I agree, the rose sauce was excellent and loaded with garlic, yum. The Neapolitan crust was also good, although my wife felt the pizza was a tad salty. However, that didn't stop her from engulfing half the pizza. We will definitely be back, this time with the kids in tow. Very casual atmosphere, we noticed the owner's young daughter was milling around the restaurant.

BTW, they do not serve dessert, but it was a non-issue as we were stuffed by then.

[canucklehead]

I went last night with my brother and really enjoyed the food. Had the osso buco and with rose sauce - Arne's comments are dead on. They were also serving rabbit last night and apparently has had tripe (yum!) on the menu in the past.

The pasta was the best part of the meal. Perfectly al-dente and generously napped in the sauce (without swimming in it). My brother had the penne with gorganzola sauce and it had the right amount of cheesey bite to it.

The pizza was a touch on the salty side and my brother being a big Marcello guy - gives marcello's pizza the slight edge.

However - the Da Francesco experience is much better. I agree with Neil's comments about the service at Marcello's. You cannot rely what kind of service you will get (at least if was consistenly crappy - then you could plan around it). The server at Da Francesco was very young but very enthusiatic about the food. The food came out hot and fresh.

Great recommendation and I will be back to check out the Carbonara - a dish that I think is one of the hardest to pull off well.

[Mooshmouse]

Osso Bucco was good, but the most memorable part of the meal for me was the penne.  Perfect al dente pasta and the best sweet garlicky tomato sauce I’ve tasted in a while.  I’ll have garlic oozing out of my pores for days, but it was worth every delectable mouthful.

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Holy eGulleter convergence Batman! Da Francesco is fast becoming the Italian equivalent of HSG. Three tables of us this evening (that I knew about, anyway); we were about 2/3 of the way through our meal when Pao-Pao came in with three friends followed closely by canucklehead with two dining companions. By the time we left, there was only one empty table in the house. So much for a quiet neighbourhood pizza place!

Seduced by the siren's call of penne in rose sauce, the Mouse family ventured to Da Francesco once again, this time with my Mom in tow. The only new, untested dish on our table this evening was my Mom's Linguini al Fruitti di Mare... damn, that was one huge pile of pasta. Loaded with prawns, squid, clams and mussels. Very tasty. She'll be swimming in leftovers for days. No pizza for us this evening; two orders of Chicken Parmigiana evened the tally for our group. But I believe someone at PaoPao's 4-top ordered a vegetarian, so I'll leave the pizza reviews to him. And I saw our server bring the biggest calzone I've ever seen to a neighbouring table... now there's the dish to order if you're hungry.

Dinner was, once again, great. Italian comfort food at its best.

BTW, they do not serve dessert, but it was a non-issue as we were stuffed by then.

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They do serve gelato, if that tickles your sweet tooth at all.

[PaoPao]

^ It's always fun to put faces with names as we did last night with the Mooshmouse family and Canucklehead. It even got to be a smaller world when the friends we brought knew the Mooshmouse Dad!

We had a fantastic diner as usual. Starting out with the Sharing Plate for Calamari. In my opinion Calamari is usually a pretty average plate when we go to places and order it so often times we skip it. Here though in huge contrast it is very tender, just the right amount of breading for my tastes (which is not very much) and a delicious Tomato sauce to dip it in. With 4 hungry people at the table it didn't last long.

Our friends ordered the Vegetarian Pizza and the Osso Bucco w/ penne. My beautiful bride ordered the Osso Bucco with tortellini and I had the Mussels and penne. I agree with D-A's comments about the Osso Bucco, a few more minutes to get really tender would send it off the charts.

This was the first time we had menu items other than pizza, and they we're good. I think my heart at Da Francescos still belongs to their pizza though.

The place is getting busy, no question about it. At dinner time the tables we're full and the one waitress who does a great job was whizzing around like a whirlwind. We we're there last on the 2nd of March, and at 9 pm or so had the whole place to ourselves. By 8:30 or so last night half the tables we're still full. So word is spreading.....

It's bitter sweet because you obviously want the place to be successful, but you also want to keep it for yourself. We can't claim it as a neighbourhood haunt like the lucky Mooshmouse family, but it is certainly worth the drive for us from Yaletown.

[FannyBay]

Before Marcello had Marcello's, he and his wife owned Lombardo's, a small Italian eatery located in that pink mall on the corner of Commercial and 1st Avenue. They, as often happens to those who work together in the restaurant business, split up with the ex-wife keeping the original location as well as many of the recipes which I understand were hers. Marcello eventually took his tighty whitey's and opened his own restaurant in the 'hood.

Now there has been a great debate for many years since as to which one of the restaurants is better but particularly which one had better pizza. I have tested this out many times as most of my friends like Marcello's and granted, it's much bigger, has, or should have, a much better atmosphere, and is more of a full service restaurant. I have to say though, Lombardo's gets my vote, not just for the food, but I actually prefer the service and ambiance even though you are basically sitting in a mall.

My first experience at Lombardo's was some years back, I was invited to dine there with someone who worked for the Italian consulate, he felt quite strongly that it was serving the best, and most authentic, Italian food in the city. I recall the night. I was expecting some glamorous Italian restaurant and there we were in a small mall on commercial drive. He ordered for me choosing a large pizza as the appetizer, which, as there were only two of us, I was a bit surprised by. Then he went on to order the pasta Putanesca (sp?), a litre of house red of some kind and a bit of salad. The pizza when it arrived was paper thin, lightly covered in a beautiful tomato sauce and some anchovies. No problem eating half, it was a perfect starter. The pasta, which translates into something like fast and spicy, was delicious. Hot and spicy with fresh olive oil and pasta made in house. It was fabulous!

I have been back many times to Lombardo's for the Capriccioso, (sp?) which I can say is the absolute best pizza in the city. Light crust, delicious mix of Italian meats, olives, artichoke hearts and I have compared that pizza and others with Marcello's many times. Lombardo's wins hands down! And the service, casual to say the least, is actually better. I am never disappointed at Lombardo's where at Marcello's, I have yet to not be disappointed.

A note to this, I have tried picking up the pizza from Lombardo's and bringing it home, I live about 10 minutes from there, but with such a thin crust it's very hard to keep it hot enough by the time you get it home so, no matter how fast your drive. I suggest you eat there.

PS Very kid friendly!

[annanstee]

I for one am eagerly awaiting the day Gord Martins cooks spin off new ventures, same with Hawksworth and Feenie.

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The little tiny cafe at the end of the seawall (next to Stamps Landing) is manned by a former Bin Guy.

Haven't eaten there yet, but will soon. Hope it survives; that location seems to be a tough one.

Didn't Dana at Cru work for Feenie?

On another note- totally agree on Lombardo's over Marcello's the number 11 ruined all other pizza for me. I will check out Da Francesca though it is a bit of a hike.

Ann

Edited April 1, 2005 by annanstee (log)

[Keith Talent]

So Mrs. Talent has up and left me as anyone that's ever met me could guess (although to be honest, she is scheduled to return. We'll know tonight if she gets off her plane.) So anyway I loaded the ingrates in to the car on Friday evening, DaFrancescos our destination.

We rushed becuase it was supposedly so busy, hell I even gulped back my drink after work rather than savouring it, and anyone that knows me will know that means I'm serious. Show up at quarter to six, the place is closed. Hang on, it's open, there's just no one inside. Spend a few minutes cursing you all for making me rush my Friday cocktail.

Our pick of tables. Peruse the menu. Medium quattro stagionne and a chicken parmesano with noodles/meat sauce. 7-up for the monsters, couple galsses of red for me. 35 bucks. Very nice.

Entree comes with salad & bread to start, kids ate both, total mark of quality. Chicken as tasty as a chicken cutlet with cheese can be , same with spaghetti and meat sauce, as good as can be expected.

Pizza comes. Crust was very well made, but here's the hilarious part. They screwed up the sauce. The sauce is the easiest part, dumbasses. The crust is difficult. Hell, even Pizza Hut manages a pretty good sauce on the Big New Yorker, Dafrancescos, flaovourless thin sauce, nice thin crisp crust. Pizza was cheap, eight bucks or something like that for a medium.

Not dissappointing, not quite as ethereal as discribed above either. If it was in my neighbourhood, it certainly would be the default pizza of choice. They certainly need a more experinced hand putting together the sauce for the pies.

[eatrustic]

We were in the neighbourhood so decided to pop in for a quick bite the other night.

The special was veal osso bucco $15.95 and Pasta Fagioli (bean/pasta soup) $5.95.

We ordered the Pizza Marghareta and the two specials with the soup first. Everything came at the same time: the Osso Bucco was a single piece of veal shank (med. small) with a mountain of "risotto" (more like rice with mushrooms).

With the price of veal these days I don't begrudge the portion size but the meat was chewy - easily 45 minutes short of it's proper cooking time. The sauce was pretty mediocre as well.

The Pasta Fagioli was a ridiculously large portion of solid beans and pasta and very bland. (No proscuitto ends added to this pot for flavour). I couldn't eat it and asked for it to go (it filled two take out containers and was excellent the next day with some seasoning, a bit of ham and some chicken stock)

But, after all, this is a place with a rep for it's pizzas. The Marghareta had a great crust and (I'm with Mr. Talent on this one) the topping was the failure. Way too much dry oregano and cheese. Easily fixed next time by requesting the topping style I want.

I'll leave the "fancier" dishes to Henry's Kitchen. About the same prices and vastly better cooking technique. Pretty similar decors as well!

[*Deborah*]

I guess I won't be able to try the pizza after all.

I got this email last night:

Dear Deborah:

Sorry to impose on you, you don't know me and I got your email address through a little bit of sleuthing, but I wanted to drop you a line and maybe you can post something on e-gullet?

I am a server at Da Francesco's, and I follow the posts on the restaurant on e-gullet.  I'm a member, but not a posting member, and I've been looking through the folks who've posted about the restaurant and you're the only one whose email address I could find.

Unfortunately the restaurant has closed, and I wanted to give the Francesco fans a chance to find out before they show up at the door to find a different restaurant there.

Could you possibly post something to that effect in the 'Marcello's pizza at half the price' thread or wherever you feel would be appropriate?  I am sure it would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Natalie

Unverified...maybe someone can make a drive-by verification. Sad, if true.

[Vancouver Lee]

I guess I won't be able to try the pizza after all.

I got this email last night:

Dear Deborah:

Sorry to impose on you, you don't know me and I got your email address through a little bit of sleuthing, but I wanted to drop you a line and maybe you can post something on e-gullet?

I am a server at Da Francesco's, and I follow the posts on the restaurant on e-gullet.  I'm a member, but not a posting member, and I've been looking through the folks who've posted about the restaurant and you're the only one whose email address I could find.

Unfortunately the restaurant has closed, and I wanted to give the Francesco fans a chance to find out before they show up at the door to find a different restaurant there.

Could you possibly post something to that effect in the 'Marcello's pizza at half the price' thread or wherever you feel would be appropriate?  I am sure it would be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Natalie

Unverified...maybe someone can make a drive-by verification. Sad, if true.

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SAY IT AIN'T SO......!

I'll try and do a drive by today...

[nwyles]

I wonder what happened ?

Maybe selling pizza for half the price did not cover expenses ?

It is too bad. I really hate to see restaurants not make it. Hopes and dreams dashed upon the rocks of despair ! I did not have a chance to go as they were closed on Sundays, my only night out for dining and a cheese pizza would have fit the bill for the kids.

Oh, well, off to Marcello's for long wait times !

[PaoPao]

It is too bad. I've enjoyed the pizza there and the friendly staff. We've eaten there twice with one take-out. If it we're closer to where we lived and we didn't have to drive by Marcello's and Lombardo's plus add another 15 min, we would have probably eaten there a bit more.

[Vancouver Lee]

I just drove by the restaurant, and nothing seems out of the ordinary. There is a "Sorry, we are closed" sign in the window, but that's to be expected as they are normally closed on Sunday. The sandwich boards are standing just inside the door and the hanging chalk board still has the specials written on it. No signs or notices in the windows, fortunately.

I guess we'll see if they open for business tomorrow or not.

Where's the smilie for "crossing my fingers"?

Edited May 9, 2005 by Vancouver Lee (log)

[Keith Talent]

There are a number of local members that need to be put on suicide watch. Take their shoe laces and belts away, because when certain members realize that this board isn't powerful enough to ensure the success of a local business, bodies will swing from shower rods, mark my words.

Anyway, it's too bad. Maybe we're not quite as sophisticated a food city as we'd all like to beleive when Pango contiunues to thrive and DaFrancescos goes tits up.