Recently, I’ve become a bit of a pizza snob. Why you ask? Oh well I just had the best pizza in the world for two weeks straight so now I fashion myself as some sort of pizza aficionado. Now obviously, I’m having some delusions of grandeur but I do think that I can identify a good piece of Za when I taste one. (Never say Za again)
Now Mrs. Unmanly Chef turned me on to this next place that is seriously putting out some of the best pizza I have ever tasted, in this Continent or in Europe. Verde is home to maybe the best pizza in Baltimore. Birrotecca in Hampden would probably disagree with me, I’d say their neck and neck in how good they are.
But let’s talk about Verde, shall we?
Located in one of my old haunts of Canton, Verde sits on the corner of the street in what looks like a residential area. I wish I had pizza places this good next to my house. Verde looks to have renovated an old residence into a chic and rustic Italian pizzeria which is two floors. The restaurant is decorated stylishly and it has a warm & friendly atmosphere.
We started with some salads which were probably the only average thing we consumed during our experience. It’s not that they were poor or the ingredients weren’t fresh, the components of the salad were awkwardly spaced. So you had a big block of cheese and a series of pistachios on top of a bed of dressed salad. It made for a “interesting” salad eating experience, but let’s be real I’ve come to pizza so I don’t really care if the salad was a bit of a miss. (Although the speck salad with butternut squash was very tasty)
The real fun started once we received our pizza. Verde models their pizzas after the Neopolitan style of pizza making with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a handmade crust. The pizzas are then cooked in a wood fire oven that delivers a piece of heaven on your plate.
I ordered the Il Bambino, and “oh mama!” was it good. The pizza is topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella di bufala, homemade sausage, and hot sopressata. The end result is a pizza so flavorful and delicious that every bite was a brilliant combination of sausage, tomato, cheese, and sopressata. The main difference between true Italian pizza and Americanized Italian pizza is the quantity and uniformity of toppings/sauce. In Italy, pizza toppings are not always uniform or as frequent as their American brethren. I’m torn on which way I prefer, the Italians definitely do not use as much tomato sauce, which Verde can be a touch heavy handed on. The only drawback of this pizza was the fact that the slight heavy handedness with the tomato sauce led to a slightly soggy pizza in the center. It didn’t take away from the overall pizza though.
But overall this pizza is a home-run and a must have if you go. I had to claw myself away from my table to not devour the whole thing.
As good as the Il Bambino was, the Pistacchio e Salsiccia pizza may be one of the best things I have ever eaten.The pizza has homemade mozzarella, fresh pistachio, sausage, pecorino romano cheese, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. First off it’s unlike anything I’ve ever had before, the pistacchio in the pesto is a brilliant touch. It adds a great rich texture and nutty flavor to the pesto sauce, while the cheese and sausage just finish off the pizza with a perfect blend of savory and acidity. This needs to be at the top of your must try list for 2016.
The last pizza was a gluten free pizza because our guest has a gluten intolerance. I feel for the GF folks of the world as good pizza typically eludes them. They’re forced to eat some bastardized cauliflower abomination and have to call that pizza. Well at Verde they have legit gluteen free pizza and you can barely taste the difference. She ordered the arugula pizza is which was a white pizza with generous portion of fresh arugula and cheese.
We finished with a nutella pizza dessert that also comes in a gluten free version (which we ordered). This dessert is really good, now the GF crust makes it slightly gritty, but for a gluten free nutella pizza it’s still very very good.
Overall, Verde is an A+ pizza establishment, the pricing is slightly on the higher side for pizza, but you’re paying for gourmet pizza. It’s worth it. The staff is very friendly and are happy to help you decide on pizza options as it can get pretty damn overwhelming by all the delicious options set before you. I highly recommend you try Verde as soon as possible, although if you get addicted and end up gaining a bunch of pizza weight I’m not responsible.
Oh and they deliver if you live nearby, by way of the magical folks at OrderUp you can order online and have this delicious pizza brought right to you.
Final Grade: A+, one of the best pieces of Pizza in Baltimore.
I forgot to mention the parking, there is street parking but you’re better off paying the seven dollar valet or parking near the Can Company and walking over. That’s what we did.
Very very good pizza. Some of the best
