So for my birthday meal we decided to try Barque , a local BBQ smokehouse which has been getting good reviews from friends.  The only problem is that we didn’t make a reservation soon enough so we showed up and hoped to get a seat.  After being told it would be a 45 minute wait we wandered down the street to the local pizzeria instead, which has also been getting good reviews.

Defina was a smallish place that had tables close together to give it cozy atmosphere.  It also allowed you to easily eaves-drop on your neighbour’s conversation if you had a lull in the conversation with whoever you were having dinner with.

Neither of us were particularly hungry that night so we decided to skip the starters and go straight into the mains.  Defina is known for their pizzas so why waste my appetite on a non-pizza meal.  Also, this way we could have some leftovers if we couldn’t finish it.  Who doesn’t love cold pizza?!

We went with two fairly different pizzas so that we could get a feel for how they do pizzas.  What’s the point of getting two similar ones right?  First up was the wild mushroom pizza that had mushrooms, fior di latte, caramelized shallots, parmigiano reggiano, cracked black pepper and fresh tarragon.  We liked it but it seemed a little plain.  The mushrooms were sparse and the taste was average, it’s still better than anything I could make or would expect from a chain, but for some reason we had higher expectations for this one.

Next up was the Diavola (san marzano tomatoes, fior di latte, sopressata, parmigiano reggiano & basil).  This was the winner of the night.  This one was amazing.  This was a classic tomato base pizza had a little spice from the sopressata mixed with the sweetness of the basil.  It was so good that we finished it because we didn’t want to save it.  It needed to be eaten.

We didn’t have dessert because it was late and didn’t want to over eat; I hate trying to go to bed with a overly full stomach.  The meal was flavourful and enjoyable.  The only real downside was that the wait staff seemed to be rushed due to the fact that it was packed.  I’m sure the table of 12 behind us didn’t help matters.  We would absolutely go again, and as tempted I would be to order the Diavola again, I’d have to force myself to order something else to try out their other options.

If you want to check out another review, be sure to check out BlogTO’s profile on the restaurant.