One of the most fun nights out that I have had in recent months was having dinner after my panel at Science Online Vancouver this past Tuesday. The reality is, there are few people who understand me well enough like science communicators (and of course my dear friend Minna Van). So, I was thrilled to be joined by Eric M. Johnson, Andrew Torr, Carin Bondar and Tyson Jerry (and Minna) for dinner at Famoso Neapoletan Pizzeria.
First off, I was kind of surprised that Famoso asked us to fill out an order pad. But our server, Charlotte (fiancee of the owner/franchiser of Famoso) was such a good sport, so lovely and so energetic and full of life and focused on our enjoyment, that I had absolutely no problem doing the weird “fill out your table’s order and bring it down and we’ll go from there“. I ordered a Pollo Pizzeta with a Tomato Bisque soup ($11 for the combo, which I find absolutely super inexpensive).
I not only don’t have any complaints about the Tomato Bisque, but I have to say it was the best bisque I have had this side of French bistros. The pizzetta is, to my surprise, a little bit thicker in dough than I have experienced at other Napoletana pizza joints, including Nicli, Via Tevere and Verace. While extremely flavourful, and rich in cheese, I found it heavy to digest. The above said, I absolutely loved the service, both offline and online. The response from the management team to our praising tweets was really solid and warm.
My feeling is that Famoso is still working out the kinks to their pizzas. Frankly I’d like to see thinner, less doughy crusts next time. Or maybe I just chose the wrong pizzetta (because I saw what Carin, Andrew, Eric, Tyson and Minna ordered and they looked sort of richer in ingredients). Overall an extremely nice experience (not only because of the company we kept but also because Charlotte made us feel so much at home – she even gave us gelato samples to share). I mean, seriously. That woman alone made the visit worth it (in addition to my beloved friends).
I will be coming back to Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, if for nothing else, to try new pizzettas and to have that delicious tomato bisque.
Disclosure: Minna invited me for dinner so my tab was on her dime. As always I retain full editorial control over anything I post on my blog.
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