Sunday Brunch ~ Rosso Pizzeria

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Oh brunch in Edmonton. Since visiting cities like Portland and New York, where going for brunch is a given, I'm always trying to find solid versions of the meal here at home. Giant lines twist outside of casual spots like Sugarbowl, High Level Diner and Urban Diner throughout the weekend, and my favourite homes to weekend brunch - Manor Bistro, Under the High Wheel and Next Act - can be just as busy. Fingers crossed Elm Café will one day add some sort of permanent brunch to their lineup on 118th Ave, 'cause the brunch offered during Deep Freeze was too delicious to just be a pop-up.

When we lived in Garneau, we regularly enjoyed large glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice and fluffy frittatas offered at then DaCapo. With that in mind, we met up with friends at Rosso to check out their weekend brunch situation earlier in February.

As assumed, patrons were lined up outside other spots at the intersection, but when I arrived at Rosso around 10:30 (a half hour before our scheduled meeting time, just in case), I had my pick of tables. I still miss the café style ordering system from DaCapo, but someone stopped by soon enough with a menu, and to take my latte order. It took a while for the latte to come out (at least 10 minutes), but their super milky version is wonderful. Sadly, the juice machine is no longer there, which means there is no orange juice on offer.

Other than the granola, all the dishes on the menu are savoury, and the general theme is, 'Put an egg on it'. Charles selected the Canadese pizza (sans the egg) whilst I went with the Calabrese pizza. Our friends opted for the granola and a 'breakfast skillet' of sorts.

I loved the topping combination on my pizza, with the bitter rapini and fennel sausage playing well. Unfortunately, the eggs on top suffered from the heat of the wood fired oven and weren't in a good state by the time they reached the table. Next time, I'll likely opt for a side of poached eggs and add them afterward.

A moment of praise, though, for the pizza crust. When I visited just after the DaCapo-Rosso changeover, I didn't notice much improvement pizza wise, but it seems they now know exactly what they're doing. Crispy, chewy, slightly charred - Hands down the best in the city.

The Canadese pizza - with potato, bacon, rosemary and olive oil - hit the spot, especially with that latte on the side.

They aren't kidding when they say 'large cup' of granola. It's really a gigantic goblet. The granola and fruit were very good, but what makes it is a generous layer of their house made ricotta. Very creamy and fresh.

And finally the 'skillet' (Patate arrostite con salsiccia e peperoni) - Probably the favourite of the table. Perfectly poached eggs, with their rich tomato sauce, potatoes, fennel sausage, peppers and some of their homemade bread on the side.

We wouldn't hesitate to head over for brunch again, especially with brunch lineups in the area being what they are. They lose points for lack of orange juice (and breakfast specific beverages), but they easily overcome that negative with those lattes, and pizza for breakfast.

The brunch menu is available from 10am-3pm on weekends and holidays.