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Cilantro

Cilantro

338 17 Ave. S.W.

403-229-1177

Order: A 10-inch pizza on thin ancho chili pesto crust topped with chicken, pancetta, caramelized onions, Parmesan cheese, lime-flavoured sour cream, pickled Fresno chilies and fresh cilantro ($19).

Crust: Cooked in one of Calgary’s oldest wood-burning pizza ovens, the base was well spotted and the crust had a good balance between being pliable and sturdy. I would have liked it to be cooked slightly longer, but that’s a matter of personal preference.

Sauce: The ancho chili pesto had a depth and maturity that you simply can’t get from a tomato-based sauce. It was used conservatively, but that was the right choice. Good pizza often becomes a careful balancing act and too much sauce would have disrupted it.

Toppings: All of the additions came apportioned small enough that I was able to sample them with every bite. Each ingredient had great quality and this pizza actually looked good, too.

Dining options: Eat in.

Decision: Each component played a part in the overall success of this dish, creating one of the most harmonious pizzas I’ve had. The saltiness of the pancetta played off the sweetness of the onions that worked well with the texture of the chicken that was accented by the brightness of the lime sour cream, which was offset by the pepperiness of the cilantro that was kicked up a notch by the heat of the chillies that... well, I think you see what I mean. This pizza gets a well-deserved five out of six slices.

Next up: F.A.T.S. Bar and Grill.

Please email pizza suggestions to darelleats@gmail.com. Follow Darell’s pursuits at twitter.com/darelleats