The Italian Super Market

265 20 Ave. N.E.

403-277-7898

Order: Marinara ($13.99). A 12-inch thin-crust pizza with tomato sauce, bocconcini, basil and olive oil.

Crust: This pizza has a thin, well-cooked crust from a wood burning oven. The pie is carefully attended to while it’s cooking, as the pizza maker keeps an eye on each pizza, rotating as needed. There was a slight chewiness to the base and I’m a big fan of the extra flavour imparted from wood ovens, so that’s a bonus.

Sauce: This was an extremely fresh sauce. Even, dare I say it, brimming with more tomato flavour than most. The simple red sauce wasn’t overloaded with sugar or salt and it was a perfect match for this simple pizza.

Toppings: The basil pieces were huge and I found myself conflicted about the use of single leaves. I know that it’s the traditional way of doing things, but I’m an advocate for generous distribution of toppings. Rarely do the basil pieces tear apart, so you end up with one basil-filled bite and then a bunch of non-basil mouthfuls that are not as good. The bocconcini slices melted into gooey, stringy blotches and were tasty, though not much different from mozzarella. I didn’t notice the olive oil so it was either omitted or used in moderation.

Dining options: Limited dine in and takeout.

Decision: As someone who’s often tempted to order the craziest options on the menu, I’ve learned that choosing the simplest selections is sometimes a gateway into the more complex. In this case, the pizza was really good and I fully expect The Italian Super Market’s other offerings are also quite delectable. The market only cooks pizzas on Saturdays, from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. or whenever they sell out. I would recommend calling ahead or prepare to wait while the pie cooks as the oven isn’t huge and they can get backed up when busy. This pizza gets five out of six slices.

Next Up: Seniore’s Pizza Ltd.

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