Sopra Sotto Pizzeria

Sometimes, it seems like we get stuck in a pattern of eating the same things after Sunday morning hockey.  Maybe we are just too tired to think.  We've been ending up eating noodles of some sort whether it be TBN, Pho, Wonton Noodles or Ramen.  Nothing wrong with that really, but it ain't normally the type of cuisine where people can linger and shoot the breeze.  So we decided to change things up and walk up the street to the newly opened Sopra Sotto Pizzeria for some eats instead.  Located in the old Roma Cafe location, the newly renovated space was the perfect spot for us to eat and socialize.

We ended up sharing a couple of pizzas including the Diavola consisting of San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, spicy Italian salami, grana padano and basil.  This was essentially a Margherita with the addition of the salami (we ended up choosing this because there was meat...).  We found there was even leoparding and light charring on the edges.  The pizza dough was seasoned and had an appealing chew.  The centre was tender and softer, but not mushy (it is supposed to be tender, not crunchy).   Lightly tangy, the tomato sauce was bright while the amount of salami added a touch of spiciness.  We also had the Porchetta e Friarielli featuring homemade roast pork, Italian broccoli rabe and mozzarella.  Since this was a white pizza, the flavours were more muted.  We could definitely taste the natural roast pork flavour, but it was missing something.  It could've used some acidity of some sort.  The pork itself was buttery and tender.

Also on the menu was a small selection of pastas and we got both the Chitarrine al Ragu and Maccheroni al Forno (with speck for $3.00 extra).  Overloaded with a meaty bolognese sauce, the fresh made-in-house square spaghetti was supremely al dente.  The natural meat flavour really came through as well as a light sweetness.  I thought it could've used a touch more salt though.  The maccheroni was also firmly al dente while bathed in a rich and creamy cabbage mushroom sauce.  It was further enhanced with grana padano and Alps cheeses.  The combination of cheeses really came through with a lightly sharp and aromatic finish.  The speck on top added body and some saltiness.  I enjoyed this pasta, but found it hard to eat more than a quarter of it.  Fortunately, we shared this as with all of the other dishes.  Hence, from the items we tried at Sopra Sotto, we concluded that it was good and a nice addition to the Drive.

The Good:
- Above-average eats
- Friendly service
- Nice inviting and spacious room

The Bad:
- Pricing can get up there, but not out-of-line with similar restaurants