Jasper Alberta Canada – Time for Pizza!

OK… Our first dinner in Jasper was a scrumptious but high priced meal at Fiddle River Restaurant.  We like to splurge while on our trips, but we are retired and we do try to balance out our meal expenses by seeking out a number of less expensive dining options throughout our journeys.   Of course, the one thing that we’ve learned on this trip is that, by East Tennessee standards, nothing is ‘inexpensive’ in Canada.

I just liked this photo of a residential street in Jasper.  This is just a couple of blocks away from our evening’s dining experience.  The town was very clean and there was almost no litter to be found.  The homes seemed like they were well kept and they fit the environment… Note the mountains in the distance. 

There was a sign down at street level…but this chalkboard is really fitting for this popular pizzeria.  At Famoso Pizzeria, the menus are on the tables and once you’ve decided what you want, you go up to the counter and place your order.  Your food and drinks are delivered to your table.  They are proud of the fact that the flour and tomatoes for Famoso pizzas are imported from Italy…

Famoso Pizzeria has 26 locations either open or planned for opening by 2014 in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario Canada.   The idea was hatched in 2005 by one of the partners who’d encountered and was enamored by Neapolitan pizza while visiting Naples Italy… The 3 business partners were actually trained to make genuine Neapolitan pizzas by the Association Verace Pizza Napoletana. 

This is the dining area for the Famoso Pizzeria in Jasper Alberta.  The service counter is in the background.

Many of the pizzas offered at Famoso Pizzeria show a lot of imagination.  There is the ‘Abruzzo’, with oven-roasted Italian sausage, slivered red onions, roasted mushrooms, fennel seeds, smoked mozzarella and pecorino Romano cheese.  Then there is the ‘Cavoletti’, with oven-roasted Brussels sprouts, prosciutto crisps, gorgonzola cheese, dates, walnuts and a drizzle of honey.  Even more imaginative is the ‘Moo Shu BBQ Duck’ pizza with house-made hoisin sauce, ‘fior-di-latte’, pulled duck, green onions and chopped cilantro.  I was tempted to order the ‘Spicy Thai’, with mildly spiced peanut sauce, fire-roasted chicken, ‘fior-di-latte’ smoked mozzarella and then topped with matchstick carrots, bean sprouts, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and a lime wedge.

Note: I didn’t know what ‘fior-di-latte’ meant either… It is mozzarella ‘fior di latte’, i.e., mozzarella made from fresh pasteurized or unpasteurized cow's milk.

Laurie started out with a Wild Rose I.P.A. (Indian Pale Ale) ($5.75) Laurie really enjoyed her beer… Wild Rose Brewery, the "Pint-Sized Beer Company", is a micro-brewery located in Calgary, Alberta.  They have won many awards for their varied brews…

Famoso Pizzeria offers a solid assortment of beer, wine, some mixed drinks, coffee, lattes, coffee with liquor added, sodas/Italian sodas and even floats with your choices of soda and gelato.  

As I mentioned in a previous posting, I prefer mild or light beers and ales.  Consequently, I ordered a Kokanee…which was right in my wheel house.  Kokanee is a Pilsner Style Lager with 5.0% alcohol and its British Columbia's best selling beer. 

Kokanee is a beer brewed at the Columbia Brewery in Creston, British Columbia. The business world is a bit twisted and the beer business is no different.  Columbia Brewery began brewing Kokanee lager in 1959 and the company was purchased by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1974.  In turn, Labatt Brewing Company Ltd. was purchased by Belgian brewer Interbrew in 1995.  Kokanee and Labatt are now part of the huge Anheuser-Busch InBev operation. 

Laurie ordered a ‘white’ pizza, the “Piselli”. ($16.25) It was topped with prosciutto, peas, basil and pecorino Romano cheese.  She really enjoyed her pizza… Famoso pizzas are cooked in an authentic Italian ‘bell shaped oven’ for only 90 seconds at 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

In addition to the 18 pizzas on the menu, Famoso Pizzeria offers a number of appetizers, soup, salads (including dinner salads), sandwiches and desserts.  While most of the desserts focus on gelato, I did note that there were 3 different Nutella pizzas offered.  They start with their pizza crust and then they smother it with Nutella’s hazelnut chocolate spread.  Finally, they fold it into a calzone and cut it all into strips.  It’s served with whipped cream…

I ordered the “Siciliana”. ($15.75) It was topped with oven-roasted Italian sausage, Italian ham, baked prosciutto and pecorino Romano cheese.  I thought that it was pretty good if not great.  Of course, we’ve been spoiled by having some really great pizzas in Chicago, upper New York State and in the Miami Florida area.

I had been tempted to also order the Fire Roasted Tomato Bisque soup.  It is made from scratch and then topped with feta cheese and fresh basil.  It’s also served with flatbread.  I checked out Famoso’s current menu when writing this blog, and I would love to have been able to order an item that they’ve added for the winter months.  It’s Polpette al Forno, house-made spiced pork meatballs with Campania tomato sauce, ricotta, shaved grana padano and extra virgin olive oil.

To check out the menu and some photos of the food, as well as to locate your nearest various Famoso Pizzeria, just go to: http://www.famoso.ca/.   The Famoso Pizzeria in Jasper Alberta Canada is located at 607 Patricia Street.  Phone: 780-852-5577.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave