Rabbit Hole
This weekend I ventured down the Rabbit Hole and found awesome pizza and cocktails. I had pizza-loving family visiting this weekend and so we decided to try out Rabbit Hole, a new-ish place on Sparks Street that serves fancy cocktails and pizza. They do have a menu with other options too but like I even bothered looking at that.
When you first walk in you think, man, this place is tiny, until you're led down a flight of stairs to the basement and you feel like you've walked into a speakeasy. The basement is quite large, and it's such a cool space with stone walls, wood ceiling, funky light fixtures. Just an all around interesting restaurant with a laid back vibe.
We started off with delicious cocktails and quickly decided on pizzas for dinner. I shared one with my sister, since we had a huge and late lunch, but on a normal day would have eaten one on my own. They have six types of red pizzas with San Marzano tomato sauce, and six types of white pizzas with a ricotta cream sauce. I wish I was hungrier so I could have tried one of each, so I'll have to go again.
After eating nachos for lunch I craved vegetables and a lighter sauce, so I chose the red 5 with roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, black olives, grana padano, rosemary oil, and the house cheese blend of mozzarella and fior de latte. They have some interesting sounding upgrades like "everything bagel crust" but we wanted to keep it simple our first time.
It didn't take long for the pizza to arrive and we dug right in. Looking at the pizza I wasn't blown away. I do like that they had good topping distribution but the crust looked just okay. As it turned out, the crust was far from just okay, it was great! In fact, this was one of the few places that got close to the texture I am desperately seeking. The outer crust was pillowy in most spots, while the inner crust (ie what's covered in toppings) was thin and crispy. The dough was a little under-salted but texture-wise, this was the most pleasant crust I've had in Ottawa, as far as pseudo-Neopolitan style goes.
With three types of cheese, three vegetables, and two salt bomb toppings, this pizza was a busy one. But that didn't work against it at all. Each bite was salty, creamy, and contained some sort of much-welcomed veggie. Many veggie pizzas, especially one swith zucchinis and olives, can become a watery mess, but care was taken here to ensure the toppings were not slopped on with excess moisture. The pizza held together well on the crust, and the crispiness was much appreciated.
All their pizzas are $18, $19, or $20, which seems to be a little higher than some of their competitors that offer a similar style (think Anthony's, Roberto). Don't let that stop you, because there's no doubt the pizza I had at Rabbit Hole was superior to both Anthony's and Roberto Pizza.
All around this was an exceptional pizza that stood out for its soft crust and medley of flavours.
I've rated Rabbit Hole seven and a half out of eight slices.
Leave a comment with your opinion, or your thoughts on Rabbit Hole, and let me know where I should hit up next!
Ciao,
Pizza Lover
When you first walk in you think, man, this place is tiny, until you're led down a flight of stairs to the basement and you feel like you've walked into a speakeasy. The basement is quite large, and it's such a cool space with stone walls, wood ceiling, funky light fixtures. Just an all around interesting restaurant with a laid back vibe.
We started off with delicious cocktails and quickly decided on pizzas for dinner. I shared one with my sister, since we had a huge and late lunch, but on a normal day would have eaten one on my own. They have six types of red pizzas with San Marzano tomato sauce, and six types of white pizzas with a ricotta cream sauce. I wish I was hungrier so I could have tried one of each, so I'll have to go again.
After eating nachos for lunch I craved vegetables and a lighter sauce, so I chose the red 5 with roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini, sundried tomatoes, broccoli, black olives, grana padano, rosemary oil, and the house cheese blend of mozzarella and fior de latte. They have some interesting sounding upgrades like "everything bagel crust" but we wanted to keep it simple our first time.
 |
| Please excuse my horrible dark basement photography. |
It didn't take long for the pizza to arrive and we dug right in. Looking at the pizza I wasn't blown away. I do like that they had good topping distribution but the crust looked just okay. As it turned out, the crust was far from just okay, it was great! In fact, this was one of the few places that got close to the texture I am desperately seeking. The outer crust was pillowy in most spots, while the inner crust (ie what's covered in toppings) was thin and crispy. The dough was a little under-salted but texture-wise, this was the most pleasant crust I've had in Ottawa, as far as pseudo-Neopolitan style goes.
With three types of cheese, three vegetables, and two salt bomb toppings, this pizza was a busy one. But that didn't work against it at all. Each bite was salty, creamy, and contained some sort of much-welcomed veggie. Many veggie pizzas, especially one swith zucchinis and olives, can become a watery mess, but care was taken here to ensure the toppings were not slopped on with excess moisture. The pizza held together well on the crust, and the crispiness was much appreciated.
All their pizzas are $18, $19, or $20, which seems to be a little higher than some of their competitors that offer a similar style (think Anthony's, Roberto). Don't let that stop you, because there's no doubt the pizza I had at Rabbit Hole was superior to both Anthony's and Roberto Pizza.
All around this was an exceptional pizza that stood out for its soft crust and medley of flavours.
I've rated Rabbit Hole seven and a half out of eight slices.
Leave a comment with your opinion, or your thoughts on Rabbit Hole, and let me know where I should hit up next!
Ciao,
Pizza Lover
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