Sunday, December 19th - Amelio's Pizza - Mont Royal - Yummo Memory Lane

Amelio's All Dressed Pizza

If you attended McGill University, Amelio's pizza will undoubtedly conjure warm, cheesy and satisfying memories.  There is a sort of unspoken allegiance to this small, unassuming, family run, Pizzaria in Montreal's 'McGill Student Ghetto'.  Having eaten a lot of pizza over the years, there is nothing quite like Amelio's.  There is definitely a loyal following of McGill Alumni who still frequent the old and new locations.  A friend of mine recently had a homecoming reunion in Montreal and they had an Amelio's pizza night for dinner.  Since there were a rather large group, they ordered out and squatted in their old student lounge.

I have had a craving to go back for some years now.  For one reason or another, mainly the brevity of the visits, I have not been able to drag D there.  It does not help that they are closed on Sunday's which are most likely to be our family-free days.  Luckily for me, they recently opened a new location on the swankier Bernard Street in Outremont.  A far cry from the modest environs of the Student Ghetto but smelled just as good.

Amelio's sur Bernard - Outremont

The owner is the daughter of the original Amelio's.  She returned from a banking career in New York to follow her true dream.  She mentioned that she does have a regular flow of McGill Alum up there who have now grown up and bring their kids.  I know I would if I lived there.  The new location is alot brighter and cafe like than the original but still served the same free starter salad in the wooden bowls with shaved carrots.  She admitted the staff and the kitchen are quite new and were probably not as well equipped to handle the traffic of the other location.  I'm sure it will come along with experience.  The tastes were definitely authentic.

Why did I feel so compelled to track this place down?  Well, one particular dish which has eluded me, lo these many years, the Eggplant Parmesan Submarine Sandwich.  I have not found it anywhere else, definitely not in Vancouver.  There are lots of Roasted Veggie subs around but not the Eggplant Parm sub.  As well, you will rarely, if ever find a Vegetarian Pizza in many cities that have Eggplant as a topping. MMMMMM So I dragged D, in the bitter cold of a Montreal Winter across town, despite the fridge at his parents heaving with leftovers so that I might have my Eggplant Submarine.  We brought the food back so we could eat with his parents.  We ordered an All Dressed and a Vegetarian.

We ordered two Mediums and the nice owner suggested we order a half half large.  We would get almost the same amount of food for less money.  But we decided to ordered the two pizza's just in case his folks were hungry.

The Sandwich was just as I'd remembered it.  If you carry it out, the toasted bun becomes slightly soggy but in a good way.  It is heaped with the same shredded, fresh iceberg lettuce which too will soften on route which is actually a good thing since the overflowing sandwhich would not contain it otherwise.  It has a considerable amount of melting, oozing cheese.  D thought a tad too much not for memory lane, it was just right.  At the core was the wonderful Eggplant Parmesan.  It was slightly more salty than I would go for but the sandwhich as a whole was not too salty.  Yummo!  I can't wait for my next annual visit and fix!

Amelio's Vegetarian Pizza

The Vegetarian Pizza was just as wonderful.  Heaping with fresh and roasted vegetables and even more cheese, it was perfect for the blustery Montreal winter outside not to mention the long nights spent in Engineering study rooms. D and his folks made a funny observation.  As most cuisines do, there are local adaptions.  Like Curry or Korean food in Spain was never very spicy.  Well, in Montreal, most Pizzerias have French Fries on the menu as well as an Italian Poutine which is basically fries with Bolognese sauce and cheese.  I brought back the takeaway menuAmelio's does not A perfect way to end my visit.

Cuisine: Italian/Pizzeria
Cost: $$-$$$
Service: Warm, friendly, bilingual
Ambiance: Cafe/Upscale Diner
Takeout/Pick Up/Sit In

Amelios sur Bernard

Outremont
1205 Ave Bernard
(514) 903-8397
Montreal, QC H2V
www.ameliospizza.com
 

Take-out Pizza

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