Tuscan Raiders

Oven and Earth: Tuscano's pizza is cooked the traditional way - quickly and fiercely in a wood-fire brick oven

Looking back, we solidly put the blame on Giadda for making us take a second, longer look at the heaving, bouncing - er - bounty that is Italian cuisine. Few things give us fevered dreams like the image of oven-cooked pizza, thin with a crackly crust and smothered in cheese. Hell, Ryan even went so far as to delve into pie research, resurfacing with a top 10 gourmet pizza list last year. Alas, Tuscano hadn't opened yet when he was stuffing his face with mozzarella and pepperoni. Because really, it would be a shame to overlook this darling of a ristorante just a shy block away from Burgos Circle.

A high ceiling and spacious floor plan makes Tuscano the ideal dining place for after office hours meet-ups with friends, or family gatherings on the weekends

Fresh is big on the menu here - handmade noodles, sauces made daily, and gourmet ingredients picked ripe. Thanks to a wood-fire brick oven, the transformation from raw dough to crisp pizza happens in five minutes. There are other things to be had too like wild mushroom and mozzarella risotto balls - crisp golden brown spheres of flavorful arborio rice. Each lump is stuffed with a gooey mozzarella core. 

No need to be shy with your veggies either: the Tuscano signature salad mixes assorted greens with toasted pine nuts, grilled asparagus, stewed cinnamon apples, grapes, artichokes,and black olives. Everything's tossed in a light vinaigrette that helps enhance, not distract you, from the individual flavors. It's light, refreshing, and a good contrast to Italian cooking's richer dishes.

Tuscano will teach you to eat your greens with offerings like asparagus and egg pizza (right), and a lush signature salad with mixed greens, stewed cinnamon apples, and grapes.

Left: Baked Norweigan salmon on a bed of risotto. Right: The massive house pork chop is fork-tender.

Left: Sweet pear and gorgonzola pizza - one of the restaurant's unique offerings. Right: Watch the staff make fresh pizzas  by the brick oven. 

As for richer: Tuscano's Sweet pear and gorgonzola pizza brings together the natural sweetness of pears baked with sharp and salty gorgonzola cheese (also known as blue cheese) makes for a unexpected, but winning combination. Imagine the texture of cooked apples here. A bite invites you to playground of flavor - sweet, salty, smokey. You'll be surprised by how well the marriage of peaches and gorgonzola work on this pizza.


If you're like us, you'll be floored by their 14 kinds of gourmet pizzas including:

• Sweet Pear and Gorgonzola
• Asparagus and Egg
• Gamberetto
• Margherita and Goat Cheese
• Braised Lamb and Mushroom
• Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese

Left: Pizza Gamberetto with baby shrimps, pesto, and white sauce. Right: Tuscano's high ceiling and spacious interiors draw in families and barkadas

Carnivore's won't be disappointed either with mainstays like lamb chops in balsamic jus, Milanese osso bucco, and balsamic-glazed pork chop (above). Perfectly seasoned and cooked, we love the taste of a perfect pork chop that practically melts in our mouths. The mushroom risotto it comes with provides a mildly sweet and mushy.

Our attention was easily won over by one of Tuscano's more peculiar specialties: beef stew casserole with chocolate. The meat practically falls apart as you slice it, and the sauce -- it's that perfect blend of bitter and sweet. If you've never thought of chocolate as a savory ingredient, this is the dish that will change your mind.

Left: Fisherman's Seafood and Black Ink Pasta. Right: Tuscano's beef stew casserole with chocolate.We're wondering if it's Hershey's or Cadbury.

And how could this be an Italian restaurant without cannoli? These spring roll-looking darlings stuffed with cream are an Italian staple. In this case it's drizzled with chocolate and mango bits. Stuffed beyond belief, you'll still be eyeing that last slice of pizza or final bite of cannoli. "Is it worth it?" you ask yourself. You bet it is.

Tuscano Italian Wood Oven Pizza and Restaurant
Unit 3 Ground Floor, Fort Residences Building, 30th Street corner 2nd Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Contact 4787503 or visit www.tuscanowoodovenpizza.com

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EAT IT UP: Dark Beer Cheesecake

Chef Kevin Mize (right) serves Cerveza Negra-laced cheesecake at Midnight Mercato

We've always heard of wine and cheese going well together, but how about beer and cheesecake? One man decided to find out, and the result - a rich cheesecake with Cerveza Negra for syrup - is causing a stir at the Midnight Mercato Centrale market. "Beer makes for a great addition to cheesecake," says Chef Kevin Mize, who originally hails from Arkansas and owns of Food Lab, Inc. "Beer, and especially Cerveza Negra has a caramel taste that cooking really brings out. It's really great with many things. I've tried all sorts of combinations and trust me, dark beer stands out."

Beer and dessert? Sounds like a win-win situation!

During the day Mize teaches at the Moderne Culinaire Academy (MCA) in Taguig, but beginning February of this year, he's devoted Friday nights to letting the public sample his homemade desserts. A slice is thick and firm with a rich, tangy taste you'll identify as fresh cream cheese. The Cerveza Negra adds an extra dimension of syrupy sweetness, and the whole concoction will get your taste buds buzzing. I had to sit down on the sidewalk and manage every forkful with careful appreciation.

As a crust person, I'd like to see more graham and bite, but otherwise it's a potent find; one best saved for last as you pile on all the savory, grilled meats sold at the weekend market. Apparently you can have your cheesecake and eat it too.

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