Everytime I pass by La Vecchia Ristorante at Yonge & Eglinton, it is packed with patrons. The patio is always full; sometimes there is a line up at the door.

Today, just after the brunch rush, I happened to walk by and see that the restaurant was dying down. It was time to check out its offerings.

We walked into the Italian restaurant to a room full of pictures of landmarks, celebrities and artists from the Republic. The staff was busy setting up for dinner, but they were warm and welcoming.

I ordered the pizza Stagioni ($8.25), an authentic thin crust with prosciutto, tomato sauce, mozzarella, black olives, mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Mark had the pizza Calabrese ($7.95) with roasted red peppers, salami, mozzarella and tomato sauce.

Both pies were done just like the classic pizzeria's I had visited in Italy. Oddly shaped, but roughly 10", the crust was baked to a nice crisp. Pizzas also came with a mixed green salad tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. They were the perfect size for lunch.

Our server was on the ball. She very nicely asked us our preference on seating, took our drink order a minute or two after we looked at the menu and delivered our water and bread just after she took our order. We never had to wait for a refill on water (hey, it was a seriously humid day) and visited us to make sure our meals were fine.

I checked their website to find that their menu online did not have the Stagioni or the Calabrese listed. However, majority of their offerings are.

Photo by Ceci Cheung on Flickr