New York Mama Calzone from Battista's Calzone

New York Mama calzone #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 10, 2016 at 4:19pm PDT

The annual Kaleido Festival brought me to 118 Avenue where I had supper at Battista's Calzone. I had the New York Mama, which I have always wanted to try. The balls of meatloaf had a slightly smoky, rich flavour and was smothered in cheese and marinara sauce. The crust is really a star here too - crispy and solid enough to hold up to the filling without disintegrating. It was an all-beef delight and extremely hearty. Comfort food at its finest - I am already fantasizing about my next trip to Battista's.

Mushroom Calzone at the Italian Centre

I was in need of a quick lunch at the north end Italian Centre last week. On special was a mushroom calzone. The light crust was packed with mushrooms and some mozzarella. It tasted great but was a little dry - it was lacking any sauce on the inside (or something to dip on the outside). Still, a hearty piece of calzone for $5 is a hard bargain to beat.

Back to Battista's: Pesto Presto Calzone

Pesto Presto Calzone, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I was in northeast Edmonton yesterday in the midst of numerous photo shoots, and decided to head back to Battista's to try another one of their fabulous calzones.

Mama Mia was once again sold out, so I went for the Pesto Presto, an expertly layered sandwich of pesto, sliced chicken, mozzarella, and tomato sauce. The pesto totally came out on top here, mixing perfectly with the other ingredients. The chicken had a very subtle taste and blended in.

I also was thrilled to try the Nutella calzone, the one dessert item on the menu. Nuttella tastes good to me no matter how you spread it, and on the warm dough with fresh strawberries, I was almost licking the drippings off my fingers.

I come for the food and the people - next time, it is Mama Mia or bust!

Veggie Calzone - Battista's

Veggie Calzone, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I was attending the Kaleido Festival on Alberta Avenue this past weekend, and when it was time for lunch I decided to make the trek over to Battista's Calzones on 84 Street and 118 Avenue. I have heard so many things about Battista and Liv and their menu of calzones that it has been on my "try" list for months.

The trek was well worth it. Battista's has a small menu of different kinds of calzones (it's like a pizza, but folded over into a baked sandwich), including one dessert option (Nutella, for which I have a weakness). The Mama Mia, Battista's signature emeatball calzone, was sold out, so I had a veggie instead.

The whole garden showed up within an oozing filling of mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. Extra marinara sauce was provided on the side for dipping the perfectly baked crust.

Not all calzones are created equal. Battista's are a cut above the rest.