a peek inside the fishbowl

I have so much to catch up on here and I feel like I am falling behind by leaps and bounds, but I have to stop the presses and tell you about a great restaurant in Kingston that knocked our socks off recently: Wooden Heads Gourmet Pizza. Have you ever been? They’re a fixture in Kingston and have been there for over 20 years. (Here’s a little article/review about Wooden Heads FYI.)

The four of us were near starving (I will tell you why later) and ready to gnaw our arms off as we ventured forth from our hotel. Wooden Heads was our destination of choice. My Ottawa foodie friend Paula Roy had recommended it in an article that was published in Capital Parent Newspaper ages ago. And if SHE liked it, I knew I would like it.

It was after 8 p.m. on a Thursday night. How busy could it be? It was a weekday after all, and Queen’s wasn’t in session yet, right? As we navigated the crowded sidewalks of Ontario Street it began to dawn on us that it was not going to be a quiet night in sleepy Kingston. Wooden Heads’ patio was at capacity and the restaurant itself was packed to the rafters. A lineup was beginning to form at the door. We asked the hostess about a table for four, silently hoping for a miracle. She told us it was going to be a 45-minute wait. Hunger pangs aside, we decided to stick it out. But wait! Suddenly the hostess turned around and told us to wait a moment. She left, then returned a minute or two later to let us know that they’d just had a cancellation. She motioned that the table was a taller one, would that be ok? I would have sat beside the washrooms at this point, so we followed her inside.

She lead us to the Wooden Heads back patio. It’s a sizeable area, open to the sky and nestled between two buildings with lots of exposed brick and stone work. Our table was not located near the washrooms after all, it was a cosy corner that was indeed a rise above the other tables, which afforded us a pretty nice perspective. This will give you a bit of an idea:

Our server, Annie, was a standout. It’s not often that we experience this level of service. Annie was charming, patient, attentive without being overbearing. We started with battered shrimp and beverages, which arrived promptly. It took us ages to decide what to order, as the menu is extensive and frankly, everything sounded delicious. Pizza is the big draw here, and I now understand why. After some difficulty I narrowed it down to 4-5 choices which, just to give you an idea, included:

• Vegitariana (tomato sauce, mushrooms, mozzarella, grilled eggplant, onions & green pepper)
• Guglielmo (porcini cream, brie, pear slices, prosciutto, rosemary)
• Luminoso (avocado pressed yogurt, cheddar, tomatoes, double smoked bacon, cilantro
• Capretto (tomato sauce, soft goat’s cheese, basil and rosemary)
• Prosciutto (roasted garlic, mozzarella, tomatoes, prosciutto, sweet onions, rosemary)

Here’s my dilemma. I really wrestle with the idea of ordering something I know I will love vs. trying something completely new. At the last minute I ordered the Nonna Mela (apple butter, roast garlic, cheddar, sweet onions, blackened chicken).

Oh. My. God.

I was so happy with my order. The crust is the thin, wood-fired variety. This is my personal preference as I have grown to dislike bready crusts. I much prefer to focus on the toppings! And they did not disappoint. The apple butter and garlic and onions provided the perfect contrast to one another. The chicken was nice – thankfully not dried out as can be the case sometimes – and the cheddar, although not a traditional cheese for pizza, pulled it all together very well.

Mark had the Sorrento (tomato sauce, Italian sausage and mozzarella). He liked it, but wasn’t entirely happy with the kind of sausage they used. My youngest ordered a caesar salad with grilled shrimp (two thumbs up), and the eldest ordered a traditional pepperoni, which was also very good.

I wish we lived closer, because I’d like to make my way through the menu. ;)

We had a lovely dinner, and I’m happy to recommend Wooden Heads if you ever find yourself in Kingston. Just remember to make a reservation!