Tom and I recently ate dinner at one of our very favorite restaurants: Silvio's.
Since today is Frugal Floozie Friday, I won't rave on too much about the amazing Capricciosa [cah-pree-CHO-suh] pizza we ate, which - at $11.89 - just exceeded the mandatory budgetary limit of $5 per person. But it was exceptional! The pizza (a term which seems so inadequate for a hand-formed work of art) was rich with the flavors of pungent ripe olives, beautiful thin slices of a lovely Italian ham, artichoke hearts, and restrained quantities of mozzarella which balanced the other ingredients rather than burying them, all on a thin and crisp crust.
Instead, I'll tell you about the two - yes, two! - desserts we shared. (We were feeling celebratory and indulgent about our reunion.) Each was priced at $2.89. Therefore, individually they clearly met the budgetary constraints; but they also were within the per-person limit when we combined them, so why not have a bit of extra fun?
The Nutella Pocket was brought out first - a 6"-long vision of chocolate-drizzled beauty. There was an ideal balance between the sweet, flaky pastry and the strip of rich, luxuriant Nutella running through it.
Whereas many restaurants might engage in overkill with too much of one flavor, a gigantic and excessive portion, or dousing the dessert in whipped cream or other accoutrements, Silvio's practiced the perfection of restraint. The dessert was just the right size to share with someone, there was a splash of rich chocolate sauce as an accent rather than pouring it over the treat, and the flavors all worked in unison as the proportion of pastry-to-filling was sublime.
And then, as though the pizza and the Nutella Pocket weren't sufficient, we relished a Sicilian cannoli (pictured at the top of the post), which exceeds my ability to adequately describe it. Half of the filling was a creamy vanilla custard with just a hint of the vibrancy of lemon; the other half was a deep, bittersweet chocolate.
The fillings were lusciously smooth, almost sinfully seductive. In contrast, the fried shell was crisp and crunchy, providing just enough body when paired with the creaminess. And again, the proportions of each ingredient were in perfect balance. The cannoli was utterly decadent!
Needless to say, at Silvio's Tom and I more than received our money's worth. For less than $3 each, we indulged in unbelievably luscious desserts. What noble people we are, engaging in such strenuous research for today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature!
Frugal Floozie Friday: Food and Fun for Five Dollars or Less ... Really!!!
Silvio's Organic Pizza
715 N. University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-214-6666
View Larger Map
