The husband-and-wife team behind Verde concede they were somewhat reticent about publicizing their new place, at least at first.
When they opened their approachably chic trattoria last September, in the old Birches space on Montford Street, Ed Bosco and Marianne Kresevich certainly were hoping that Verde would be a good fit for Canton.
Now, the Roland Park residents, who moved to Baltimore four years ago, said that the first year has exceeded their expectations. And they're moving forward, with a new brunch debuting this weekend and plans to expand seating to the second floor.
"The feedback is really great,"said Bosco. "It's what we were hoping for when we worked on the type of pizza we wanted to make."
Verde's specialty is Neapolitan-style pizza made in wood-burning ovens, topped with quality ingredients like homemade mozzarella and ricotta, prosciutto di Parma and some seldom-seen imported cheeses. The offerings also include antipasti, salads and Neapolitan specialties like "montanarina," a fried dough puff topped with tomato sauce and pecorino Romano.
The brunch will feature a menu of newly created pizzas, some of which are variations on brunch fare typically presented on English muffins, like a Florentine pizza topped with wilted spinach, fontina, pancetta and hollandaise. Others, like the Uova Bianca, topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, eggs and basil, are inspired by Neapolitan cuisine.
Verde's brunch hours are Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The restaurant is otherwise open for dinner daily.
Verde is at 641 S. Montford St. For information call 410-522-1000 or visit verdepizza.com.