Bring your appetite for pizza, music

The Windsor Star, Wednesday, January 24, 2007
from Ted Whipp

Open for about one year, Big Tony’s Original Wood Fired Pizza Company, 911 Walker Road, brings new life to a place dating back to the late 1800s.

Grain farmers stopped by on their way to Hiram’s famous distillery, in later years the place known as the Metropole hosted some big names, including Tony Bennett. The lore of this location includes, of course, they heyday of booze and Prohibition.

Live music, mostly jazz, and food, mostly pizza, have returned galore, with busy crowds ordering the wood-oven baked creations with ingredient toppings too numerous to list.

Big Tony, Antonino Gallippi, brings nine years’ experience to his business housed in this building that also includes neighbours in space renovated for residential lofts and suites.

The main-floor restaurant space offers an attractive setting with its long earthen tones, with burgundy tablecloths and historical photos lining the walls. Look for a revised menu and a new oyster bar in March.

“I’ve always been fascinated with oyster bars and I wanted to try here with a serious effort with oysters from the East and West coasts.” Gallippi says.

He expects to add more sandwiches such as swordfish and will continue to offer takeout, too.

His pizzas are larger than a dinner plate, and with salad included ample for two for dinner. The East Side pizza is especially popular with its Italian-style sausage, prosciutto, pepperoni and hot peppers. Menu prices are mainly less than $12.

Big Tony’s is open from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday, closed Sunday, phone 519-252-1100.

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