The Tuesday Taste: Freshslice Pizza

 

Or dream of impossible vacations

And get all teary from the wind

Looks as though you're standing

at the station

Long after the train came in 

 

Another Tuesday.... another Taste! After yet another busy week of working concerts and sporting events, it seemed a good time to return to reviewing something straightforward and simple. No crazy "trying half the options on a menu" or giant food festival stuff this week, just a classic take on a classic dish. 

After all, a pizza party is the best kind of party.

Freshslice is a Vancouver based pizza chain that has been around for over two decades now. About twelve years ago (or whenever it was that I still lived downtown) Freshslice locations began popping up around Toronto, in particular one on the stretch of Yonge street between Wellesley and Bloor. At the time I was very intrigued: super cheap pizza slices! (they were under two bucks each at the time). Also, a pizza with a alfredo cream sauce base? This was wild stuff to me back then, well before the further eye-opening experience of working at Pizzeria Libretto.

Alas, Freshslice's foothold in Toronto didn't stick long. Within a few years all of their GTA locations seemed to have shuttered, and my memories of them began to fade as the wood-fired pizza boom began to rule the town. However, the chain was still going strong in British Columbia the entire time... enough so that the franchise has clearly attempted to break through into Ontario once again. Via Google Maps search, this Freshslice restart has two locations in Toronto: one on St. Clair West near Corso Italia (an area full of excellent pie options) and another on King West near Bathurst, which the one I went to for this review. 

I was incredibly hungry at the time, having just finished a shift at BMO Field that could only be described as unfolding in slow motion. I ordered the three slices you see above: a meat lovers, a Hawaiian and a butter chicken deal. 

Starting with the meat lovers... well there's definitely a lot of meat on here and quite a variety. Bacon crumble, slices of thin ham, pepperoni, sausage... individually they're pretty ordinary toppings although the sausage has a nice kick to it, and also I like how the ham rests hidden underneath the layer of cheese, almost like it would in a sandwich.

The Hawaiian slice does the same thing with the ham, resulting in a less salty than typical Hawaiian slice. I'd say it's the strongest slice of the three as it isn't trying to do too much and it was also the freshest (the other two were semi-stale at the edges, an unfortunate result of arriving an hour before closing). As for the butter chicken slice... swing and a miss. The concept is pretty simple (just chicken and roasted peppers) but the chicken is very generic, dry and diced in small bits and almost completely unnoticeable. I know some people find chicken on pizza rather strange to begin with, but in my experience it can work when the chicken itself is tasty and/or prepared well and also: the combination of toppings matches well with it. This slice had an interesting idea but totally lacked the execution... it needed something extra (say, creaminess) to make it work. Also, better/flavourful chicken.

Talking about the basic elements of this pizza... the cheese is fine (quite on the lean side for cheese), the sauce actually quite sweet although there simply isn't very much of it to be a presence, but the dough is the most compelling thing here. It's a multigrain dough! I had completely forgotten this in the decade-plus since having Freshslice. As such, it has a very wheaty taste to it and a bit of a heavier texture... much like buying whole wheat bread instead of a plain white loaf. Thankfully, it isn't overtly grainy or filled with seeds or anything (that kind of bread just isn't my thing) but there is enough of that wheat to give it a distinctive taste. 

Overall... let's chalk one up here to evolving taste buds. I remember really liking this pizza back in 2010, but in that vast time since I've definitely expanded my horizons on what good pizza can really be (much of it on this very blog). Now... I'd say Freshslice is entirely decent, still extremely affordable (each slice here was under 3.50) and does the job as a snack, but also really lacks anything of an impressive high quality flavour. I'd have to grade it in the 'C+' range... certainly a lot better than other pizza chains I've reviewed recently, but also sadly underwhelming (especially compared to some of the truly exceptional pies in town).          

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(No "Burnt Ends" update on current writing projects this week, as nothing has changed in the last seven days!)

Quiznos Nomoreso -- Back last October I reviewed and somewhat curiously lamented the disappearance of Quiznos sub sandwiches here in Toronto. I was confused: Quiznos for their faults makes a far far far superior product to Subway (don't think I said 'far' enough) and those generic sandwich factories are freaking everywhere. 

Alas, that very same Quiznos I reviewed (the last in Toronto) is now gone. Mr Sub meanwhile (another product vastly superior to Subway) continues to hang by the thinnest of wires. Come on, everybody. Seriously, does anybody ever go to a Subway and leave thinking: "this was truly an excellent sandwich!" No? The defense rests.

Swing and a Miss Chalet -- Another previous review! Oh my goodness I'm lapping myself. Anyhow, I checked out Swiss Chalet last April (spoiler: it's very okay) and that same location has now been slammed with so many health and safety infractions that they had to close this past week. A lot can change in a year (I went from unemployed couch turnip to barely having enough free time to think) so this doesn't change my perception of Swiss Chalet at all. It is, and always will be... very okay. Still though... I've dealt with health inspectors at restaurant jobs before and while some are truly insane sticklers for microscopic details, it takes a lot to actually get completely shut down.

I'm Your Man -- Another great music piece from my dear dad, who tackled the Leonard Cohen catalogue with his reliable academic passion and eloquence. I'm not as familiar with Cohen as I should be (I know his first record and "Songs of Love and Hate" mostly) but regardless of your personal association with the artist this is an excellent read that I strongly recommend.

This Guy Beat Me To It -- A truly epic bike ride from this fella, starting all the way at the Vaughan terminus of the Line 1 subway and following it down and then back up to Finch and Yonge street. Wish I'd done it! I mean, I've biked up to Richmond Hill via Yonge street (twice) but I was in my early 20s at the time. Maybe one day I'll do it again... maybe. 

 

Tuesday Tune -- Just a song I've absolutely loved since I first saw the video for it on MuchMusic some twenty-odd years ago. Also, with Canada Day weekend having just passed, seems extra appropriate to share these guys again.

 

That's it for this week! Until next time, enjoy the summer, stay safe out there and don't spill that mustard.