This Week In Pizza: Bello Pizza

 

 

It couldn't have been easy to open a food concept during the COVID-19 pandemic... although pizza certainly might be the type of food immune to such a plight. Bello (among a few others in Toronto) would be an example of this, opening sometime in early 2021 in the back of a cafe on the foot-traffic heavy stretch of Bloor West Village near Runnymede station.

Bello had been on my list pretty much since I first read about them last Spring, and despite going to Runnymede station almost every Saturday in the Spring, Summer and early Autumn... until this past weekend I'd never gotten around to trying them. I honestly kept forgetting they existed! 

Well, I rectified that mental oversight and finally gave them a long overdue visit. As mentioned, the place has a slick cafe immediately in the front, which surprised me at first and made me wonder for a second if I'd somehow wandered into the wrong place (I'd slept three hours in four days at this moment). I even needed help finding where the menu was posted. All the pizza stuff is in the very back... and after a lot of deliberation I selected their 'Chorizo' pizza... a white pie with mozzarella, fior di latte, scallions, chorizo (marinated/cooked in some kind of garlicy chimichurri type thing) gorgonzola and rapini. 

They bake their pizzas at high heat in a gas powered oven, resulting in a ready time not quite like the "90 seconds or less" you see with wood fired ovens... but the pie you see above was all boxed up and waiting when I returned ten minutes later. After finding a spot in a nearby park where the bees weren't assaulting me (seriously... bees in October?), I was able to dig into this terrific smelling Bello pie.

Well... the smell matches the taste... the shoe indeed fits. This is exceptional pizza... soft, cheesy, loaded with varying tastes and flavours... with the perfect texture balance of char and pillowy dough. All of this melts in the mouth like an oozing of joy for the tongue, the sharper flavours (scallion, rapini) perfectly complimenting the creamy, cheesy foundation.

 

 

As you can see above, it's on the thinner side as far as pizzas go... but it optimizes that minimal space. The bottom dough is delightfully soft (you can see how it bends on my fingertips), with a enjoyable blended taste of baked bread and butter. There's a hint of Alfredo sauce in the creamy cheese foundation as well (the tiniest bit of crushed black pepper)... it's an incredibly rich, yet accessible base and taste balance for the assertive flavours on top. 

The toppings themselves... they sting. But in a good way! Perhaps not for everyone (we are talking about me here... my solution for if something has too much garlic is to add more garlic) but these sharp flavours compliment the rich creaminess precisely. Oftentimes while eating this, I forgot there was gorgonzola on here until that intense earthy cheese attacked and petrified my tongue. Gorgonzola truly is the Medusa of cheeses... ah? Ah?

Probably my only complaint about this pizza at all is the excessive amount of those onions on here... it does on occasion dominate the flavour on particular bites. The chorizo isn't a consistent presence either, but when it appears the best configuration (the Voltron if you will) of this pizza is unleashed. You get all the rich creaminess, the stinging elements of the scallions and the delicate dough... with an incredibly delicious morsel of juicy, peppery pork. Just exceptional stuff.

Bello pizza isn't exactly cheap (this pizza was 26 dollars without tax and tip), but to their credit this is a larger pie than a usual standard wood-fired oven product (Bello on their website promotes it as a 14 inch pizza). It's still a bit pricey, and while that will likely prohibit me from trying them on a frequent basis when in the area (which is frequently in the summer months)... there is no denying what a marvelous treat eating this high quality pie truly was. I will definitely go back at some point and also recommend trying them if you haven't. It's an 'A-' grade for me, but it's very very close to an 'A' and regardless of those semantics this is probably one of the best ten pizzas I've had in Toronto. 

           

This Week In Pizza: Descendant Detroit Style Pizza

 

 

Despite being an east-side-guy, until last week I'd only ever visited the great Descendant Pizza twice... my last visit being nearly four years ago with a pair of then co-workers I haven't spoken to since the Beforetimes. Heck, I've probably been to Domino's multiple times in that span... and I don't even like Domino's at all. Clearly my pizza credentials need to be re-evaluated.

I've written about Descendant before, as they have topped my Top Toronto Pizza list ever since that very First Pizza Quest. Of course, a lot has changed in the Toronto pizza scene since that initial ranking in early 2019 (and my follow-up a year later). Places like Revolver, Badiali, One Night Only, Mark's, Levant (to name a few) have since emerged as slingers of pie extremely worthy of acknowledgement and consideration. Trying Descendant again after this long bundle of time... I was confident they would still be excellent but was very curious how they measure against the hot newcomers.

Descendant is, of course, a Detroit-styled pizzeria and the brainchild of chef Chris Getchell... who I only recently realized is somebody I worked with at Pizzeria Libretto Ossington about a decade ago. He was briefly an assistant chef there and definitely had some inventive concepts for pizzas (Hot Honey and pickled onions being a few), although a very hard-nosed traditional Neapolitan joint like Libretto wasn't quite the most open minded spot for Getchell's ideas. Hell, it wasn't until a year into my tenure there at the original Libretto that they even began to offer a freaking pepperoni pizza... and it was as a daily special. Regardless, with Descendant Getchell clearly created a kitchen environment for himself where he could refine and experiment... and the success speaks for itself. 

Do the results? To avoid dawdling (as I often do)... yeah. They do. This pizza is still stellar, and still probably tops my list in Toronto. The difference now is that it might not be them (and Defina) running away from the field as my favourites anymore... some of the new contenders have made the race closer. 

 

 

Lets talk about the pizza itself. What I think differentiates Descendant from other newer Toronto joints doing the rectangular Detroit style (8Mile for instance) are the depth and details of the flavour. The pizza you see above is the 'No Name', which has a ton of different things on it. Your usual cheese and sauce (which are arranged differently in the Detroit-style don't forget... the sauce is on top) are supported by pepperoni, Italian sausage, Calibrian chilis, hot honey (of course), shredded pecorino romano cheese and dollops of ricotta cheese with some cilantro sprinkled about. 

There's a lot going on! And what makes this work, as it always has with Descendant, is how each bite is notably unique from any other. You're getting a totally different adventure every time: maybe you get more of the ricotta and chilis one bite, then just sauce, cheese and the pepperoni next time. Any of them work in any combination with each other... it's downright harmonious. 

The quality of the separate ingredients is on point also. While more of a supporting topping than part of the foundation, the tomato sauce is exceptional... thick and vivid with immediate sharp flavour. The pepperoni has some fatty, juicy depth to it... like if you bought a high-standard stick of pepperoni but you don't own a meat slicer and your knife can only cut it so thin. It still works and gives it more of a presence and fatty texture in this flavour circus. The ricotta adds some great light creaminess and acts as a perfect foil to cut through a lot of the salty pork taste throughout the pie. The chilis are the least noticeable of the toppings, but do add a funky little surprise when biting into one and suddenly getting a hint of heat. 

How about the negatives? Well... there's... um... the rougher top of the pizza irritated the roof of my mouth a little? Or there's the... the... you know the... uh.... um.... 

Lets talk about the texture of the pizza itself. The exterior is very crispy: you've got your crunchy, lightly burnt cheese on the edges (similar to the cheese you find atop a cheese bagel) and the pecorino tends to harden once the pie cools. Beneath all that, however.... you've got some very soft airy bread (Getchell in the link above explains how he has attempted to replicate focaccia for his dough) while most of the hot honey oozes between the slices and pools at the bottom. The hot honey is delicious and works as a natural thing to dab the breadier part of the square slice into, although having this honey everywhere makes eating this a very sticky affair (especially you have a beard like myself).

 

There isn't a whole lot else I can say. Descendant is still goddamn delicious, with each precious bite tasting like some kind of new journey for your taste buds. It's very worthy of holding it's 'A' grade (the very highest) in my book and my 'Best in Toronto' crown... still truly one of the best pizzas I've ever had.  

             

This Week In Pizza: Revolver Pizza Co.

 

 

Back in late 2020, I adventured out to Mimico in hopes of trying two Etobicoke pizza joints for my Third Pizza Quest. The two places were Mamma Martino's, a longtime staple of the area, and a newer arrival on the scene: Revolver. 

This Third Pizza Quest was tragically aborted soon afterwards, as my cell phone (containing all my notes and photos of the near dozen places I'd tried at this point) was stolen. As such, I didn't think much of Revolver Pizza for a while. "It's all the way on the other side of town! Bah!" was my sentiment, despite hearing further praises of it from a west end baseball chum who knows his 'za. 

Well clearly, at long last, I went back. The very same friend of mine I'd visited Revolver with that first time really wanted to go to San Remo bakery, and since they happen to be on the same block... the opportunity was obvious. After a stop at the bakery (that place is wild, their sandwiches are larger than bricks!) it was pizza time. 

I went for two slices (why not?): a standard Hawaiian slice (though with smoked bacon instead of ham) and their Chef Special, a white pizza consisting of salami, rapini and sesame seeds. Plus a garlic aioli dip, because again.... why not.

It's really a wonderful thing when the quality of a pizza is perfectly balanced in very aspect. Here, you've got something with just the right ratio of cheese, dough, toppings and (in the case of the Hawaiian) tomato sauce. I probably love myself a deep dish pizza more than many others of course, but even I acknowledge how that type of pie is going to be an overload of cheese and sauce more than anything else. Revolver is the opposite of that, and it's damn fine stuff.

As for the flavours, these slices were simple but just enjoyable to eat. Well baked yet maintaining a firm gooey texture on each bite, with just enough crisp and slight char also. The pineapple on the Hawaiian was juicy (not dried out like you'll find in cheaper joints) and while I would've liked a bit more bacon on here... the basic cheese and sauce combo on this thing is so tasty this really isn't an issue at all. As is, a great mix of subtle sharp (the pineapple), salty pork, a tomato sauce on the sweeter side and perfectly melted mozzarella. Really well done.

The Chef's Special slice was the weaker of the two slices, but still delicious in its own way. You definitely get a better taste of the cheese on this one, which is good because Revolver's cheese is fantastic. Just a really soft texture that feels pleasant in the mouth. The lightly fatty salami and bitter rapini is a fine combo while the sesame seeds add a nice little nutty flavour under the surface of the other toppings. 

Meanwhile, the garlic aioli is a terrific compliment for your crust dipping needs. A nice mix of creaminess and garlicy punch, with the ideal consistency where it doesn't drip everywhere nor do you need to scoop it to get it. The crust itself is quite good too... a nice hybrid of charred and bubbled flavour with soft bread within. 

 

I'd say this is an excellent pizza, certainly worthy of a spot in my top 25 (maybe top 20) with a grade firmly at the 'B++' level. The key word is balance: no aspect of this pie tilts askew in any direction, it's just very well rounded in every way. Definitely worth the trip out to Mimico if you, like me, aren't particularly close to that neat part of town. I will mention though that a friend of mine, who visits there more frequently than I, suggests the slices are better than the whole pies. Hey, nothing wrong with a place specializing in slices when they're this darn good.

     

    

 

The Tuesday Taste: Subway Sandwiches

 

Reading the draft

wasn't sure where to laugh

The language wasn't

very refined

Skipping ahead

she wasn't sure where it led

The patterns

were too hard to find 

Another Tuesday.... another Taste. The less said about the previous week, the better.

In many ways, a sandwich is a lot like a city. You have these different ingredients with their different flavours, different origins, all layered together and working within a bready shell. Cities are usually surrounded by bread, right?  

The origin story of Subway begins in 1965, off in Bridgeport Connecticut, when Fred DeLuca borrowed a thousand dollars from family friend Peter Buck (not the guitarist from REM) to start a sandwich restaurant. The rest of the tale is pretty obvious: the restaurant was a hit, aggressively expanded into franchising and became a recognizable brand by the 1980s/1990s, then their growth completely exploded thanks to intensely marketing themselves as a "healthy" fast food option... especially brought home by their spokesman being a dude who lost hundreds of pounds eating their food (and I'm sure that dude turned out to be a totally normal person and definitely not some creepy weirdo sex criminal....)

Full disclosure: I've never liked Subway all that much. I grew up on Mr. Sub, really liked Quizno's when it was cheap and located in the building I worked in (or actually still in Toronto), and honestly if for whatever rare reason I'm specifically craving a sub sandwich I'd strongly recommend Belly Busters over any of them (just open one more location and I can review Busters for a Taste, in fact).

However... I've already reviewed Mr. Sub and Quizno's as well just before that last location departed downtown Toronto forever. So... I had to properly review Subway at some point. Way back in the early days of the Taste I sampled Subway's "Sidekicks", an assortment of mini potato bun sandwiches they still offer... but those weren't actual submarine sandwiches. So... against all better instincts... here we go into Subway.

--

I went for their "Chicken Bacon Peppercorn Ranch" which at least sounded interesting. Apparently I could've made it "crispy" chicken for an extra three bucks! I decided against it, seeing as this thing was already about to run me thirteen bucks and if I'm buying just a sandwich for seventeen goddamn dollars or more, it's gonna be from an actual restaurant or well regarded food stall. Still, I had decent hopes that this could, maybe, actually be somewhat okay. 

Then I saw the chicken they use. Hooooo boy. Look, minced up/pulled chicken can be delicious in a variety of ways and situations. But the key to making that good is A: the right seasonings, cooking method and (if you like) sauces. Or like B: a chicken salad type concoction, where you use a lot of mayonnaise and/or egg to keep the texture together and creamy. This was nothing like either of those... more like somebody had just thrown various "chicken" parts through a shredder and let it sit around and dry out... then added water to keep the moisture. Tasty! Though to be honest, their chicken breasts didn't look a whole lot more inspiring... rather like beige hockey pucks.

Lets get into the sub sandwich itself. They didn't have any cucumbers (not a good way to win me over), their green peppers were sliced about as thin as envelopes and the lettuce had that sad, faded morose green colour to it. Thirteen bucks please! To be fair, their bacon looked and tasted okay... a bit like that thin bacon you get on a Wendy's burger... not a lot of crispiness to it but you're at least aware of it and it tastes like bacon. 

That is about as much praise I can give this "thing". The chicken, unsurprisingly, was horrifically bland. The texture resembled something more akin to tuna and just like eating some fish that's been sitting out too long, my stomach did a couple of cartwheels to protest this assault upon it. The problem, aside from the blandness, is that most of what you taste in this awful thing is that chicken. There's nothing else to it! And any notable flavour that does rarely emerge from this soulless void disguising itself as a sandwich is quickly sucked back into that sad oblivion. You know how when you eat something really good, the tastes and sensations linger in your mouth for a pleasant moment before slowly dissolving? With most fast food the opposite is true: you get a quick fix of taste but it vanishes almost immediately... making you want another bite that much quicker. McDonald's, for me, holds the crown at this... although Subway has gotta be close. I do like fast food, honestly, but I also like for things to have actual flavour and for said flavour to last longer than it takes to blink. 

Also, for a sandwich with "peppercorn ranch" in the title you rarely even get a hint of that (hey Subway, you know you can cook chicken with peppercorns together, right?). As for the bread... well I've always hated Subway's bread (as will happen when you chip a tooth on it once), but I thought this time I'd go for the plain white bun instead of my usual whole wheat go-to with subs. I doubt it would've mattered, because their bread still sucks. Its consistently stale, aggressively tasteless (even if not fresh from the oven, good bread still tastes like something) and its crusty edges always leave me wanting to throw the bun out halfway through. This really was the biggest restaurant chain in the whole goddamn world recently? Seriously? Dear god...

 

Overall... look you don't need me to tell you that Subway is pretty terrible. Maybe if I'd gone for a more traditional type of sub, with sliced meats and whatnot, this particular experience might've approached something closer to bad instead... but even that pushes optimism to a brink. This will be the last time I ever go to one, and the only two times I've eaten Subway in the past decade have been just for these reviews.  

Still, no matter what combination of toppings or bread or toasted or whatever you try... Subway will consistently underwhelm you. Maybe the service will be pleasant... there are surely worse and less healthy fast food options out there... and maybe for some folks Subway is just a reliable and convenient "know what you're going to get" food choice when you're on the go and don't have the time to prepare something. All that is fair and true perhaps, but you can also look at a sandwich and just strive for it to be something better, no? Something worth savouring, enjoying, with well prepared ingredients and high quality all working together within the bun to excel... instead of settling for a status quo with crusty edges crumbling and getting discarded into trash bins? Maybe someday, maybe... but in the meantime, Subway sandwiches is indeed the John Tory of fast food outlets. 

 

Burnt Ends -- It's been a while since I wrote anything (at least I have a good excuse for this dearth of recent work) but! I've got a bunch of stuff coming down the pipe later this week. One review each day, Wednesday through Friday, in fact, in addition to this one you're already reading. So stay tuned for that! Trust me, they'll definitely be of a higher quality and ambition than a freaking Subway sub. 

 

Last Subway Stop -- Ah... I couldn't quite leave this talk of Subway sandwiches be without dropping this in here. Take it away, Johnny!

 

 

 

Tuesday Tune -- These awesome dudes released a new record just this past Friday and their consistency after all these years is staggering. This still might be their best record in a decade anyhow (maybe somebody should write a review of their discography?) and so enjoy this awesome tune from it. I might have to go buy a physical copy soon.

 

   

That's it for me! Until next week... stay cool, stay sharp out there, eat some good food (as in, not what I reviewed here) and most importantly, don't spill that mustard.               

 

The Tuesday Taste: Smoke's Poutinerie

 

 

Blue boy

older than the world knows

Honey

that's the way that life goes

No use

acting, so tough

Calm down, sweetheart

grow up

Another Tuesday... another Taste! And on an actual Tuesday no less, unlike last time. This week, for the first time in a while, we're checking out something that isn't fried chicken or a pizza (but is still a late night favourite)... poutine! 

Chances are if you're ever experienced a few drunken nights out in downtown Toronto, at some point you've had a Smoke's poutine in front of your face while you attempt to shovel most of the contents into your mouth-hole. 

Thing is, there aren't nearly as many Smoke's locations throughout Toronto as there once were. The one at Queen and Bathurst (which I visited quite often when I lived around there briefly) is long gone, as is the one in the Annex (I can't even remember exactly where that one was). It does appear that Toronto had a bit of a poutine boon in the late 2000s-early 2010s, with Smoke's and Poutini's rapidly expanding locations in that relatively short period of time. You also had Poutineville, a small Montreal chain known for all-you-can-eat poutine, open up in the Annex with significant hooplah during the same period. Dundas Square would even host an annual poutine eating contest (sponsored by Smoke's) and the crowds were larger than you might think.   

As with many sudden food crazes, the craze burnt itself out. Poutineville barely survived two years before shuttering, while Poutini's original and last standing location on Queen West bit its last curd early in the pandemic days. We did have the truly exceptional Nom Nom Nom food stand emerge from this period of course, so that has to be considered a major win. Likewise, Smoke's is still around... just with a very diminished presence throughout the city. They have a stall in the arena where the Toronto Marlies play, which is about as obscure a permanent location can get. 

The Marlies weren't playing, so I instead went to the Adelaide location after watching the worst baseball game that has ever happened (you know which one). If you're reading this and are not familiar with downtown Toronto, this particular stretch of Adelaide Street (between Peter and Simcoe) is right in the guts of the club district... heck this very Smoke's location is next door to a freaking nightclub. As you can imagine, this being a Saturday around 11pm, venturing into this part of the city was like strolling into an obnoxious hurricane. I suppose all hurricanes are obnoxious, now that I think of it... but regardless! Within thirty seconds of parking my bicycle there was already a fire truck coming into the crowded scene.

I went in to order my poutine, electing upon their simple pulled pork option. While Smoke's do offer plenty of wild options and combinations (something which founder Ryan Smoklin says was inspired by the great La Banquise restaurant in Montreal), I wanted to sample the basics here. My go-to back at the Queen and Bathurst spot was their bacon cheeseburger concoction, but I wasn't confident they put curds on it (possibly a cheese sauce instead). Couldn't take the chance.

The very moment after I ordered, I went to grab a couple of napkins ten feet away... and was shocked to find my order ready before I returned. We're talking maybe fifteen seconds here, at most. which is a suspiciously short amount of time for a hot dish to be ready. Sure enough, it was barely warm even as I was leaving the joint. Considering the chaos of the location I understand the extreme haste, although they weren't exactly packed inside at this particular moment either. Whatever... I got the hell away from that street of madness and found a spot outside Roy Thomson Hall to chow down.

I think what makes a bad poutine are two key elements: indifference towards the quality of the ingredients, and an imbalance of those ingredients. This is why most of the huge burger joints can't get it right: their foundation is crummy to begin with (weak gravy or bland limp fries for example) and there is almost always way too much of one thing. Drowning your fries and cheese in gravy might work for some people (blech) but it makes for a crappy ass poutine.

Harmonious balance is crucial to a quality poutine, which Smoke's does get right. There is the optimal amount of everything here and it is spread out enough that you can ration each key component as you go. Even at the end, there is still a bit of everything left. The construction of this poutine is far superior than the actual taste and quality... which sadly did not overly impress.

The hurried nature of getting my order out to me couldn't have helped... which is kind of a problem, isn't it. None of these curds softened or melted even slightly. The pulled pork however is by far the weakest thing here, as it offers little else beyond texture and a faintly juicy sweetness. It's somewhat saucy but there just isn't a whole lot of flavour in the meat or the sauce, just a generic stringy pork presence. Not great stuff. 

Fortunately, the rest of the ingredients manage to carry these weak links. Or, at least enough to move this meal well beyond any thoughts of bitter regret. The basic trifecta of poutine (fries, gravy, curds) are done with smarts here. You get some seasoned fries with the right mix of crisp and potato taste, your curds (though mostly stiff) are serviceable, while the gravy holds it all together with an enjoyable combo of richness and sweet (possibly the pork sauce bleeding into it) that proves quite effective. Replace the forgettable pulled pork with a better prepared compliment and... well it'd just be better. No need to elaborate on that.

Smoke's poutine is very much what I remember it being even eight years ago: dependably okay, maybe even good if you get it on the right day. It doesn't blow your doors off with flavour, nor is eating it ever a particularly memorable experience (night of drinking or no)... but it is undoubtedly several notches above anything a mega uber fast food chain could possibly pull off. Their fries are tasty and their gravy has this very subtle salty 'something' to it that has always worked for me. Insert your own joke here. Alas, while I'd happily take these curds over some sad shredded cheese "poutines" I've encountered over the years, they lack that special buttery "oomph" you get with the real damn good ones. Meanwhile, their secondary toppings have always been extremely mediocre, even my once beloved Bacon Cheeseburger version. 

Overall... I'd say Smoke's biggest strength is you know the general moderate quality you're getting with it. Plus, if you're hungry and drunk... you can definitely make far, far worse food choices (not that your arteries might entirely agree with that sentiment)

 

Burnt Ends -- I wrote a baseball thing about some stupid team that blew a big lead in some stupid game that cost them their stupid season. Come for the Pavement reference, stay for the stupid words I somehow managed to write at 6 in the morning about that stupidness. 

 

Stupid Season -- Continuing on that, my dad (who does not write stupid words) did his annual piece where he assigns grades to most members of the Blue J--- I mean that stupid team that stupided stupid stupid. Regardless of this runaway joke, or the extremely horrible way stupid Saturday played out, his insights on the team are strongly on point as is his usual.

 

Tuesday Tune -- I just love the sound of this song. Give me that echo jangly guitar all day. Plus, it has the word 'blue' in it, which reminds me of a certain team that ahhhghhhhhhf here's the song!

 

 

That's all for this week. Hope you all enjoyed some delicious food this past weekend. Until next time... stay safe and don't (unlike some other birds recently) spill that mustard. 

 

                 

The Thursday Taste? Regino's Pizza (and Chicken Wings)

 

 

Now the rainman 

gave me two cures

Then he said "jump right in"

The one was Texas medicine

The other was just railroad gin

And like a fool 

I mixed them

And it strangled up my mind

Now people just get uglier

And I have no sense of time

 

Another Thursday, another.... Taste? Huh? Are we sure we have the right 'T' day here? 

 

Regardless of that! This week we checked out some fare from Regino's, a pizza chain with over a dozen locations, with most of them in the outer reaches of the GTA (the one I checked out on Danforth near Warden is the closest they get to downtown T.O).

I've actually reviewed Regino's before, but seeing as that was nearly four years and hundreds of articles ago (yikes)... I figured why not pay them a re-visit. Especially now that my tastes have become so much more refined and sophisticated! (hah). 

After working up a hunger by riding the Leslie Street Spit, I made my way up to Danforth and placed an order for a large three topping plus a pound of wings (they had a 28 dollar special for both). Hey, I was really darn hungry.

 

 

Starting with the wings, instead of going for a regular 'hot' sauce I decided upon their 'Regino's Spicy' which sounded intriguing. Indeed, this turned out to be a different kind of wing sauce than what you typically find (especially at pizza joints). There wasn't exactly a high level of heat in this 'Spicy' sauce, rather it was more akin to a medium spicy mayo in taste and creamy consistency. Some nice sweetness as well, with a quite pleasant slight zing of lemon going on. It was almost like a tangy secret sauce you might find on a cheeseburger somewhere, except liquidy enough to serve as the drizzle you see above. Interesting and different.

The chicken itself... well these aren't exactly top notch wings, but they're certainly not the worst I've reviewed recently either (*cough* Wing Machine *cough*... it'll be a long time until I let that one go). These were definitely on the oily side though, and somewhat over-fried on the outside (quite a few tougher, chewy bits). For the most part they're okay-ish, the oiliness doesn't leave your stomach turning and many outer bites have a tasty light crispiness to them (like deep-fried chicken skin would). The meat inside is pretty generic. I'd say all of this results in a very average/slightly below average chicken wing, even for a pizza place. 

 

      

Speaking of that pizza, time to sink our teeth into that. I went for something slightly different toppings-wise: going with bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic (shocker). The bacon is a bacon crumble, which is what it is... and the garlic is barely a flavour presence (very disappointing), so this is not off to a strong start. The sun-dried tomatoes, however, really provide a fairly distinct sweetness and texture to the affair. It's an odd combination with the very salty bacon orbs, but the two actually compliment each other nicely. 

This is a very doughy and cheesy pizza, which gives it somewhat of a cheaper taste (the regular tomato sauce is barely there). Quite tasty when fresh (as any decent pizza is) but these types of pizzas tend to be a slog once they get cold since the texture and flavours become repetitive and one-dimensional. One point however in Regino's favor compared to somewhere like a Domino's or Pizza Pizza: this reheats extremely well in the toaster oven. Like, almost to the level of it resembling what it initially was straight out of its original oven. This also, despite the sorely lacking tomato sauce, does at least taste like a real pizza... unlike your typical frozen pie or Little Caesar's which has this empty fakeness to its flavours that are impossible to ignore. 

Regino's is probably closer to the Pizza Nova or Pizzaville level of quality than any of the others I just mentioned, which settles them somewhere in the 'C' to 'C+' range. Perfectly adequate, probably best shared when hungry after a long ballgame with your softball team. Overall... Regino's isn't a place I'd recommend actively seeking out (especially considering how scattered across Southern Ontario most of their locations are) but for what it is, it's completely okay and you could certainly do a heck of a lot worse. Very average pizza, while the wings (aside from the interesting sauce) are definitely more of a miss. 

 

Burnt Ends -- Last week I tried another pizza! And wrote about it! Stay tuned for more stuff like this in the future.    

 

Mac Attack -- A brief read on the history of Mac n'Cheese! From its origins as a meal fit for kings, to the era of instant meals like Kraft Dinner, to its recent resurgence as a high end dining option. As somebody who spent many of the pandemic times working on my Mac n'Cheese recipe (with real cheeses, for the record), this was a tasty little article about a very versatile dish.    

 

Sandwiches Galore! -- It's just a long slideshow of sandwiches you can find at various Toronto establishments. Who doesn't like that? 

Also... somewhat amazingly I've only tried 2(!) of the 50 in that slideshow. I've been to more than two of those places, just haven't tried sandwiches at several of them. Guess I'm too preoccupied with a different type of food... 

 

Tuesday Tune -- I recently found this album (on CD) at a Value Village, and so I have to share one of my favourite tunes from an all-time classic. The lyrics are just so great and bizarre (greatly bizarre? Bizarrely great?).

 

 

That's it for the Taste this week! Next time we'll try to do the usual Tuesday thing, but until then hopefully you enjoyed this 'un'usual Thursday edition. Stay safe, stay cool/warm/whatever you prefer and don't spill that mustard.