(Not pictured: the adorable 10 month old baby that swooshed into the shot about a microsecond after this photo was taken. It is fun being a pizza uncle)
I'm no economist, as my "62" in Grade 11 Introductory Economics will happily prove ("hooray! I'm finally being used for something!") and so I'll theorize blindly! Trends can really drive a marketplace. Mind-blowing, right? But what about food trends in relation to restaurants?
Here in Toronto, back in the late 2000s it was new burger joints like BQM and to a lesser extent Hero Burger doing a more creative, refined fast food burger and*
*it was at this point the author realized, upon editing, that despite his usual eagerness for overly detailed stories that go nowhere and tie onions to their belts... this first draft was far beyond anything remotely on point to the article promised by its title. Thank you for understanding and please do enjoy the review.
Anyhow, that is my thesis of explaining how and why it is no coincidence we're seeing a bunch of Detroit style pizza spots in Toronto here in 2024. Descendant's continued long run of success and subtle influence has clearly proven this particular food concept can be sustained in popularity, and so whereas just a decade ago even a seasoned Toronto pizza enjoyer wouldn't have known bread or cheese about Detroit pizza (or at least... I wouldn't have)... now there are at least a dozen spots throughout the city offering their versions of it.
Which brings us here to Renaissance Pizza.
Here's the thing. At first, yes. but now? The lasting appeal of Descendant isn't its uniqueness among Toronto pizzas anymore... it's that their flavours and textures still are memorably vivid, creatively bold and downright delicious. They also haven't expanded, remaining and maintaining the same operation they've always run... which has helped their building legend grow.
I've now tried a good number of these newer Detroit style spots in Toronto. None of them, for whatever reason, quite reach that Descendant level. It's a high bar, everyone. Slowhand probably gets the closest: their ingredients are very sharp and the sourdough angle of the dough intrigues (although I wished that came through a bit more in the taste). Alas, many of the other entries come across as enjoyable mostly via thick saucy doughy texture, while the flavours don't excite and or fade far too quickly. Or they're Oswald's, which was just straight up mediocre and weird in every off-putting way.
Oh right, Renaissance. Can a written review be like a YouTube video wherein I put a timecode? Skip ahead to Paragraph Four to avoid long-winded thesis. Jokes on you: this is paragraph five! Heh heh heh.
Renaissance Pizza is the brainchild of reconnected Niagara high-school friends/roommates John Rabideau and Harvey Gill... their venture a similar one to many recently opened restaurants in how it began as a pandemic-fueled idea to fight the boredom of those unspeakably difficult times. They both loved Detroit style pizza and since according to Rabideau they "lived too far from Descendant"... began experimenting and soon testing their recipe, frequenting online pizza forums for tips and advice. Definitely check out this Toronto Life article for more about their origin story. Precisely where I learned all of everything I just wrote! The piece is one third origin story, two thirds a lot of overly long reviewing about random anythings they sell but at least the good story is at the beginning.
I'd been hearing a lot of good things (perhaps on the same forums Gill and Rabideau were engaging with) about Renaissance Pizza and knew a visit was required. Fortunately, my longtime friend and occasional pizza associate (who indeed first mentioned Renaissance to me) lives within walking (even with a stroller) distance... and so on a late sunny Friday afternoon the three of us set out to sample another edition to the Toronto-meets-Detroit style pie.
Since there were two of us (old enough to eat pizza or solids) and we were both torn between two options... well clearly the equation is obvious: one third of a pizza divided for two, please.
West Collier Street! Come for the pizza reviews, stay for the mathematical jokes.
The results: their 'Canadian' (on the left) and a 'Duck Confit'. Their 'Tandoori Paneer' option was also a strong contender. Amongst all of their menu items this one appeals the most for its unusualness. Unusualality? Unusualing? One of those has to be a word come on.
Although tempted by the Tandoori pie... alas on first visits when reviewing a pizza I like to aim towards the middle ground between basics and creativity and blah blah blah I am genuinely curious how they pull that tandoori paneer pizza off.
Regardless, we have two pizzas here to discuss so lets begin with the Canadian.
So an instant positive for Renaissance: definitely not bland. Another good note precisely appealing to me: the tomato sauce. Plenty of it, a strong presence throughout the entire pizza, and it's impressively full flavoured yet balanced both in texture and sweetness. This is my kind of sauce: blended but still chunky enough with little soft bits here and there... appearance-wise vivid and bright (it just looks appealing)... nothing close to that "every microbe tastes the same" you get with cheaper sauces. It's excellent stuff. I was instantly onboard.
Likewise, they get the crucial 101 of Detroit style pizza: the crust and dough. That pan baked, crispy exterior and doughy interior is on point here, especially that exterior. It is a tricky waltz between that perfect light crunch of fried cheese and just being burnt, but the dance was successful on both these Renaissance pizzas. They've clearly taken some good notes from what they studied because they absolutely nailed this. Combined with a general soft firmness of the dough within... we're approaching something special aren't we?
Sigh. There are some problems to address but mainly: the saltiness. It... well it became overbearing at certain points... regardless which pizza. I suspect it was the mozzarella cheese somehow, as that was the only shared element between them... or perhaps everything was oversalted beforehand and thus it bled through but nevertheless. On this occasion it seriously messed up a lot of the enjoyment to be had here. I mean...
Although, maybe this creature would enjoy it more...
A math joke and an uncommon TOS Star Trek reference? This article will explode on "what's trending" without any doubt.
It's a real shame one overpowering taste is so throughout this pizza because most of the rest of it is really darn good. There are other more minor quibbles I'll share upon soon with the duck pizza, but the extreme saltiness is a large shadow upon this first impression of Renaissance. And please realize, this was not solely my opinion. Three of us (not the little one don't worry) sampled both and all of us nodded in agreement. Deceptive how it looks so ageless and beautiful, but still is a salt monster within trying to deceive.
The duck confit pizza was likewise tasty, well crafted... but again aggressive with the salt (the goat cheese an amplifier of it). Beyond this consistently overstaying guest... this was a perfectly enjoyable pie, but could also be much more.
The beige drizzle you see along it is a balsamic aioli glaze. Fascinating, but in execution lacking what this pizza needs. In this form you get more of the aioli consistency/taste than any kind of glaze or sharp balsamic... and since we already have a very creamy pizza here with multiple cheeses and nothing to cut into that dominant flavour... this lightly balsamic sauce really adds little beyond a slight hint.
"Should've been a balsamic reduction". Agreed. And to continue rolling with my longtime pizza associate's observations... she lamented how useless the chives are on here. "Just for prettiness, parsley-like garnish" were her words, or close enough. Easily fixed: switching out the scallions from the Canadian pizza (where that precious sharp and sweet isn't needed because of the tomato sauce) onto this duck pizza here could've elevated this substantially. This duck pizza is crying out for sweetness or basil or anything different to add a second dimension to it beyond thick creamy richness. It is still very good at that, but that is all it has.
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These are two difficult pizzas to review because they're so the same in how 'what works' really works... like two television shows copying each others plotlines. The duck on this duck confit is simply fantastic... sadly there isn't a whole lot of it. Like, so little that you can easily forget it is a "duck" pizza: it's in there but spread so faintly thin throughout. Tinier tasty bits that get lost and forgotten within, rather than large thirsty hits that constantly reassert themselves. I think I just accidentally described social media existence in the 2020s.
Overall... for me, Renaissance isn't a 'must try' Toronto pizza spot. Good, but not a 'rush out now' I'd recommend. Not yet.
There is room for improvement within the margins that, if done right, could make this place really special. I can feel that much. But as is, one critical flaw and a few missing pieces of the puzzle hold them back. The mozzarella is fine (although semi-plasticy on the reheat), the dough/texture is truly excellent, as is the tomato sauce. There is a lot that really, really works... only not quite there.
Plenty of time to re-evaluate and I have done so in the past (and that tandoori one in particular still tempts me) As is? Renaissance is mostly on the right track. I'll give them a 'B'. Without that insistent saltiness and a little more dimension/creativity with the toppings? Potential leap and knocking on the door of Toronto's Top 20. That texture and sauce is one damn fine floor to build from.
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