We're doing something a little different this time around. Rather than diving deep into one particular pizza joint, instead we're going to take a quicker look at three pizzas I recently tried, with grades for all of them at the very end.
Let the grab bag begin!
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La Pala 148
It is unfortunate in this format that I can't get into the menu of La Pala 148 in more detail, as there is plenty of variety here to potentially discuss from the various slices, arancini and tantalizing desserts (and I'm not even a dessert fella) they offer. Indeed, I'd have loved to sample more than just a single slice from La Pala and surely they would have gotten their own stand-alone article if not for one critical thing... they're really damn expensive!
Seriously, we're talking "this slice with tax+tip was 14 bucks" expensive. Even their regular Margherita would clock in around ten dollars with all that. They are big, thick slices at least and undoubtedly there's a Yorkville pricing element in effect here... but 14 bucks for a slice? There are still walk-in specials around town (few, but they exist) where that gets you an entire pizza pie of respectable quality.
Now that my price rant is out of the way (for now)... La Pala 148 is a tiny little Yorkville spot on Cumberland Street (it's next door to Hemmingway's bar, an old haunt of mine in my 20s) specializing in counter serving with some stools by the window. There's a mini-bodega vibe to the place also, with a shelf full of Italian snacks, a newspaper rack and self-serve fridge for beverages like Italian sodas.
Damn slice took a bite outta me!
La Pala 148 does a Roman style pizza, which you don't see much of in Toronto but seems to be growing in popularity. It is indeed thick and bready, but never at any point does it feel like there's too much of that... plus it has such a delightful freshly baked feel and texture that is always a welcome experience.
This is their "Carnivoro" slice, essentially a meat lovers: cup pepperoni, house sausage and pancetta. The pancetta is your fancy bacon substitute and really steals the show here. Very fatty rectangular bits of tender pork goodness, a very nice compliment to the crispy pepperoni and rougher crumble of the sausage. Also, despite the considerable amount of pork meats on here, the amount of saltiness to this slice was far from oppressive. Always a good sign when considering the overall quality of the ingredients.
The cheese didn't leave much of an impression... perfectly fine but very ordinary mozzarella, not much taste or stretchiness to it. The tomato sauce however... very bright and vibrant, plenty of presence throughout the slice with a nice little hint of oregano in there too. Truly an excellent tomato sauce, one that elevates what would've otherwise been a good-ish pizza onto a higher level.
Texture is also a big positive for this slice, as it has excellent crunch all throughout, especially on the crust. Just a very enjoyable slice to eat overall, with good ingredients and a high level of freshness.
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SOL Pizza
Despite its proximity to the busyness of Yonge/Bloor, the Manulife Centre building or the downtown University of Toronto campus, SOL Pizza is a joint that appears to have flown under the radar of Toronto's pizza scene (it is somewhat hidden away on a side street just off Bay).
The inside is a cramped space, barely enough room for both an ordering counter and a tiny little table. This kind of setup seems ideal for nearby UofT students to bring back into a dorm room (or eat outside on warmer days).
Nevertheless, the place has clearly made a very positive impression with people (a 4.8 on Google Reviews tends to get my attention) and so this was a lesser-talked-about pizzeria I'd been curious to try for quite some time. Going back to this area is also always a neat little trip back in time for me: I lived and went to high school nearby and later on also went to UofT myself... and damn it what I would've done for some good nearby pizza during those long days I was compelled to actually study.
SOL have like at least two dozen specialty pizzas on their menu, looking over them was indeed fairly overwhelming. Eventually I kept it somewhat simple and went for their version of an "arrabbiata", which was sliced salami with a generous helping of pickled banana peppers.
There's quite a lot to like here, and also... everything is a lot. As you can see this thing is loaded with toppings, but there are even more slices of the thick salami underneath the cheese! This is, believe it or not, a weakness: all that thick salty pork gets so excessive at points that I found myself picking some of it off just so I could taste the rest of the pizza.
Beyond that though, this is a pretty solid entry. These slices are a bit on the floppy side as the dough foundation is fairly thin and soft (insert joke here). Lots of stretchy cheese which is good, plus a hint of garlic somewhere in both smell and subtly in the taste, perhaps within the tomato sauce. Speaking of that sauce, it has a bit of a natural sweet hint to it... something you might find in a spaghetti and meatballs type of dish. Combined with the acidic sting of the peppers and saltiness of the pork, it helps balance things out somewhat.
Finally, this is a pretty oily pizza, but it's a good kind of oily. If anything, this pizza reminds me of what I'd call an "arcade slice": extremely oily and cheesy, heavy with the scent of peppers and pepperoni. Considering this condo heavy neighbourhood, this was pretty much the exact opposite of what I was expecting.
Amina Romana Bakery
Our last entry in this pizza grab bag takes a look at new-ish bakery (opening sometime in the past year or so) in the Upper Beaches just off of the intersection of Gerrard and Main Street (also home of the original Beach Hill Smokehouse BBQ joint). This is Amina Romana Bakery, which translates as "Roman Soul" or "Soul of Rome" into English. I'm pretty sure you all know what "Bakery" means...
Unlike the other two spots in this article, pizza is more "another thing we offer" here rather than the main attraction. This is a bakery after all, offering a variety of baked sourdough breads, focaccia loaves, cakes, doughnuts, tarts, you name it. Their pizza counter is in the back, which is maybe ten steps from the front door. Another very narrow and cramped space! Yet charming nonetheless... whether it be the cartoony brick storefront or the colourful scribblings on the white wall inside.
Like La Pala 148... this isn't exactly a bargain either. Their slices are quite large indeed: they're actually rectangular and are cut in half to order, thus these four are actually just two slices I ordered that have been split into the quadrants you see. The pepperoni came in around seven bucks, which is totally reasonable. The white one on the left? Thirteen. Man, at this rate I'm gonna need a fourth job just to pay for all these pizzas I review...
Amina Romana uses a sourdough base for most of their baking, which certainly applies to their pizza as well. You get a good balance of that sourdough taste with some excellent chewiness, along with some crispness on the bottom and the "crust" edge of the slice (it's a bit hard to tell where that is but it's to the left in this photo).
This is also terrific pepperoni. Fantastically crunchy along the edges, thinly sliced and plentiful. The tomato sauce has a juicy feel to it, quite bright and satisfying in its little pockets where it hasn't baked too much into the cheese.
A pepperoni slice is a simple classic of course, and they nail it quite nicely. Enjoyable from start to finish, and it reheats extremely well in the toaster oven.
Now for the thirteen dollar option (their slice prices are not shown, or at least not easy to locate visually). This is, according to the fella behind the pizza counter, their "lasagna" slice... which considering you indeed encounter slices with noodles on them in New York City, I was semi-nervous there would be a layer of flat noodle taking up lots of real estate within this slice.
There was nothing of the sort. Instead what you have here is an atypical pizza configuration (cheese on top with filling inbetween and bread on the bottom) with a pretty unique execution. Below the layer of mozzarella is a nice layer of creamy ricotta, while those brownish-red splotches on top are the sauce portion of this lasagna-meets-pizza.
I have to say... this was incredibly delicious. That fresh ricotta cheese within is just such a perfect touch to this kind of slice, not to mention I detected a hint of black pepper and basil in that flavour as well. As for that sauce on top... it's quite like a meaty lasagna sauce, tiny bits of ground beef within a tomato sauce and the taste just explodes in your mouth.
A great exercise in flavour contrast working well together, the creamy rich cheese meeting the zing of a hearty meaty housemade pasta sauce. Perhaps it's a ragu or bolognese, I'm not entirely certain nor knowledgeable enough about that type of recipe to say either way... but either way this was one of the more interesting and tasty pizza slices I've had in quite some time.
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Final grades! Honestly, all three of these pizzas were quite enjoyable in their own ways, and all quite different from one another as well.
While I'll scoff at the price-for-the-amount-you're-getting at La Pala 148 (I'm no frequenter of Yorkville lunches) I also can't deny their pizza is excellent, at least from this singular experience. Fantastic texture, good toppings... I'll place them on the weaker side of a "B++" grade, which is probably good enough for a Top 50 slot on my neverending list.
I also have to mention a funny story while I was eating this slice: a fellow in a TTC uniform came in and was just entirely smitten with all of the slices they were offering on the counter. He must've asked "will you have a special tomorrow? Tomorrow you'll have the special?" about a dozen times before finally leaving. Hey I love pizza as much as anyone, but even I'm not sure I've ever gushed so publicly about it... I wasn't sure to find this display endearing or concerning. Don't get addicted to pizza, kids! *puffs cigarette*. It'll lead ya down a bad road of falling dominoes, greasy huts and repeating "pizza" twice for no reason!
SOL is the kind of pizza I probably would've adored and recommended to everyone I know about ten-to-fifteen years ago. It's got that oily charm, it's loaded with toppings, and the cornmeal base is another nice touch.
It's still pretty good, and while it's a bit below a "you gotta go try this" tier, they get a respectable "B-" grade. The smell is incredible, exactly the kind of scent this kind of pizza should have... plus there's a good amount of sauce despite the heavy dominance of the cheese and toppings. It reheats decently as well (the pan on low heat actually gives it some needed crispiness on the bottom). Overall, a quality showing from a spot not talked about all that much.
Now we come to the local ringer. They seem to have a strong following, what with appearing on BlogTo's most recent 50 Essential Pizzas gallery (I've tried 45 of those, for the record) and also being fairly busy when I arrived at 11am on a Saturday.
If the pepperoni slice was just it, I'd be impressed enough to recommend them on that alone. Fantastic and simple, that fresh sourdough really shines through with terrific sauce and pepperoni. That would be a solid B+.
That lasagna slice though... again, truly one of the most delicious and interesting pizza slices I've had in a very long time. It's got the uniqueness, the creativity, the sheer simplicity and most importantly... the incredible taste and texture. A place that can pull off something like that deserves considerable appreciation, even from the coldest hearted critics.
The fellow behind the pizza counter insisted it was very very good and he certainly was not wrong. On the strength of that, Amina Romana gets an "A--". That lasagna pizza is simply an absolute must try.
And there we go! Three different pizzas, in the (grab) bag as it were. Hope you enjoyed this slightly different format and we'll be back sometime soon. I'll finish up my updated rankings eventually, I swear... maybe some point early this summer. Stay tuned, and until next time...
