The Tuesday Taste - Double Double Pizza & Chicken

 

 

Sister don't reduce yourself

You gotta find something to love

Pidgeon girls got no religion

You are a diamond in the rough 

Another Tuesday... another Taste! The weekly review took a break last week, what with that weekend being a birthday celebration and um... me being too hungover to go review anything. *cough*

Anyhow we're back! And reviewing some pizza no less, from a chain you've probably heard about in passing. Well get ready to see double here (four Krustys!) as we dive into Double Double Pizza.

 

---

 

 

I never knew a man

could tell so many lies

He had a different story

for every set of eyes

 

Another Tuesday... another Taste! We took a break from the weekly review last week, what with the weekend being a birthday celebration and um... me being too hungover to go out and review anything Monday. *cough*

Anyhow we're back! And reviewing some pizza no less, from a chain you've probably (maybe) heard about in passing. Well get ready to see double here (four Krustys!) as we dive into Double Double Pizza! Hey wait... this seems, familiar? Have we done this one before? Hmmmm, probably just imagining things. 

Double Double Pizza is unusual in that it's a moderately far reaching pizza chain, with locations from Kitchener/Waterloo to the west to Cornwall to the east, yet not a single one anywhere close to central Toronto. Not sure this has always been the case, as I simply just don't have any clear recollection of ever going to or seeing one when growing up... and I was indeed a downtown kid. Apparently they had commercials though:

 

 

Isn't it sad (and rather telling about the present moment) that the 1990s now feel like such a sweet and innocent time? Man.

It would seem that like much of that precipitous innocence, the story of how and why Double Double Pizza exists is lost from the interwebs (possibly just not interesting enough for anyone to have bothered documenting). I think they were founded in 1986? Or 1990? They were the first ever pizzeria to offer turkey as a topping? Maybe? Oh well! Straight ahead into the review then. 

There's a location on Kingston Road not too far from the Scarborough GO station... naturally I got off at the further away Eglinton GO Station and adventured through some bizarre ravine trail to get there. My methods are not for everyone. 

 

 

Back when I reviewed Duckworth's Fish and Chips last autumn I wrote about how this particular neighbourhood, Cliffside, was a serious motel haven three-quarters of a century ago. Even now there's a unique frontier-like sense I get from this area of Kingston Road: a wide open expanse that feels populated but not habitated. You really feel like you've left Toronto despite actually still being well within its eastern boundaries, helped by a smattering of those motels still standing near Brimley Road. 

Back to the pizza joint, which calls a tiny concrete plaza home just off where St. Clair Avenue East ends forever (most major eastern Toronto streets get swallowed up by Kingston Road). Before even going inside, thanks to several posters on their window I was conflicted as to which special/deal made the most sense for me on this sunny Wednesday evening. In the end I kept it simple: a large one topping walk-in special (pepperoni) and some chicken wings. Chicken is in their name, after all. 

 

 

Off the jump I have to mention the sheer quantity of food here at a fairly reasonable price. A large pizza and a pound and a half (best estimate) of wings... totaling in around thirty-two dollars? Here in 2025, when half that amount of wings alone can often clear twenty bucks... this felt like a bargain. Naturally, this made me immediately nervous as to the level of quality I was about to encounter (the scars from my horrific Wing Machine experience years ago do still burn badly).

 

 

While I ordered sweet and chili as my flavour, the folks at Double Double smartly kept the sauce on the side rather than toss the wings to order and have them get all soft, soaked and sticky in time for their destination. Positive points there. Said sauce is... well it's the exact type of sweet and chili Thai stuff you can find at nearly any grocery store. If you like that kind of stuff, this does that job. 

 

                         

A pretty decently sized, lightly breaded wing (if a bit over-fried in old oil). That old oil taste does seep through prominently on a few of the more well done wings (those darker spots especially) but generally it's not a big enough issue to ruin the overall taste or texture. 

I gotta say, for cheap pizza chain wings... these are pretty solid. A very dirty crispiness (in a good way) with a notable but not overwhelming oiliness... while the chicken inside is nicely cooked without being at all chewy or rubbery. Not a particularly fatty or juicy wing, not a whole lot of seasoning (if any). It's just inoffensive crispy chicken that also keeps together well on a reheat.

 

 

Into my zone of particular expertise, the 'za. Again, my expectations weren't skyhigh or anything... I was just hoping this would be reasonably edible and that I'd actually want to finish it (as I like to say, a surefire sign a pizza is terrible is if I don't even care about eating the leftovers).

Well, I did finish this one. Double Double Pizza's pizza is... entirely okay. Not a lot going on with it but not aggressively bland either. Not once does it taste like cardboard, which immediately launches it in a tier far above Domino's or Pizza Pizza. 

 

     

There are a lot of rather generic elements on display here. The tomato sauce has that typical sugary sweetness you find in only the very finest economy priced cans in the supermarket, the dough fairly tasteless with an unfresh firmness... yet somehow these slices have a mostly soft texture as well? A strong helping of greasy cheese helps with that, plus as cheap as the sauce is they do put a lot of it on here which helps prevent the pie from drying out as it cools off. 

I also kinda like this crust. Airy and crunchy, greasy (the whole pizza is very much that) and still rather tasty even once the pie goes cold.  

Honestly... this is a good way to do a cheap-ass pizza. None of these flavours are at all notable yet the sum is greater than the individual parts. And it tastes/feels exactly the same on the reheat in the toaster oven... which might not be as big an endorsement on this pizza's quality as it seems but certainly isn't a negative. 

 

 

Overall... well I think this is one where perspective and context have to be taken into account. On pure quality alone, I would not recommend Double Double Pizza. The flavours are cheap and very simple. However, nothing about what I ate here was bad either... and frankly affordability does count for something. If all you're looking for is some grub to share with some pals while watching a game, or an easy spread for party guests to mindlessly munch on... this is an option that won't disappoint or leave an abyss in the ol' wallet. If there were one of these in my neighbourhood... once in while I probably would head on over for an inexpensive, no frills pie (and jazz it up with my own additions once I got home of course). 

It's a very average pizza chain, which I think gives it a strong "C" grade. Tastes like pizza, lasts well in the fridge, doesn't hoard the cheese or sauce on ya. Plus the wings are likewise solid with some good crispiness. Double Double Pizza is one that has its time and place.

 

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It's hard not to surrender

To the bold and comely words

What sway the bloody minded

What hang above the graceless herd

Another Tuesday... another Taste? You got it! We're back after taking a break last week, the weekend being a little birthday celebration and um... me being too hungover to go review anything. *cough*

Anyhow we're back! And reviewing some pizza no less, via a chain you've probably heard... hey, wait a minute...

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Burnt Pizza Ends

How about a link dump! Surely everyone's favourite form of content. Here are a bunch of pizza reviews I've done in the past couple months:

Viva Pizzeria (and Pasta)

Insieme

Aleeza's

Levetto

Crudo (they've reopened!)

Il Padre's

Duke's Refresher

 

 

Catch Me If You Can

Seriously though, even though the Jays held on to win the game anyway... I'm still incredulous that wasn't ruled a catch.

 

 

Tuesday Tune(s)

Due to the um, "glitch/hiccup" nature of this week's review... 

 

 

     

 

 

That's all for this week! Until next time... stay safe, stay cool and most of all... 

That's all for this week! Until next time, stay safe... stay cool and... oh for crying out loud. Don't spill that mustard! 

   

This Week In Pizza: Viva Pizzeria & Pasta

 

 

Surely this is an easy one to explain in the translation department, no? Even the king himself was singing the word over half a century ago...

 

 

Sadly we're not going to a glamourous Vegas show in this article (that's a different kind of and spelling of revue). Instead we're checking out a somewhat new pizzeria up in the northern edges of East York, close to where the Don Valley Parkway does its bendy thing. Viva las pizza!

While I can't find a whole lot of backstory about Viva Pizzeria and their website is entirely that typical "our mission is to make food the freshest and most delicious for our customers blah blah blah" (what do you want me to do... actually contact these places? Sheesh... Smash that Like and Subscribe though!)... I can tell you that Viva opened up on O'Connor Drive, just a block east of Pape, this past August (2024) taking over the space from what looks like a breakfast spot. 

It must also be mentioned how this is an awkward part of Toronto: O'Connor Drive is essentially a high volume relief road from the nearby freeway (not to mention a artery connector to Leaside and Scarborough) and such a road with that necessary width (like six lanes) isn't exactly one conducive to little restaurants or shops or anything like that. More like gas station marts and big box stores... or so you would think, but O'Connor is actually lined with the classically quaint little East York houses its entire length... thus the awkwardness I'm describing. It's both residential and not ideal for walking... a street that's just enormous open thoroughfare with cars zooming by with pre or post-highway determinations.

Yet despite this, there are restaurants along it too. A high school friend of mine used to work at The Wally, there's an Eggsmart (there's a review I'll get to in 2027 or something) and now Viva Pizzeria, which is nestled on the north side of O'Connor near a short side street close to Pape. On a sunny evening I rode my wheels up (taking Cosburn Avenue which actually has a bike lane) and walked in to sample this self-described "best pizza in town!" (spoiler: it isn't). 

 

 

I know I've written about this before but I'll never stop being fascinated by how much aesthetic variety pizzerias can have. You can have a faux old-school Italian home cooked restaurant like you see here (complete with plastic vines), a greasy white tiled takeout spot with oily arcade machines, a sleek and hip spot with groovy lights... something snooty and upscale pretentious, or warmly welcoming all without any frills... something steeped in foreign culture, or straight forward North American... and of course a blend and chosen mix of any number of those. Are there any other foods or classic meals that can boast such an assortment of vibes and decors? I certainly cannot fathom one. 

 

 

While the checkered tablecloths and plastic vines of Viva are cute though somewhat kitschy, I was genuinely enthralled by this golden cash register behind the bar (next to the serious business espresso machine). I made my order and sat at this very bar, the restaurant mostly empty on this Wednesday evening just after 7 o'clock (one table by the window and a presumed local chatting up the female bartender and making a very specific sandwich order). 

A short time later my pizza was ready and I made off, trying to find a park or a bench nearby to dig in... which took a while because as I described: O'Connor Drive is just not that kind of street.  

 

 

I do quite like rapini on pizza (a preference not shared by many I know) and this here is Viva's 'Salsiccia e Rapini'... featuring Italian sausage, sauteed rapini, bomba, with tomato sauce and fior di latte of course (although Viva does give the option of a white sauce instead).

 

 

Immediately on my first few bites, I noticed something extremely distinctive about Viva's pizza... something even unique among the actual hundreds of pizzas I've tried/reviewed... an dominant butteryness. Like for real, I've never encountered any other pie to this degree wherein the most prominent taste is a specific butter-like creaminess. It's completely inescapable: the flavour, the smell, the type of oiliness it leaves on your fingertips. 

Does it ruin the pizza? Hardly. There's enough else going on to at least give every bite a bit of variety on the tongue, even if all these toppings do taste like thinner supporting characters. It's strange! Nevertheless, there is very good quality here and those toppings are rather plentiful.

 

 

While this pizza also smells great, that robustness doesn't completely transfer over to the tongue. There is a looseness (and occasional wateriness to the sauce) that stretches the flavours a bit thin, leading back to that 'supporting character' comment I described earlier. The crust though... exceptional. Like an oily focaccia with just enough crisp to hold the slice together (these are pretty floppy) with a marvelous fresh baked taste. I do think this pie could be a bit thicker and more of that bread would only be a positive. It's legitimately fantastic.

Strong toppings as well, faint as they can taste. A nice mix of juiciness in the sausage crumble (with some bits bringing more sting than others), the rapini is wet but far from bland or overly soggy, the bomba spice is rather sneaky (enough to forget about it just in time for it to strike again) and gives some solid mouth sizzle. Quality mozzarella here also: maintaining that softness even once cool and tasting (like so much of this pizza) decadent and buttery. 

 

 

Overall! Such a strange one, despite it not really looking that part. That watery butteryness does subside on the reheat (also the pizza itself loses little else on that) and yet even when in full force that dominant element never becomes unpleasant... rather just softening the other flavours somewhat.

You can often tell when a place puts actual work into their pizza and Viva is that for sure. While I think I'd stop just short of a "you gotta go try this place!" type of recommendation, this is an entirely good-to-very-good pizza option I'd be happy to check out again (should my travels lead me up to this odd part of town again). All that considered, Viva Pizzeria gets a strong "B" grade. Interesting and tasty stuff.    

       

             

This Week In Pizza: Insieme

 

 

Back to translating Italian! "Insieme" in English means 'together', or more precisely 'with one another'... implying an organic harmonious connection between beings or an ecosystem, rather than "these shoes and jacket go great together". I could be wrong, having only looked this up for a couple minutes... but whatever!

It's a great name for a restaurant, that's for sure... enough so that various restaurants in Montreal and Milano likewise have the name "Insieme", though there is seemingly no connection to the one here in Toronto. Speaking of that, Insieme (Toronto version) opened it's doors sometime last spring/summer (2024) on Atlantic Avenue (no hotel though), taking over the space previously occupied for roughly a decade by Vietnamese fusion spot Saigon Bistro.

 

 

One immediate positive Insieme has brought to the neighbourhood is the rejuvenation of the rather spacious front patio of the property. While this particularly drizzle-heavy afternoon was not exactly the most ideal time to settle in get comfy out here... I can easily imagine a cool summer evening spent with a meal and streetside watching being rather charming. Any outdoor patio that utilizes a tree in some way is always a winner if you're asking me (which you clearly are, what with reading this review and all).          

The inside of the restaurant is rather compact and tight, with a casually sleek decor and plenty of greenery by the large front window. Most certainly a relaxed, chill vibe to the place... a simplified coziness despite the still general semi-touched newness unmistakably in the air. It was quite empty when I made my visit... it being a wet Tuesday just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon and they having been open for maybe ten minutes. 

I made my order and about a dozen minutes later I was out the door with it, hoping to find some kind of moderate outdoor shelter under which to eat it (no such luck, a tiny tree beside Left Field Brewery so it would be).

 

 

My curiousity is always raised when a pizzeria gives one of their pizzas the same name as their restaurant. Is it because this particular creation best embodies the spirit and substance of what the place is all about? Or more so a creation designed as something outside of the box, an excuse to sidestep more traditional pies and make something unique and original? Whatever the motive, here is the Pizza Insieme: tomato sauce, fior di latte cheese, pepperoni, 'nduja sausage, basil, sliced garlic and oregano. 

 

 

The first thing I noticed was the very acidic nature of the sauce. Not a bad thing! But definitely more on the sweet, stingy side of tomato flavour. A very thin, loose sauce as well... soaking into the base dough. The crust has some light crunch, not too much char... while there is some cornmeal-like grit to the base of the pie. There's even a scent of roasted corn within the dough. As for the texture... it's deceptively thin (even for a wood fired pie) but has the right balance of soft and slight crunch to really make that work. 

Having basil on here was a very wise choice, as that bright leafiness does well in swallowing up some of that sauce acidity. Together they're quite lovely. Sadly I don't get much of the garlic in here... there are hints of it throughout but its very much blended into the other more prominent flavours. 

 

 

There are a few things I quite like about this pizza, the pepperoni and cheese chief among those positives. Great charred edges and crisp to this pepperoni, while the fior di latte brings that full-bodied, mouth filling buttery touch I really do like in a pizza mozzarella. There is some floppiness to these slices as well (not helped by the rain pelting me during this) but the toppings all hold together and stay onboard with minimal mess. As mentioned earlier, the texture of this pizza is quite on point.

More of a letdown (hangin' around) is that 'nduja element. It's entirely fine I suppose... that distinctive robust flavour is in here, though faintly... which does give this pizza a kind of "playing it safe" feel as I went deeper into it. All of this is a bit too pleasant, too friendly to the tastebuds... with nothing taking a chance and really going "wow" upon me. 

Despite that, I still somehow liked this pizza more the more I ate some of it. Even cold, it's strong qualities were barely diminished. No glaring weaknesses either... only it's general 'goodness' and lack of ooomph are my notable complaints. 

 

 

Overall! This reminded me of Pizzeria Libretto in a few ways... mostly in the composition (the sauce, cheese, and paper thin garlic precisely). I do probably like this a whisker or two more than my last Libretto experience, although on a measure of quality they're both very much in the same ballpark.

It's a nice ballpark to be in, of course. Perhaps not all that unique or different among wood burning oven pizzas... but a good one is a good one and this is certainly that. I would indeed recommend checking out Insieme! Charming spot, lovely front patio (great for a summer date night)... and the pizza is very good. I'm torn between a "B+" and a "B++" on this one... I did really enjoy this pizza, though I just wish they hadn't played it so safe with the spiciness of their 'nduja sausage. I'll go with a very strong "B+", likely placing them on the verge of a Top 50 slot in all of Toronto.               

 

The Tuesday Taste - Knuckle Sandwich

 

 

Tower to the skies

an academy of lies

And what goes up

surely must come down

And we felt the mighty blowup

with the walls coming down

Or something like that

 

Another Tuesday... another Taste! This week we're taking a look at a little sandwich shop I've wanted to try for nearly ten years, mostly because the name always stuck in my head. Well reader, ya should've given me your lunch money as now it's time for a Knuckle Sandwich.

Opened in 2016 by neighbourhood chums Ran Han and George Talidis (they indeed both went to East York Collegiate around the corner), Knuckle Sandwich makes no nuance about what they're about... as the giant incoming fist stenciled on the front window probably suggests. They're a homey little local sandwich shop, offering a variety of items between two buns (Zach Galifianakis' lesser known foodie web show) from fried chicken to flank steak... plus a mix of sides from fries, poutines, quinoa bowls and eccentric tater tots. 

 

      

I myself used to live in this part of town (a bit closer to the Danforth) and always fondly recall this little pocket of Coxwell Avenue between Cosburn and O'Connor. So much of East York is sleepy and monotonously residential, even the major streets tend to blur together as you pass them by... thus why discovering this random stretch of quirky shops and restaurants (plus an LCBO with excellent craft beer selection) was like unearthing a hidden diamond at the time I first moved there. It was nice to see, not being in this area too often anymore, how familiar much of this block still is (many of the storefronts have changed, but the old vibe remains). 

The inside of Knuckle Sandwich (it had been a Thai restaurant before) gives off a very simplistic, minimal atmosphere... framed pictures on the wall, a large chalkboard-like menu by the ordering counter and wooden tables providing any touches of style (plus the undodgeable fist in the window). While tempted by the sliced steak sandwich, I was more in the mood to try their fried chicken (especially after my mediocre experience at MightyBird) and did so, with a side of their 'Tater Tots Supreme' for maximum indulgence. 

 

 

Tater tots on their own? When done right, a tasty, crispy snack. Dump a whole lot of cheddar, smoked bacon, ranch sauce and green onions on them? Well... it adds a lot of extra flavours that in this case, work quite nicely together. I don't much care for ranch typically, but here it provides a very nice peppery tang and loose creaminess to the crunchy, crispy elements on here. Soaked into the tots does soften them up somewhat, but never to the point of becoming sloppy or sogging apart. 

 

       

That thumb in particular was extra delicious! Stupid camera focus. Anyhow, some thoughts on these tots themselves. Light happy crunch on the outside (not all that heavy) with thick potato filling on the inside... like a dense mashed potato. Oddly stretchy and really damn tasty just on their own, without any of that bitter-tasting frozen taste I think we all know. Meanwhile, cheddar cheese and bacon and green onion... these are things that pair with a potato like a hot dog and cold beer at a baseball game. Sharp, salty, full-bodied... it just works, damnit. 

 

 

Here is Knuckle Sandwich's fried chicken sandwich (blech on that mouthful sentence... I'd love to just refer to this place as "Knuckle's" but then you might think I'm talking about the rival of a famously speedy hedgehog).

The construction of it is very simple: a garlic aioli, coleslaw (with some poblano pepper in there), and a chipotle honey on for good sweet measure. The bun is a standard large, brioche-like freshly baked bun (that the owners are supposedly tight-lipped on where they get it from) that is quite dense and squishy. 

 

 

Strangely, I enjoyed this sandwich considerably more once it the remaining half of it had been sitting in the box for an hour or so. In that time the chipotle honey had soaked into the bread, resulting in a honey glazed bun that was both soft and a bit wet (but still firm enough to hold everything together). This cooled off state also allowed the natural spice of both the poblano pepper and the chipotle in the honey to show itself... giving a subtle but consistent sting on the back of the tongue. That pepper in particular... a definite tone of bitterness and mild burn, with a more pickled and slimy texture to it. A different but nice touch.

The chicken has a very bready crispiness to it... like toast that is not quite burnt but a level below that, which is very much the flavour of the breading also. A dirty greasy hint to it as well. Nothing crazy as far as seasonings go, a bit of salt is all... this is a fried chicken that lets the breading and the chicken inside do most of that talking (I suspect Knuckle Sandwich's Korean or Nashville style chicken sammies bring a bit more to them).

Like I said, I wasn't overly impressed on my first few bites... but my appreciation and enjoyment of this sandwich increased considerably as I went. These flavours aren't big and bold, rather they take their time to fully unveil themselves and work together. The texture likewise... starting off somewhat dry but gaining juiciness and a creamier crunch further in. Still could've used considerably more sauce, though. I don't think I registered even a faint hint of that garlic aioli. 

 

    

Overall! It's simply hard to dislike a low key, relaxed neighbourhood sandwich shop... especially when the sandwiches are of a strong quality. I definitely got a very in-house, homemade sense with each item I tried here... none of it mind-blowing amazing but all of it thoroughly enjoyable. Plus their tater tots are on point. Definitely a place worth a try if you're venturing out to that part of town or revisiting some old haunts.

Also... wa-bam! 

 

 

(Don't say I didn't warn you)    

 

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Down The Tubes

An insightful and amusing discussion about algorithms gone amuck and confusions regarding age restrictions on everyone's favourite/only longform video sharing platform. I'm a fan of these guys in general and it's also interesting to see them pull back the curtain a bit on their own operations.   

 

Tuesday Tune

Catchy, poppy, jangly indie rock? How am I not gonna like it... this sounds like if The Kinks met Squeeze (yet the band is American), it's downright irresistible.

That's it for another week! Until next time... stay safe! Stay cool! And most of all... don't spill that mustard.

 

        

Quick Bites: Shake Shack Cookies and Cream Milkshake

 

 

Time for a quick one! Sometimes reviews like this just sort of fall in your lap... or in this case, roll into your neighbourhood on a colorfully decorated truck. 

When I reviewed the first Toronto Shake Shack (there are now a few) last year, a few friends of mine noted how in that piece I didn't try one of their milkshakes. Perhaps an oversight on my part (what with "Shake" being literally in their freaking name) that found its way into the back of my mind ever since.

Well, wouldn't it just be some fine luck that Shake Shack Canada has been operating a food truck this entire summer, visiting locations throughout southern Ontario for a brief limited time (a single weekend at most). Turns out the final stop of this tour was Labour Day weekend at Woodbine Beach... a place certainly much closer to me than Lake Simcoe or Port Carling. Not exactly walking distance. 

Naturally, I had no clue whatsoever about any of this until I was riding my bike home from work late on the Saturday of the long weekend. The beach was mostly empty, most of the lights were off but in the corner of my eye I saw this unfamiliar truck on the left, in front of the main parking lot of Woodbine. You can imagine the raised eyebrow of intrigue once I saw this was Shake Shack... the Shake Shack... operating a truck essentially a few beach backyards from me. I resolved to investigate this properly the next day, which I did... managing to visit the truck just in time before they closed for Sunday evening.

 

 

Aside from the truck, they had some various (Instagramable) activities set up for folks, like a burger beanbag toss thing, dueling foam french fries, QR codes for T-shirts maybe? I dunno... honestly I just wanted a milkshake and didn't look all that intently upon the quirky but still very much brand-oriented promo fluff. I'll give points for making their setup feel very summery though.

 

 

There were four shake options: vanilla, chocolate fudge, cookies and cream, or strawberry. I chose... well surely you've read the title of this article, right. 

 

 

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect... beyond thinking at worst this would be decent. Well it definitely surpassed that, as this was indeed quite a damn tasty shake. 

A very pleasant thickness to the ice cream... milky and creamy in flavour without anything tasting cheap or hollow about it. These flavours actually lingered on the tongue, almost like they expanded in your mouth. If this wasn't legit ice cream they're using an exceptional imitation... but I'm 99 percent certain this is the real stuff. There's too much genuinely fresh richness to it.

As for the "cookies" element... here I was expecting something akin to a crumbled up Oreo (or Oreo-like substitute), something with that kind of presence and crunch. This was similar... but it reminded me more like the buns of an ice cream sandwich (without that weird peeling stickiness you get from those, of course). The chunks/crumble of the cookie in here were mostly quite small but still blended throughout the shake enough that no sip or gulp of it was free of them. 

That dark cookie flavour (also slightly crunchy in the bigger bits) combined with a very creamy ice cream blended down to a perfectly drinkable viscosity... all else I can say is: damn. A extremely delightful summer treat indeed. Shake Shack's shakes are also pretty good it seems, even out of a food truck near closing time. Thumbs up from me. 

             

The Tuesday Taste - Gusto 501

 

Use just once

and destroy

Invasion of our piracy

Afterbirth 

of a nation

Starve without your skeleton key

 

Another Tuesday... another Taste! We've got a different one this week, moving beyond our last couple of mediocre showings and tackling a popular and distinctive destination in the Toronto restaurant scene. It's... eating Sour Cream and Onion Ruffles chips on the 501 Queen Streetcar! Wait... *checks notes* sorry, that's what I ate after prom night. Whoops! I really have to stop mixing these things up...

My experience with Gusto 501? Considerably less Stairway to Heaven/Time of Your Life as that. First of all I'd already visited Gusto back in late 2018, or at least their grandfather spot Gusto 101 (I had a fantastic meatball pizza there). Gusto 501 was still a flicker in the stars at that point, the unique building housing that newer restaurant not even yet built (it was completed sometime in early 2021). Another entirely meaningless observation: both Gustos (501 and 101) refer to the addresses of the streets they occupy, King East and Portland respectively. Imagine they opened a third one up on Yonge Street in Richmond Hill... Gusto 11643! Rolls right off the tongue.   

Heading off to at last visit the newer, more eastern Gusto actually served a dual purpose: trying a pizza I'd been curious about of course (and seeing how it compared to its Gusto 101 counterpart)... but more importantly, a golden chance to see an old friend who's been living overseas for nearly a decade. He was back in town briefly for this August long weekend and a window to catch up over lunch was open before us. 

After a "damn man long time!" initial reunion at King and Parliament we made the short walk east towards Gusto (with gusto). As I was locking my bike, my buddy was ambushed! ...by another old friend of his from theatre school he also hadn't seen in a while (her incredulous reaction to seeing him was truly hilarious and sweet... like an honest "what the hell are you doing here?") As it turns out... this friend of a friend happens to work at the very Gusto 501 we were about to visit. Sometimes this insanely large world is insanely small. Insanity, I know. 

 

 

Speaking of that, the interior of Gusto 501 likewise does not conform to conventional thinking. There are two floors in this very large, vertically open space... with the second floor acting like a towering perch (or indoor balcony) overlooking the distant tables below. Our server friend (my friend's friendly theatre friend) joked how going up and down those stairs for this job eliminates any need for a gym membership... not her exact phrasing but you get the idea. 

Pleasantries aside, it was time to dive into the serious pizza business at hand. I felt a bit of pressure, on both my reputation as a certifiable Pizza Knower and that my buddy spends most of the year in Northern China (Inner Mongolia to be slightly more precise), a region known for lots of delicious items but pizza not exactly among those. 

Nevertheless I was confident from my experience half a decade previous at Gusto 101 that we were in for something good here. My popular friend selected the Funghi pizza (generously gifting me a slice to try) while I went for the Salsicce... which translates as "sausages" in Italian (I won't bother explaining what "Funghi" means)...

 

 

A sausage fest indeed! Here we have Gusto 501's house sausage, smoked mozzarella, pecorino and romano cheeses with some Calabrian chillies. The pizza normally comes with scallions as well, but seeing as I continue to dumbly confuse scallions and shallots with each other... I had them omitted. A mistake I immediately rued an instant after it was too late, realizing scallions were the ones I liked. Damn me...!

Even without the fresh vibrancy of green onions, this pizza has lots going on. Marvellous heat from those pastey, oily chillies... juicy crumbled house sausage (precisely tender and juicy, without being too salty or fatty) and a very noticeable smokiness to that smoked mozzarella (unlike my experience at Levetto). 

 

 

There's a definite heavy richness to this pie but it's far from that singular note: there's a good amount of bitterness and spice, smoke, moderate oiliness, some sharp creaminess from the cheese, the dough is fresh and tasty (if a slight bit dry)... all these layers of flavour that unravel and vary... it's downright excellent. Not a kind of pizza I'd get on a regular basis but an absolute winner nonetheless. 

 

 

I do enjoy a good mushroom on occasion as well (insert joke here). My only issue with mushroom pizzas such as this can be how that distinct taste becomes too repetitive and samey after half a dozen bites or so. That earthy, juicy, tenderness is great here and lingers in the mouth nicely... the creamy, melty cheeses helping accentuate those nice flavours... but halfway through a second slice of it I tend to get somewhat bored of it. This is where something like roasted cloves of garlic, or dollops of blue cheese just in a limited amount could really elevate an already terrific pizza into the stratosphere.

Gusto 501 doesn't quite go for that bold contrast, instead using caramelized onions for some sweetness and rolling with two kinds of mushrooms (shittake and oyster) with three cheeses (fior di latte, pecorino and taleggio). Not my ideal mushroom pizza, personally, but it still works very nicely and that sweetness from the onions really helps it mostly avoid any samey repetitiveness. 

 

 

Thanks to the good fortune of my buddy knowing our server (and especially her being so energetically delighted to see him) we scored a couple of bonuses for the meal. First, some aiolis! Yes, because of the lighting it looks way more like hummus (especially the one with the liquid in it) but we've got a lemon aioli on the left (that's lemon juice not olive oil) and a garlic aioli on the right.

Both are quite tasty dips. Full-bodied and heavy, although I much preferred the garlic one (shocker, right) with it's rich lingering garlic hit. The lemon aioli brings some charms as well, tasting much lighter and looser... almost healthier than any thick mayo dip has a right to suggest. 

 

 

The hookups keep coming! As I've mentioned over the course of these many, many reviews... I'm not really a dessert guy. When it's on the house, however? Well it'd be crazy and rude not to. 

What we have here is Gusto 501's tiramisu, a dessert I am actually quite fond of. And yes, in the lighting it also looks like hummus for some reason... This portion was definitely best shared by two or more, with the dish itself being much heavier on its creamy aspect over the coffee pastry. You mostly taste the mascarpone and fluffy sugar sweetness, with a short layer of the coffee soaked lady fingers on the bottom giving just enough presence to cut through all that decadent whipped cream. The powered chocolate (in the shape of Gusto's hexagon logo) is an addtionial nice touch.

It's very good, with big smooth flavours that make a fitting finale to a big meal. Perhaps a bit too much of the cream cheese for my personal taste, but I can't deny it still tastes lovely regardless. 

 

 

Overall! I really tried to use the adjective "rich" as sparingly as possible here... but there's no denying that particular term best describes the cuisine sampled here at Gusto 501. Heavy cream, cheese flavours that tickle that spot of your taste buds. Sadly I forgot to take a photo of the mocktail I ordered (the very tasty Sole Di Sorrento) which was indeed rather different than that... not that you'll ever know! No photo, it obviously never happened...  

On quality alone, I'd definitely recommend checking out Gusto 501. The pizza is genuinely fantastic with excellent depth and contrast of flavours and textures (it passes the reheat test as well). I'd grade it a strong "B++", just falling short of the elite 'A' range as there are a few pizzas in that category I like a bit more (and find slightly more interesting). Not to take away from what Gusto is doing, however. It's a terrifically executed pie I'd be happy to encounter again. Those top notch flavours combining so smartly really are the key and they nail it. 

 

 

Tuesday Tune

I've always found these guys hit or miss, but I do love this riff. 

                         

 

That's all for another week! Until next time... stay safe, stay cool and most of all... don't spill that mustard.