This Week In Pizza: McMan Pizza

 

 

Folks, this ain't child's play we're fooling around with on this one. This is no mere 'boy' pizza, no sir. Or... is it? "McMan" does translate as "son of Man" after all... oh no! Now I'm extremely confused... is this pizza macho or not? 

Whomever McMan (or his/her son) is, there's a new pizza joint named after them just off the corner of Woodbine and Danforth in the east end of Toronto. I tend to check out the Value Village there on occasion and seeing an unfamiliar storefront across the street offering Detroit style pizza... no surprise that I made a mental note of investigating this further (most likely with my stomach). While I perhaps didn't pick the most optimal evening to finally act on this (it was windy and sleet was everywhere) I brought my wet boots (sorry) and appetite to this place, curious if their take on the distinct Detroit pie would stand out from the now several others I've sampled over the years. 

 

 

Orange is the new orange? Apparently? 

 

 

Seriously, not kidding about the orange.

Aside from seeming like an abstract Tropicana commercial, the layout and decor is quite inviting. The communal benches and the stools by the counter do give the space the vibe of a good spot to sit comfortably and share a pizza, perhaps while watching the local activity and life of this pocket of Danforth pass on by. 

It is still a lot of orange though. 

 

 

Oftentimes choosing which pizza I should try involves much deliberation (it's a hard life, I know). I want to sample something that's both unique and distinctive to that particular pizzeria, yet also one that has enough of the basic pizza elements so to properly evaluate them against all the others I've tried. This always reminds me of a former co-worker who, when talking about this (we worked together around the time I started my mad Pizza Quest) found it extremely illogical how I wouldn't just get a basic Margherita pie at every place, thus making all comparisons level and fair. He's not wrong... but also, that would be so damn boring... so I'll gladly take the occasional conceptual uncertainty over that.

Thus, why we have here McMan's "Mexican" style pizza: chorizo sausage, tomato sauce and mozzarella, pickled onions, pineapple, jalapeno and a coriander lime sour cream mix. 

 

 

You might be thinking "this sounds an awful lot like stuff you'd find on a taco" and you'd be correct! That definitely appears to be the game they're going for here... and they kind of pull it off, actually. There are bites that have particularly "taco-esque" flavours: the faint pickled sweetness of the onions, the hint of lime citrus in the sour cream (plus the plentiful coriander), the seasoning and fattiness of the juicy chorizo... even the smell initially reminded me more of tacos than pizza. 

 

 

A funky experiment sure, but does it actually work? The answer is... yeah! For the most part at least, as this pie does have a couple of weaknesses. The toppings are of a decent quality, nothing that's exceptional or truly vivid on the tongue... but far from cheap or generic either. Plus, the mozzarella has genuine cheese pull when still fresh... stretchy strands to the sky! Always a good sign of a quality mozzarella. 

My biggest issue is the tomato sauce: it's a bit too much, both in quantity and flavour. I do like a saucy pizza, I've never been shy about this... but here the tomato sauce is a big presence and bringing a sharpness that with so much of it, tends to overpower the other flavours here. Especially with the sour cream on here as well... it's essentially smothering everything else on certain bites, the pineapple and the jalapeno being the biggest victims of that (very little presence, beyond the jalapenos bringing a tiny bit of bite). 

While there might be an imbalance of flavours here, the texture has no such problem. I've noticed with a lot of these Detroit-style spots that the outer edge of their crusts tend to dry out quickly, resulting in a chewy and stale experience once cold or on the reheat. McMan manages to make that fantastic outer crunch a big part of their pizza, combining those crispy baked cheese edges with a marvelously soft and fresh dough within. It's a rather oily pie in that dough as well along the bottom (probably a good reason that texture holds so nicely) and that with all the loose sauce on top... napkins are a necessity. 

 

 

Overall! While lacking some of the truly exceptional qualities of Toronto's very best deep dish, McMan does rise above all of the average-goodish ones that now populate the scene. Nailing the dough so thoughtfully and tastily is especially the key to that. It's a little below my level of "you gotta go out of your way to try this!" but McMan is most definitely a very welcome addition to the rather sparse high quality pizza options in this part of eastern Toronto.

I very much enjoyed it, plus it held up well on the reheat. A strong "B+"grade in my books, definitely worthy of a visit... though maybe not in a sleet storm (that's when you call delivery). 

            

 

     

Quick Bites: The Avocado Bacon Chicken from Shake Shack

 

 

Back with another bite-sized review! This time we're going back to the shack (ughhh) and trying out this intriguing deluxe chicken sandwich option from Shake Shack. 

This is the third time we've given the Toronto version of Shake Shack a look, with the inaugural visit last autumn coming in as the most read Tuesday review on here (wild) while the simple sequel just touched on their well-regarded shakes (it is in the name). Their nuggets also featured in my epic Chicken Nuggets Ranking, which we'll touch on a bit more later. 

 

 

The Union Station Food Court/Hall definitely has no shortage of fried chicken options, even if one of them happens to be the rather forgettable Mighty Bird. What we have here is Shake Shack's alternative to those: a fried chicken sandwich with avocado, bacon, pickles and a buttermilk herb mayo. 

Right away you can see they're using the same type of squishy potato bun as they do for their burgers. Also, those pickle slices are really thick! Which I like... extra crunch and extra flavour. 

 

 

The pros and cons of this chicken sandwich are numerous. On the positive side: they don't cheap out on the avocado whatsoever. I was expecting like a thinly spread layer under one of the buns... instead you're getting legit creamy slices of the stuff on nearly every bite. Nicely done. 

I already mentioned the thick slices of pickle, which bring both a great juiciness and crunch. As for the chicken itself... it's a very light batter with a thin crispiness, allowing the flavour of the bird to really shine through. It's quite soft and juicy despite being a leaner white chicken meat sandwich also. Finally, that buttermilk ranch has an occasional sour creamy touch that really matches well with the other various flavours here. 

That's all the good. What about the bad? Sadly, this bacon isn't much to sing praises about. It's rather dry and crumbly, veering more into chewiness than delightful crisp or crunch. Possibly overcooked as I barely get any bacon flavour at all on here. Then, we have the taste of the chicken... keep in mind I said I enjoyed the texture (despite some tougher parts on the edges), but the flavour of it is much too oily. This was the exact same complaint I had about their chicken nuggets as well (let the record show!) so clearly this is just the particular way Shake Shack prepares and fries their chicken. To be fair it isn't a heavy kind of oil taste... but it is enough to really wash over every bite of the chicken that's here. 

A much more minor gripe: the shredded lettuce. It's fine objectively (I do prefer crunchier or full leaves personally) though it does make the sandwich considerably messier than it has to be. It's like the bits of lettuce are hitching rides with droplets of ranch to skip town before its too late. 

 

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Overall... it's a good chicken sandwich but more than likely not one I'd be in a rush to have again. All the avocado on it really does its best to convince me otherwise, as that combination with the crunchy chicken and the soft bun is absolutely fantastic. Alas the bacon is a serious waste and that wet oily chicken taste is just a personal hangup for me. It's so close to being brilliant, and hey maybe it would be to other people who aren't as sensitive to this type of oilier chicken as I am. 

     

Globetrotting Bites! (Pt. III - Amsterdam and back)

 

 

We're in the final leg of this food travelogue and the conclusion will be brief compared to the previous two editions (I arrived in Amsterdam a Saturday afternoon and was back in Toronto the Tuesday). As such, with the amount of time and food sampled much smaller... I'll likely veer more into general observations I felt during this 72 hour span spent in three different countries, a ferry ride across the Irish Sea thrown into the middle of that, and of course how freaking cool Amsterdam is. 

 

 

Heck, I'll butter that bread on the table right now. Jokes aside about how Amsterdam is thought of as this "free for all" haven where anything goes (when in fact they have very strict regulations for all those particular freedoms you're probably thinking of)... it's just a freaking beautiful city, folks. With incredibly welcoming people, too. 

I rented a bike for 24 hours, got immediately lost (those curving canals really throw off your sense of direction), stumbled upon the infamous Red Light District by accident (I'm not kidding) and miraculously managed to find my hostel despite my phone being dead and that neighbourhood (Duivendrecht) not appearing on the paper map I'd grabbed from the bicycle rental shop. 

The hostel happened to be adjacent (just a walk under a bridge, lots of those in Amsterdam suburbs) to a college, which had a supermarket open until ten. While Amsterdam was/is an expensive city in regards to accommodations... the beer prices in this supermarket were absurdly cheap. We're talking like, well under two Euros for basically any tall can... which might be nearly half the costs I saw in both Ireland and the UK. 

 

(Hilarious!)

I had my beers in my bunk for later that night/morning (Game Two of the World Series, which I'd end up sleeping through most of... damn 3am start time locally) but until then I was feeling rather hungry and there were no immediate options still open anywhere closeby (this was around ten o clock at night). For a while I debated getting back on the rental bike and adventuring a return north towards downtown: the weather wasn't great and I'd gotten horribly lost previously just trying to find this place... but my phone had some juice now and on the map I'd found a late night spot burger spot right by the Amstel river. Obviously I think you know where this is going... 

 

  

Food Brothers Cheeseburger

Amsterdam is definitely an impressive maze of a city (the endless bike path intersections and general curving/winding quality of said paths drive that notion home) and as such... it's a bit of a disconcerting place to be riding a bicycle through at night... especially when everything is unfamiliar, dark, raining, with lots of forest and park areas in the southeastern region... there was one part of the journey I was pushing that heavy clunker rental bike as fast as it could go, imagining some kind of unhinged maniac about to leap out from behind the wet shadows of a tree. Maybe this is too much North American media warping my brain...

Google Maps said Food Brothers was about 4 kilometres from the hostel, equaling a 20ish minute ride. Balderdash! That rental may not have been the quickest wheels but we're talking nearly 40 minutes each way, subtracting my occasional missed turn and pull over to check my digital map again. 

As the photo shows, Food Brothers is extremely small! It very much resembles a minimalist diner with just a trio of small communal tables inside, a waiting area that consists of a chair by the front door, and an open kitchen/grill behind where the register is. Kind of like if Vesta Lunch had more of an all night cafe vibe than the glistening old spoon it unmistakably is. Food Bros have a variety of different hamburger creations but I kept things simple with their grilled cheeseburger, not even getting fries as I had a bag of potato chips waiting back at the hostel (more on those soon). About fifteen minutes later I was on my way back to Duivendrecht with the burger in my knapsack. 

 

    

After the honestly transcendent fare I experienced at Bleecker Burger in London, it felt inevitable that any cheeseburger I had next was going to be a let down. Working in the favour of this Food Brothers burger however, is how stylistically it is very different to that globally revered London gem. This is much more like an excellently home cooked cheeseburger, with the patty lovingly molded and seasoned by hand, the firm but fresh bun grabbed from the local small bakery down the street... there's a delightful genuineness to this burger that cannot be exaggerated. 

 

 

That "made with care" applies to the taste as well. This is a very dense beef patty that gives you lots of that distinct meat taste... with a considerable hint of rosemary and other herbs as well. Think an old school Toronto burger spot like Burger Shack up on Eglinton, or Apache Burger... except this is considerably better than either of those. There's no suggestion at all this was ever frozen, while the beefy flavour lingers marvelously like a high quality patty would. The pickles and cheese and the "Dutch Sauce" (like a sweet mayo) do some fine work to give this thing a few more dimensions as well... but really it's the burger here that is so dominant above all else. Which, when you've got a burger patty that tastes this distinct and flavourful... definitely not a bad thing at all. A terrific cheeseburger that was definitely very different than anything I'd had in a while. 

 

 

 

Tyrrel's Slow Cooked Truffle & Sea Salt Crisps

Truffle flavoured chips are a fantastic concept... in theory... but much of my experience trying various versions of them in North America has been disappointing. Even Kettle brand, usually excellent, go way too heavy into the salt in their 'Truffle and Sea Salt' flavour... while others (*cough* PC) just don't bring enough of the truffle presence to make it work (or it tastes very artificial when you do get a decent dose of it). 

Not these. These chips here are pristine: the perfect amount of crunch and the precise amount of both truffle and sea salt. The flavour isn't immediate either, instead building up slowly on each chip. Maybe I was just hungry that morning and munching on anything would've tasted good? Perhaps... although exhibit A against that notion is coming up next. 

Awesome chips! Not too dry or stale, not all that oily or salty... just right on the bullseye for both crunch and flavour. I need to find these again somewhere because they are top tier. 

 

       

Burger King Whopper from Schiphol Airport

Yes, I suspect you all have many questions, most of them being a variation of "Why?" I suppose it was simple curiousity: almost everything I ate or drink on this trip was local (a continent-wide chain or product at most) and so sampling something actually familiar (a brand I've eaten before in North America) seemed like a clever idea for comparisons sake. Clever at the time, at least.

Boy. The problem isn't that this Amsterdam Burger King is worse than any Canadian version... it's actually marginally better to be honest... no the problem is that's such a low bar that such a marginal level of improvement is still going to produce pretty bad results. Watery and hollow, a faint whisper of beef flavour constantly eluding the tongue... it's a modern Whopper all right. Not great! 

At least some of the grilled taste lingers for a bit, making this actually taste like something (I've had worse Whoppers), but this was a rough exercise. And a pricey one! Converted into Canadian dollars, this Whopper alone (no fries or drink) was around sixteen dollars. Guuuuah! Gak! Probably the worst thing I ate in Europe.

 

 

Mark's & Spencer Extra Dry Gin and Tonic      

As though punishing me for spending actual money on an airport Burger King in Amsterdam... my flight to Liverpool ended up delayed by about three hours. A bummer, since like Amsterdam my time in Liverpool would be limited (likewise a single night stay) and so arriving early evening instead of mid-afternoon eliminated the chance to explore a couple parts of the city that had been recommended to me. 

It was also raining and windy to all hell (my first hour in Liverpool was a pretty brutal first impression) and with the bus ride from the Liverpool airport (That's John Lennon International Airport to you) to the city centre being about an hour... well I was thirsty and annoyed and so bought one of these for that wet twilight bus trip. 

The "Extra Dry" claim is certainly no exaggeration. Very little sweetness here from the tonic but a serious jolt of dryness. Nothing like a beverage that makes your mouth feel dry and thirsty, eh? And yet it's still delicious. I found this very refreshing especially considering the circumstances. Eight percent though? That's dangerous. 

 

Irish Ferries Pizza

We're jumping a fair bit ahead here, despite this pizza being less than twenty four hours from that canned beverage above. What happened in Liverpool, you ask? Well...

 

 

And then there was...

 

 

And don't forget the...

 

 

Geez, somebody should've told me this wasn't Pokemon for ciders and I didn't have to catch em all... I also recall all three of these being excellent yet couldn't tell you anything about what they tasted like. 

Liverpool was indeed a blast in the end: checking out The Cavern Club (yeah that one) really energized my spirit for the place and its vibes. I ended up no-showing to my hostel (the north bus that would've taken me there just never came) and booking a shockingly cheap hotel room right downtown and much closer to the train station, where I had to be for 9am. After nearly two weeks sleeping in bunks and shared rooms with total strangers... I'm not sure I've ever appreciated having private space as much as I did in that moment. 

(I'll get to the letharic pizza eventually, I swear.) In the morning I had to catch a train from Liverpool to Holyhead (via Chester) as I had booked a ferry across the Irish Sea back to Dublin. I'd also not considered the fact I'd be entering another country, making me nervous about all these ciders I still had from the Liverpool shops. Looking back... it probably would've been fine to bring them into Ireland in my backpack (my only bag)... I can't even remember if the Irish custom officials checked my bag or not... but to play it safe, well I made sure those refreshing ciders didn't go to waste, I'll say that much. 

Fast forward the train ride through northern Wales (which was beautiful for stretches) and onto the ferry, which is just a behemoth of a ship. At this point I'm hazy and tired, my stomach empty, and so I find one of the restaurants and see a pizza option. Ham pizza, I just need to eat something...

 

         

...nevertheless because I'm me (ie: a certified pizza maniac) of course I had to take some notes on it. Sourdough! In the aftertaste, with quite a heavy hint of flouriness as well. The ham was salty sweet and surprisingly vibrant on here, which might say more about the overall composition of this pizza than it does these bits of diced ham. You can very much see how most of the cheese pools in the centre, leaving the crust outsides of each slice much more hopelessly dusty. 

Simply a very by-the-numbers pizza, on par with the most generic of pizza franchises. I was hungry, it didn't taste bad... just didn't taste much like anything. Only offensive in the annals of blandness... to which again that sourdough hint does save somewhat. This is a classic "C--" pizza to me. It's a pizza they make on a giant ship that traverses across a sea frequently. What was I realistically expecting(?) is a totally fair question.           

Supermac's Mighty Mac

We're finishing off, rather fittingly, back in Dublin with one of the most popular Irish fast food presences. Supermac is, for all intents and purposes, Ireland's McDonald's (though real McD's do also exist over there). What makes Supermac's so strange though is their partnership to also offer pizza at their restaurants... a partnership with Papa John's. 

Seriously! That entire first week wandering through Dublin, every time I'd see one of these Supermac places (and there are a bunch) I'd also be greeted by the Papa John's logo. This is not what I expected going into this! Of all the North American brands I would've guessed I'd see everywhere in Ireland, freaking Papa John's would not have made my top hundred! 

Well, it was my last night in Europe and I was back in Dublin, walking (forever) from the ferry docks and picking up my luggage from a spot very close to the hostel I'd stayed in a week before... and there was the Supermac's at the end of the street, it's clean lights glowing under the shaded and looming Connolly train station. A rumble in my stomach, now was the time (my last chance too) to try one of these Supermac burgers and see for myself the appeal. I mean, I definitely wasn't going for the Papa John's. One underwhelming pizza was enough for one day.

 

 

It's an Irish Big Mac! No I'm sorry... a "Mighty" Mac... you can tell by its obvious might, of course. 

This certainly isn't much of a burger to look at (I mean in the photo I think I'm holding it upside down and didn't care to notice) and while calling it 'good' would be an Inspector Gadget-esque stretch... I would take this over any McDonald's Big Mac I've had here in Canada. Which remember I'm not a McDonald's guy whatsoever, so this is not the compliment it might seem to others.

But I do like how the beef patties in here actually have some legit beef flavour, rather than something designed to mimic that sensation. There's a touch of grilled greasiness that adds to the authenticity. That said, it's overall pretty flavourless and unremarkable. The burger sauce has a strong ketchup hint to it... the lettuce is whole leaves rather than shredded (a point in its favour) and the cheese didn't melt... but there's nothing else to this thing. 

It's a serviceable fast food burger that neither impresses nor disappoints. Maybe worth trying just to say you've tried it (being so prevalent throughout Ireland after all) but it's hardly anything close to an Irish cuisine attraction. There's lots of food in Dublin and beyond so much better than this.       

 

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And that's it that's all. A probably longer than necessary three part summary of the many eats I sampled in my two weeks overseas. I do wish I'd tried more stuff, obviously. Checked out maybe a few more sit-down type restaurants (especially in Dublin) just to broaden the experience a bit. Regardless I did manage to try almost every place (damn it Dishoom!) I had planned out to try before heading over there... so a small mission accomplished there.

This was also a fascinating article to write, especially with the emotional and mental space of being back home for a few weeks before returning back and re-exploring these memories and moments. Definitely got to relive some of this unforgettable trip and I hope dear reader that you enjoyed sharing a bit of that through my words here. Maybe I'll do something like this again some day... but until then, slan go foill!

  
 

   

This Week In Pizza: Detroit Pizzeria

 

 

Any guesses what style or region this place is going for? Ah? Anyone? I know, it's really quite a mystery...

Detroit (both the city and this pizzeria) have been on my list to visit for quite some time. Detroit Pizzeria (in Toronto) opened up a few years ago just off of Bathurst and Dupont Avenue, an intersection best known as the home of iconic ancient diner Vesta Lunch (probably worth its own review someday, methinks). D-Pizz (geez that sounds dumb I'm not gonna use that again) took over the space of another classic Annex diner, Apollo Eleven, which closed down late in 2020 after just over half a century serving locals. 

 

 

The narrow inside with the large open kitchen stretching the length of the restaurant... that's a very 'old school' diner thing. Vesta Lunch, Coach House, you name em. What is strange about this design though (aside from the very wallpapery "brick wall" here) is how obscured this open kitchen actually is. Take a closer look! I'm quite tall and I still can't see over the top of those barricades. What's going on back there? This isn't rocket science... is it? Pizza rocket science? Better let them work on that without leering eyes, I suppose. 

 

A place called Detroit Pizzeria, doing a Detroit deep dish style... with a specialty pizza named "Motor City?" Buy me a Tigers hat because sheesh am I already there? Actually the toppings here did intrigue me: pepperoni, wood smoked bacon, mushrooms, tomato sauce on top of mozzarella, green pepper and a buttermilk ranch drizzle. Their "Cancun" was a close runner up for consideration, with it's play on a spicy Hawaiian with sausage and lime sour cream... but surprisingly I wasn't feeling the spice this day.

 

While everything on here is generally good and tasty, there's no real aspect that jumps up as outstanding. The tomato sauce, itself hearty and loose, tends to drown out a lot of the other flavours for a lot of it. It's quite cheesy and gooey, the dough is quite soft in the middle (the charred cheese edges more tough than crunchy) and every bite does bring a pleasant dose of pepperoni or bacon flavour. The green pepper (in quite small bits) retain some juice and provide an occasional tang of bitterness, while the buttermilk ranch drizzle pops in here and there as a bit of unneeded but not unwanted creamy decadence.             

Like a lot of these rectangular deep dish pies at this level of quality, all of this is simultaneously very tasty and yet somewhat forgettable. There's a baseline of goodness that this definitely meets... but doesn't really surpass in any way. The pepperoni tastes like your typical good pepperoni, the cheese melts nicely and doesn't dry out once the pizza goes cold, the veggies taste freshly prepared and they're using real fried bacon on here. I like it! Yet I don't love it... there's no additional charm or touch that really burns a mark in my memory. 

Sneakily filling, though I suppose two slices of this is similar to eating two large squares of lasagna... at least in terms of volume. Decent on the reheat as well (toaster oven for sure) although the edges only become more rubbery at that point. 

A quick note on the dip you may have saw, a black truffle concoction. Probably the star of the show, if I'm being honest. A marvelous dip... rich and creamy, the perfect consistency for dunking or dabbing... plus a subtle hint of garlic to it as well. I'd buy that stuff again gladly, it's a perfect accompaniment for a much more crust-heavy pizza than this. 

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Overall...? Detroit Pizzeria (aside from their black truffle dip) is a bit below the level of pizza I'd absolutely recommend... but keep in mind I'm a tough judge sometimes. For me, a "B" grade (which is what I'm going to give this) means I did like this a heck of a lot more than I disliked it. It's good... just not "wow" good. I'd gladly frequent a place like this if I lived closeby... but I wouldn't travel across the city to visit it again just for its own sake. It's a "B"! Which is no slight or insult.       

 

Quick Bites: Heirloom Toronto Food Truck

 

 

Working the past several summers at the Budweiser Stage (now known as the RBC Amphitheatre, a change that's going to take me probably another summer or so to properly remember)... I've seen quite a few prominent Toronto food trucks roll in and set up in the south-east corner of the grounds (close to where the old water park used to be). 

This is a particular avenue my reviewing knowledge does not tread. I rarely rely upon any of the food offerings available at any of the venues I work, instead typically bringing my own food (a choice which has probably saved me thousands of dollars in the aggregate at this point). That said, I do like to indulge maybe once or twice a season at Budderbc Stageatheatre if there's a food truck that looks genuinely appealing. 

Which brings us to the Heirloom food truck, regarded by many of my summer co-workers as "the good" or "best" one to consistently appear this past summer (you see, there is a rotation and not every concert will feature the same food trucks... except for the very very mediocre poutine one which is always there for some reason).    

So who or what is "Heirloom Toronto" exactly? Glad you (presumably) asked! It's actually a catering company based out of southwestern Etobicoke that operates both the food truck and a commercial kitchen there (don't go knocking on their doors!). In addition, their offshoot 'Cheat Day Desserts' food truck is apparently known for a cheesecake on a stick? Wild stuff. 

 

 

Back on track here (these "Quick Bites" are supposed to be quick after all) this here is an item offered by the regular Heirloom food truck: BBQ Beef Cheese Fries. The title describes the essentials: fries, shredded marble cheese, pulled BBQ beef, with some crispy onions and a drizzle of chipotle mayo.

 

 

The fries are great: oily, crispy and tasting of something you get from a good greasy carnival spot. The crispy onions are quite prominent throughout, providing some sting to every bite... while the drizzle of mayo lends some much needed creaminess to the other more dry elements (there isn't an excessive amount of cheese and it isn't all that melted anyhow). 

As for the BBQ beef... thumbs up. Tender with a slight smokeyness to the sauce, which is not all that sweet, nor is it dripping in the stuff. Just enough to let the meat shine through. Plus the beef has an odd lime/citrus hint as well that adds another dimension.  

This is all very much a guilty snack best shared with others or a moderately sized cheat meal for one (it is quite sizeable). Also at thirteen bucks (plus all the tax and jazz) was downright thievery considering standard concert venue price inflation (though always tip your handsome, charming bartenders of course). 

Overall! I gotta say this is a damn terrific food truck and I hope to see more of them next summer. Checking their website, they are optimistic to have some kind of storefront operational in 2026 as well, which I'd recommend is worth keeping an eye out for also. They're great! 

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Okay, before we go, there's one last little story I want to share that is connected to the Heirloom food truck. Back in early July, I was working the Dave Matthews concert, which always brings out a very different but friendly type of crowd. My assigned bar happened to be close to the congregation of food trucks and early in the evening a gentleman, probably mid-40s, came and ordered from me. Instead of leaving a monetary gratuity, he gave me this:

 

  

I gotta say (and full disclosure here) I've been tipped some pretty odd things in my career. Nuggets of weed or half rolled joints, buttons, stickers, shirts, string, even a female undergarment once (for real)... but this one has to be the most deliciously bizarre. And yeah yeah yeah, if you're thinking "maybe this guy drugged it or something???" keep in mind this was still daylight, I'm in a staff uniform with a partner at my spot, I'm also a male and a rather large one at that, security does check people upon entry for that kind of stuff (no outside liquids in the venue) but really most of all this was a Dave freaking Matthews concert. Maybe not the kind of music that attracts the nefarious date-rapey types. The types that empty a bus toilet over an unsuspecting tourist boat, maybe...

Anyhow, just a bizarre yet fun tale. Also, the taco itself (a fish one) was extremely tasty... perfectly crispy (even cold) with a great fishy flavour and plenty of juice in the slaw and sauce. And that's my Taco Tip story. Taco Tip Tale? Tremendous.         

 

 

This Week In Pizza: Pizza Bono

 

 

Wow... they finally named a pizzeria after the lead singer of U2? Wild! Strange that instead of Dublin I'd find it in the heart of Toronto's Greektown... 

 

 

This might be the rare review wherein I have more to show on the photography side than actual words about the pizza, which will probably be welcome news to hear from those of you who prefer to skip my longer winded stories and descriptions. I can say that I had no real plan to try this Pizza Bono... I didn't even know they existed! But I happened to be at Danforth and Pape (trying Juicy Birds actually), saw them in the corner of my eye and well... hey I've been doing this pizza thing for several years now. Me getting lured in by a new unknown pizza joint should barely register any surprise at this point. 

There's not a whole lot I can say about the history of this place. They're extremely new (opening up at the very end of this past September) and they're right next door to where regarded BBQ joint Greenwood Smoke used to be (regrettably I never tried them... for the record Pizza Bono was previously home to something called GRUB SHACK). 

 

 

You walk inside and the place has that unquestionable 'new restaurant' aura and scent. The lighting feels a bit awkward, everything is still shiny and mostly unworn. Knowing nothing about this place at all in the moment, I wondered if this was indeed their opening day. I wandered to the counter (which itself is also awkwardly deep into the pizzeria) and ordered myself a slice of pepperoni with a garlic dip, truly a classic combination. 

 

 

The Google Rating for this place is absolutely smitten at the moment (4.8) and it's very easy to explain why: this is one absurdly cheap slice! This and the dip... was still only $4.30. That's Canadian dollars by the way... and yes the year is still 2025. Heck even if not, I don't think I could've found a deal like that when I was in high school freaking twenty years ago. Insane!

 

At such an outstandingly reasonable price it's a bit wishful to expect the pizza itself to be equally outstanding, which it certainly is not. I've definitely encountered much worse, of course, at nearly double the price no less (my review of the now closed District Pizza is a prime example of this).

The problems are... well a bit of everything. There's barely any sauce, the dominating taste is the dough (likewise the texture is extremely soft and doughy) while not even the greasier flavours like the cheese or pepperoni really shine through. It's also the kind of slice you really need to season yourself: a sprinkle of pepper or garlic powder or really anything would at least give this something... as is it's sadly quite bland. 

It's an extremely cheap pizza slice so I'm not disappointed or anything (unlike District)... I'm just describing what my mouth is telling me. None of it is outright bad either: the crust does have a faint sourdough-like hint to it and the texture does feel fresh (almost suspiciously soft, even). The cheese is okay and doesn't have any dry, plastic-like texture... none of this tastes at all like cardboard... and while the general quality of this slice does taste cheap, it's not to the point of being both cheap and careless. If anything, this reminds me of the Harbord and Spadina late night joints, Cora's and Papa Ceo's (I know one absorbed the other but I forget which). 

 

 

Besides, we're burying the best thing here: the garlic dip! There's a bit more to this than just garlic (as the greenish hue might suggest)... I got a significant hint of basil in here alongside that creamy garlicky taste. Quite clever and quite good, I approve. The dip itself was also like fifty cents... which I also approve of (though with another raised eyebrow). 

 

 
Overall... I really cannot recommend this as a place you definitely need to try, as this pizza just had so little in the ways of flavour to grab even the tiniest bit of attention. It's pretty boring and very, very mediocre fare.                     

That said, the price is just so incredibly below the market rate for a pizza slice that it's simply impossible to dislike this pizza either (being "meh" rather than awful also helps). Places that are bad and expensive (such as Four Brothers on King West) are the ones most fully deserving of my ire and dismissal (just being really really bad also works). 

Pizza Bono is certainly not bad. It ain't great... or even good... it really hits that absolute minimum baseline (for me anyway) of palatability for a pizza. I definitely ate it, nothing stood out as terrible or great (aside from that awesome dip) and on I went with my life. That's pretty much the definition of a middle ground "C-" pizza for me. Again, the price is still great and after a night knocking back too many drinks you could do much, much worse than a couple slices from this spot.   

The Tuesday Taste - Juicy Birds

 

 

Night after night

day after day, it went on and on

Then came that morning 

he woke up alone

He spent all night

staring down at the lights of LA

Wondering if he could 

ever go home

 

 

Another Tuesday...  another Taste! We're taking a break from the land of submarines (sandwiches) and instead checking out a fried chicken chain that has been steadily building a sturdy presence throughout the GTA the past few years. There is a lot of wordplay I could launch with this one here but I'm not gonna do any of it... it's time for Juicy Birds!

 

 

Juicy Birds currently have eleven locations scattered about Southern Ontario, from Hamilton, Mississauga, Waterloo to Pickering, Whitby, Oshawa... plus one in Barrie for good measure. If a GO train can go there, so can Juicy Birds apparently. It all started about four years ago when a trio of friends opened up a Nashville inspired fried chicken spot in the heart of Toronto's Greektown at Danforth and Pape. 

The space they took over had housed a rotating cast of tenants, mostly a host of variously named shawarma (later doner) places that lasted no longer than a few years... yet all of them kept the same vertical sign above the restaurant that read "BURGERS" in distinct green and black lettering. Juicy Birds opened their doors in February of 2022 (on my dad's birthday it looks like) and despite some initial hardship with a break-in attempt* during those early months... by July they had already set in motion plans to open a second location in Pickering, well surpassing** any level of success that had been seen out of this space before. Before too long... 

 

 

...even the vertical "BURGERS" sign had changed it's allegiance to chicken.  

*we can all agree that people who break into places are assholes but people who break into restaurants especially are super assholes. The profit margins are so thin as it is... accounting for thousands more dollars to replace broken glass and stolen property is the last thing a precarious industry needs.

**I think one reason a fried chicken place perhaps succeeded here while several shawarma places did not... well it's Greektown. There are already tons of gyros and other wrap-like options baked into this part of town, to be another one is immediately challenging to stand out at all.

 

 

We'll dive into my first ever visit to Juicy Birds in a moment, because first I want to take you back in time to 2023 at a little place called Reid's Distillery. Yes that's right, I'm using this review as a flimsy excuse to tell a tale about somewhere that has remotely no affiliation with what I'm actually reviewing. Truly this is the level of journalistic concision and focus you come to West Collier Street for...

Anyhow back in the early months of 2023 I was working at Reid's Distillery on a pretty regular basis (my other gigs were out of season) doing a mixed bag variety of things for the place. This meant I'd get scheduled a lot for the High Tea event they did (and still do) on Sunday afternoons, which... well... hmmm. 

Statute of Limitations perhaps? It's been nearly two years since I clocked out for a shift there (never officially quit or was fired though)... but it must be said that those High Teas were brutal to work. Brutal! Not the actual service or product, no... I was a part of that and it is legit pretty nice... moreso that working those long days was such an annoying scramble of a zillion little tasks. Unboxing and re-boxing porcelain plates, searching the back storage of the distillery for specific things that were only used that one day of the week, filling up tea kettles with hot water for what felt like an endless period of time (am I somehow still there and this is just an elaborate daydream???), coordinating seatings while serving cute bite-sized sandwiches and pastries on multi-floor plates (while being extremely hungry of course) and to top off everything: running all those many dozens of various dishes, cutlery, glasses and teapots through the one dishwasher in the back room behind the bar, which would take actual hours.  Gah! It's bringing back trauma just describing it. For the love of all that is good (and those still working there) I really hope they've since invested in a second option for washing all that freaking stuff.       

What does this have to do with Juicy Birds? What does this have to do with anything? Great question. You see, it was during one of those infinitely long Sunday shifts at Reid's that I first heard of Juicy Birds. A couple of my co-workers were hungry (these shifts were also like ten hours long sometimes) and so for their (unpaid) break ordered some rather tasty looking fried chicken sandwiches (the G.O.A.T to be exact) on delivery. 

For whatever reason (perhaps from my co-workers raving about the food, or perhaps the heated steam of that constantly running single dishwasher sizzling my brain in that poorly ventilated "kitchen") from that point onward Juicy Birds stuck in my recollection as a place I wanted to try for myself. Zip ahead two and a half years, I'm finally inside the damn place... and the memory of that random shift indeed popped back in my mind (along with all the other stuff I described).  

 

 

While my once-upon-a-time co-workers got sandwiches that fateful, steamy Sunday... I noticed the sign outside their Pape location was advertising "JB Hot Boxes": a meal deal with a chicken slider, two tenders, fries and a side of mac-and-cheese... just over twenty dollars. This is a dream menu item for any very hungry person but more importantly: a very hungry food reviewer... as such an assorted collection of items gives me a chance to give a bit of everything a try. So saddle in because this is where the fun begins. 

 

You know how certain people always eat the french fries first? I'm realizing I must also be one of those people... I mean, for whatever reason I always review the fries first it seems, right? 

Crinkle cut! Clearly not making a comeback because the comeback is already complete. So many places I've reviewed in the past year are slicing potatoes this way. Which is totally fine when said fries have that crispiness along those crinkled edges... otherwise what's the point exactly? 

These do. Oh they definitely do... and they're simply fantastic for it. Firm and crispy, the potato inside is very much on point... we're off to a really good start with Boxy JB here. Not super oily, nor is there much salt or seasoning (a tiny touch that's just enough), it's really that precise crispiness with potato almost-goo erupting out that makes this work so nicely... just a wonderful texture here.

 

 

While this dip (a buttermilk ranch) certainly has utility with fried chicken as well, I mostly used it for the fries. There's a strong suggestion of peppercorn swimming in this as well, which was quite a welcome bonus. A very versatile and tasty accessory.  

 

 

Because this was a lot of food and I'm not eighteen anymore (at least my stomach isn't) the two tenders I actually saved for later that night on some homemade tacos... which these were indeed perfect for.  

These tenders have that perfect balance of juicy tender chicken and considerable bready crunch, without any stale air pockets to deceive any hungry eyes. This is full freight chicken. It must be mentioned that these are also in Juicy Bird's "Nashville Hot" level of spice, which is their second spiciest according to a handy chart they have by the register. 

Rather than tossing the breaded tenders in some kind of sauce, it's a nefarious finely ground chili powder that's responsible for all the burning... and burn it will. The heat is legit and immediate, not overwhelmingly so but certainly a bit overbearing at first... I could've done with a little less of it. Nevertheless, the chicken itself is tasty enough to overcome any heavy handed dose of superheated dust. 

 

 

Hey, they throw in a mac-n-cheese in this box as well? Again, considering modern food prices... getting this much grub for twenty-one dollars (plus tax) is really a bargain, especially as these portion sizes aren't cheaping out either. 

As far as mac and cheeses go in general, this one ain't all that special... but as far as fast food mac and cheeses go, it holds up extremely well. There is an actual cheesy taste to it and the feel of the sauce has actual body and consistency far superior to any cheapo "add water to the powder" type of mix. I'd be very surprised if they're not making an actual roux here. Likewise the noodles taste like they've been boiled/cooked properly, not criminally overdone to the point of flabby flavourlessness that you so often kind in other places. 

Is it still a fairly generic cheese kind of flavour? Mostly yeah... I would've liked a bit more boldness or sharpness since this is obviously going for a cheddar heavy mac. But for what it is, this is entirely okay. The balance of noodle and gloopy cheese sauce is there, both have authentic flavour and texture... all of it is totally fine! I didn't find myself adding hot sauce to make it taste like something, is basically what I'm saying. You can (and likely have) do much, much worse.

 

 

Slide away... give it all you've got...

By process of elimination (since I wasn't completely sure in the moment) this is Juicy Bird's G.O.A.T (at least the smaller version of it): de-boned chicken slider, sweet pickles, coleslaw and their "Comeback Sauce" on a potato bun. 

 

          

It's definitely a smaller size of chicken sandwich but that doesn't mean you're inhaling this in three bites either. Much like the tenders, there's a really nice hollow crunch to this chicken that's both satisfying and not dry or harsh on the mouth either. Exceptionally tasty and fresh chicken... not heavy on oil or grease and the juicy consistency of it runs throughout the entire sandwich.

The Comeback Sauce seems to be a mayo touched by some sweet ketchup, which actually works nicely here as the result is a gentle creaminess without overpowering the pickles or the slaw. It also helps with the Nashville powdery spice, as that stuff on a much drier sandwich would almost certainly veer into unpleasantness. 

Combine that all with the typical soft, light sweetness of a potato bun... you've got a very satisfying little chicken sandwich here. Spice, creaminess, great textures and great chicken... this is at the level where asking for more is just getting greedy. 

 

---

 

    
Overall! The only real negative things I'm going to say about my Juicy Birds experience have nothing to do with the food. It reminded me of a tedious shift I used to have to work! They played an absolutely, irredeemably terrible modern cover of "September" on their radio! Seriously though... that song is overplayed to the point of being sappy enough as it is (and I think EWaF are great)... twisting it into a sleek soulless creatively bankrupt auto-tuned piece of generico-pop is just offensive (mostly via the idea being just so damn lazy).

Oh, and there was some tow truck drama directly outside the restaurant! A dude came inside to rant about it while I was eating! Clearly the establishment's fault, they should've known a tow truck would come cause trouble ... can't recommend them now...

...no seriously, Juicy Birds is legitimately great. Great! With a capital "Gr". Definitely recommend giving them a look. They're not doing anything drastically different than any other Nashville-inspired fried chicken place, they're simply doing it extremely well and the proof is in how incredibly enjoyable almost everything here tasted. Like if Dave's Hot Chicken had a little more juice and much better fries (and I find Dave's pretty solid).

They do seem bent on continuing to expand, which in most cases does seem to diminish the overall quality of a brand after a while... so here's hoping Juicy Birds is an exception because I'd gladly visit this one again. 

 

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Burnt Ends

Because I've completely gone mad (and not even with power) this article you're still reading (thank you) comes in the midst of the first ever Reviewsmas! Why, that's a silly and clunky name... what is that you might be asking? Well, think of it as my version of the Twelve Days of Christmas... meaning twelve days, twelve reviews! This is Day four (hey, four calling juicy birds) and in case you missed it, here are the first three days below:

Day 1: European Food Adventure part II

Day 2: Crown and Dragon Chicken Wings

Day 3: Cafe Diplomatico Pizza           

 

Tuesday Tune

It's Bob Seger! Need I say more.

 

 

That's it for another week! Wait, I mean that's it for today! I'll have another review up tomorrow for Day 5 of Reviewsmas! Twelve straight days of published articles! It sure seemed like a good idea at the time.... 

Until then! Stay safe, stay warm and most of all don't spill that mustard.