You know, I've been a bit of a reclusive sadsack lately... surely it was time I break through my wall of miserable self-isolation and go try a new pizza place with a name that reminds me of this song:
(very glad I didn't choose a live version from the 80s... that amount of Mike Love would be very not nice)
Nice Slice opened up last summer on the still sneakily cool stretch of Harbord Street between Spadina and Bathurst... a subdued yet happening run of road akin to the most vibrant couple blocks of a charming small town (having not a high rise in sight helps a lot). This area has indeed featured some of Toronto's best known bakeries and restaurants of the past and present such as Harbord Room, Piano Piano, Rasa, Harbord House, Harbord Fish and Chips and of course Harbord Bakery. Sensing a bit of a pattern here... I figure if a carpentry shop ever opened up along here it would be called Harbord Harboards. Yes that dumb joke took far too long to think of (if it even reaches the qualification as a "joke")
The backstory is not a typical one: owner Nick White initially had plans to be a lawyer but upon graduating law school realized it really wasn't for him. He took a job at Mac's Pizza just to pay the bills and quickly became enamored with the vibe/energy of the area and the pizzeria itself. Wanting to replicate that community atmosphere from Dovercourt/Bloor into Harbord Village, Nice Slice was soon born... taking over the corner location on Borden and Harbord from departed gourmet shop Chabichou. It also must be mentioned: opening a pizza slice parlour across the street from an enormous high school... a tip of the hat to that particularly astute tactical choice.
It was a sunny though chilly Thursday afternoon when my longtime friend and occasional pizza trying companion and I made our way up to Harbord Village for some Nice Slice(s). The inside of the pizzeria was not quite what I expected: perhaps in my imagination I'd pictured a small no frills mostly-takeout joint with very limited seating... instead a rather retro chic (1970's remarked my dear friend) wraparound space greeted with a layout similar to an old diner or cafe. Far more visually welcoming and comfortable than I could've expected... the kind of place you can just sit and chat with a friend for hours even once the pizza slices are long finished (which is basically what happened, helps when the playlist is also very on point for some 1990s/2000s nostalgia).
Getting into the pizza of it all, we both ordered two slices and this is my duo: their simple pepperoni slice and a vodka sauce sausage + rapini offering. My esteemed companion went for the "Zaatar" slice (as well as a pepperoni) which was easily the most interesting and unusual creation on the modesty sized Nice Slice menu.
What the heck is Zaatar? Glad you asked! (I know I did). Well... it's essentially a blend of herbs quite popular in Middle Eastern cuisine, with the exact composition varying from culture to culture. On this particular pizza slice (which I probably should've taken a picture of) the zaatar is made into a sauce and spread abundantly atop the slice, along with some ricotta cheese and olives (blech). Taking a bite of it... the zaatar sauce indeed is a distinctive and uniquely earthy flavour to find on a pizza... though perhaps not quite my thing (especially with salty black olive bits everywhere).
Instead, I kept things simple (unadventurous) with Nice Slice's version of a classic pepperoni slice.
Right off the top, one of the best attributes to this pizza that was consistent on every slice we sampled: marvelous texture. There's some solid density to the dough, resulting in a friendly chew to it (especially in the crust)... with plenty of crispiness along the edges and soft pockets throughout. You've got some good pepperoni on here too: not aggressively greasy, good crispy edges and some peppery kick to it as well. The balance of cheese, dough and pepperoni is also perfectly done.
This is one of those slices where the mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce have sort of melted/blended together to the point wherein it's difficult to separate either one to judge individually. I can tell this is a fairly middle-of-the-road/balanced kind of tomato sauce, not leaning too much into either acidity or sweetness. Good stuff, even if it's a bit of a background presence on here (still way better than so many desert dry pizzas I've tried where you barely notice any sauce at all).
Since it's also in the picture, seems a good moment to talk about the dip. It's their creamy garlic (shock) and I must say it is a compelling one. There's an inherent lightness to the flavour and body of it that you just don't find with many kinds of mayo-based sauces (as much as I enjoy those I cannot deny their heaviness). While this results in a much less sharp and garlicky dip, its gloopy creaminess still pairs well with these soft yet firm crusts. I do tend to prefer dips that are as obscenely garlicky as possible, but that's definitely "a me thing" and I'm a certified lunatic on these types of matters.
Onto my second slice, the sausage and rapini option (with a vodka sauce instead of tomato). I was pleased to see sizeable hunks of rapini on here, in all it's slimy bitter green glory... while the sausage crumble is a bit less present (the crumbles are small) but still spread throughout every corner of the slice. By nature it's definitely a much drier slice than the pepperoni one (with more bubbles) but again that excellent texture of the dough really helps keep it from ever getting too chewy or stale.
The flavour of this one really reminds me more of a pasta dish than a pizza... a very tasty pasta dish at that. That combination of wet rapini, the zing of a vodka sauce and the bits of sausage really made me think there should be a side of garlic bread closeby. I mean, I usually think that in any situation... but my point stands.
It's an excellent combination of flavour, pasta or pizza. I quite liked that the vodka sauce also had a chilli pepper-esque heat to it... beginning as a subtle sting that would really grow and sneak up on you. I'd say it leans more on the tomatoey side than the creamy side as a vodka sauce, and it's spread more like another topping rather than as a foundation of the pie. That said, it's a very pleasant sauce on the bites you really get a good amount of it and that little bit of heat really gives it some extra punch and life.
---
Overall! We've got a definite winner here. Great atmosphere combined with great pizza... I mean heck I almost forgot to mention the very nice touch of the thin freshly grated parm on each slice, acting almost like a pizza garnish.
I'm a tough critic (ie a jerk) and Nice Slice fell a tiny bit short of completely blowing me away. There wasn't quite a full "WOW" at any point in time, which I find all of the truly elite pizzas do possess in some form. That said, this has to be about as close as you can get to that level without quite getting there, which is why I'm happily sending Nice Slice a strong recommendation. Try them! They are absolutely worth a visit on some reasonably warm afternoon or early evening (they do close at 9) good for both a single solitary slice or splitting a whole pie with some pals.
The experience and pizza itself is memorable despite not being super distinctive from a few other places I've tried. This was like a better version of Mac's Pizza but a slightly lesser one if compared to Gram's (which I absolutely loved). I liked Nice Slice a heck of a lot, would gladly go back, resulting in a robust "B++" grade from me, just an eyelash short of the A level and probably landing somewhere in my Top 35/40 in all of Toronto.
No comments:
Post a Comment