Tag Archives: pizza

Bacon breakfast pizza @ La Palma

Can we have pizza for breakfast, mommy dear, mommy dear? Gotta have it at La Palma, this funky Italian joint on Dundas West, where their brunch menu has both a smoked salmon and a breakfast pizza, with green tomatoes, eggs and stracchino cheese. But here we’re kicking it up a notch — I ordered a side of bacon and then put it on top, cuz everything’s better when you add bacon, bro!!!!

Once complaint I had when I went here for dinner was that the portions were pretty small. And that’s still the case at brunch — this was less of a pizza, and more like a flatbread. And somehow, between the eggs and the tomatoes, this flatbread was very, very soggy. I will say that adding the bacon is what makes it — this dish definitely needed that extra little crunch. But I was still a little disappointed overall.

Now, you can certainly stick with a mimosa or a caesar, but they’ve got a pretty interesting beer list here — like this dunkel weizen from Nickel Brook and Farm League Brewing. Not as wheaty or as citrusy as some other beers I’ve had in this style, but still not a bad way to start the day.

But now we’re kicking it up a notch with this No Country Alsatian Pilsner from Fairweather. A nice crispy boi with plenty of malt — it’s probably the most flavourful thing I’ve had all day!!!!

Great beer & great pizza @ Great Lakes Brewpub

No we’re no stranger to Great Lakes beer here on Triple B — their Canuck IPA is a personal fav. But I had never been to their GLB Brewpub, which opened at the foot of Jarvis about a year ago… until the other night. And I gotta say, for a brewery known for IPAs, they had a very good selection of beers that were hardly even hoppy at all.

We’re starting off with a Glucklich, this killer kellerbier. It’s light in colour and alcohol content (4.5%) but has a nice, rich aftertaste that takes me back to Munich, bro!!!!

This here’s an Unwritten Rule aged saison. Say what now? It’s got a nice little tang, but not too sour or too funky — I’ll take three to go!

Of course, you KNOW we can’t keep drinking on an empty stomach, bro! So now it’s time for some pork nuggets — they’re the other white meat! These crispy croquettes come three to an order, with tender pig cheeks on the inside and an espresso donkey sauce on top. Shut the back door!

But now we’re heading back across the pond (in my mind) with this Fruhschoppen German pilsner. This ain’t yer grandpappy’s Labbatt Blue — it’s got a nice bite to it, bro!!!

It’s time for something darker and just a little bit heavier… it’s still only 5%. This Ole’ Erebus porter has got the nice kiss of cocoa that a black beer should — nothing wrong with that at all!

Now, if you come in after 7 pm on Wednesday — and only on Wednesday — their Detroit-style pizza pies, which are normally $22-$26, are all on sale for 15 bucks. I will say they’re not as thick or as crispy as some of the other Detroit pizza I’ve tried, but this Italian Ham, with prosciutto, ricotta and shishitos, totally hits the spot, bro!!!!!!

BIG APPLE BITES: Well, it’s been a slice…

You KNOW we couldn’t go to NYC and NOT eat pizza, right? We’re hanging out at Joe’s Pizza, this funky little joint serving up some of the best slices in the city, son! Now, the OG location is in the East Village or something, but we’re doing the touristy thing and checking out the one on Broadway, just north of W 40th…

Now, when it comes to pizza, you KNOW I can’t eat just one, so I went with a pepperoni slice along with what I think might be supreme (I just saw it behind the counter and said “I’ll have one of those…”)

Now, this pepperoni is pretty much pizza perfection. Crust is nice and crispy, cheese is melted to perfection, and you’ve got these big meaty bites of pepperoni — can’t complain about that at all!

On the other hand, the onion-to-meat ratio on this supreme slice is a little too high. Some bites, I could only taste the onion. But when I got a bit of sausage or pepperoni in there as well, that is the golden ticket, bro!!!!!

Wild boar two ways on a pizza? Whoa…

Now, I don’t always eat wild boar… but when I do, I don’t mind if I do. So when I heard that Local 1794, this cozy gastropub on the Danforth, was serving up a pizza with wild boar two ways — ground meat AND sausage — you KNOW I had to try it, bro!

Dude, this pizza is outta bounds! Nice chewy crust, with a crispy edge. The ground boar has more flavour than the sausage, and goes nicely with the caramelized onions. But the double-smoked bacon really kicks it up a notch. It may not be boar bacon, but it’s still a triple-pork three-way in Flavourtown!!!!!

Of course, beer and pizza go together like peanut butter and bananas (and bananas is good!), so I’m washing this big boy down with a Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys. We’re no stranger to this beer on Triple B, but it’s not very often that we see it on tap, served in its own pint glass. It even has a re-order line!!!

This lamb shawarma pizza are a few of my favourite things…

It almost goes without saying, but this is body by pizza! We’ve had all kindsa pizza here on Triple B — Neapolitan, Detroit-style, both kinds of Chicago pizza (deep dish AND tavern), Montreal smoked meatza… even spam & pineapple. So when I heard there’s this new funky joint at Bloor and Ossington called Levant serving up what they call Levantine Sicilian pizza, you KNOW I gotta check it out, bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This place has got 11 different pizzas on the menu, and you can get em either by the slice, as a small or a large. I have not limited myself to a small pizza since that one time in Vegas (they called it a Wee Pizza), but since I was told Levant’s large was 18 slices, 14 by 14 inches, and could feed a family of four…I stuck with a small, which is a pretty decent personal pizza in Flavourtown.

The good news (besides that I just saved a buncha money on pizza insurance) is that with a small, you can mix and match two different kinds of pies — with a large they let you do three, but then I’d need at least two of me to just eat it, Weird Bro-al!

Now, if I could only pick two pizzas, there’s no doubt that The Shawarma would be my number one pick. A funky take on my favourite Middle Eastern food, this pie is loading up roasted lamb & beef brisket with pickled shallots, cherry tomatoes, baby arugula and a bit of bomba sauce for an extra kick. Man, I’ve never seen lamb roasting on a spit at a shawarma shop before, but if that’s actually a thing, I need to find it ASAP. Plus, did I mention that the crust is made of focaccia? Mamma mia!!!!!!

But you ain’t seen nothing yet, Randy Bro-chman! This Meat Habibi is a Middle East take on a classic meat lover’s, with pepperoni, Mediterranean sausage, kofta meatballs, mushrooms and pickled chilies, completely smothered in garlic donkey sauce. Give it to me Habibi, uh-huh, uh-huh! (You KNOW I’m pretty fat for a white guy, bro!!!!!!!!!!!)

Levant only seats about 15 people, but they do have take out, and you can even grab some beer to go, right out of the display fridge. It turns out I grabbed the last Elora Borealis, a lighter shade of IPA coming straight outta Elora, Ontario. But they’ve also got a whole buncha beers from Burdock, which is just a couple blocks down the street, eh?

Maybe it’s cuz of all the pizza I ate, but I expected this saison to be sour and funky — and it was actually pretty mild and smooth. This Tuesday’s gone with the wind, Bro-nerd Sko-nerd!!!!

But even after all that pizza back there, we’ve always got room for dessert! Now, I’ve had kunafa a couple times before, and I didn’t really dig it. It’s kinda like baklava and tiropita had a baby, and poured rose water all over it. But this tiramisu kunafa adds a little Italian with some cocoa powder, espresso syrup, and a little marscapone mixed in with the cheesy centre. I actually liked this version so much better that when I had a couple bites of their OG kunafa, I poured some espresso syrup on it, in the name of love, bro!!!!!

Trippin’ out over this triple mushroom pizza!!!

You KNOW this is body by pizza, bro! We’re hanging out at Get Well, this funky little dive at Dundas and Ossington that not only has a great craft beer selection, but they’re also making pizza in the back — shut the back door! Last time we were here, in 2018, they had North of Brooklyn supplying the pies, but now they’re going all DIY. Get in the van, Henry Bro-llins!!!!

Now, I had my eye on the al pastor pizza, but it was all sold out when we got there, so instead I set my sights on this festival of funk in Flavourtown, the mushroom pizza:

Now, I like mushrooms almost as much as I like pineapple on pizza, so this right here is the ticket. You’ve got three kinds of shrooms — cremini, maitake AND honey mushrooms, topped with goat cheese and a little garlic oil for that extra kick. You could make this pizza out of a flip-flop, and it would still taste good!!!!

But you KNOW I’m not going to a funky joint like this and ordering an iced tea, bro…

Up first, we’ve got this funky Cherry Banana Lime Sour from Merit. Dude, this beer is bananas — and bananas are good! This liquid fruit salad combines the tartness of cherries with a hit of sour lime. I don’t really taste the bananas in there though, bro…

And because I’ve only had one serving of liquid fruit today, I’m about to double down with a Dream Pop pineapple peach sour from Fairweather. You definitely get some citrus here, but it’s also kinda hoppy, like an IPA. I can dig it!

And because it takes more than two beers to polish off a whole pizza, I also went with this Prairie Coast Wheat beer from Indie Ale House. Now, compared to its predecessors, this beer isn’t particularly fruity and has little aftertaste — which is just fine when the last couple slices of mushroom pizza start to not go down so easy.

Now, they do sell pizza by the slice here — for about 6 or 7 bucks a pop. But I figured I’d get more bang for my buck ordering a whole pie for $29. It was quite a bit bigger than I expected, but you know what we say… Just another light snack in Flavourtown, son!!!!!!!!!

Killin’ a cacio e pepe pizza for breakfast, bro!!!

So, we’re hanging out at Stock T.C., this funky joint at Yonge & Eglinton that’s a collaboration between Sud Forno, Terroni and Cumbrae’s. I am no stranger to any of these places, whether it’s the square pizza at Sud Forno or the rooftop patio at Terroni on Price, where they’re serving up one of my personal favs, the Focu Meu. So it’s pretty safe to say that I’ll be ordering pizza here, too.

Now, Stock T.C. has got 15 different pies in the sky, but it was the last one on the menu that caught my eye: Cacio e Pepe Uova e Tartufo. It’s like a delicious run-on sentence in Flavourtown!!!!

OK, now let’s break it down. You’ve got a nice, chewy, thin-crust pizza topped with cheese and pepper, with two kinds of cheeses — mozzarella AND Percorino Romano, bro! Then they put not one, but two eggs in the middle, and shred a whole buncha black truffle overtop. Now, the cheesiness of this pizza is pretty good on its own, but when you get some egg yolk in there, and maybe a bite of truffle, that right there is the ticket!!!

Now, this place only has six beers to choose from — and one of them’s non-alcoholic — so instead I went with a Caesar. I gotta say, this drink was not very spicy, and I couldn’t really taste the booze. I might as well have been drinking a Krombacher 0.0, bro!!!!

CHITOWN CHOWDOWN: Chowing down at 5 of the best pizza places in Chicago

Now, you KNOW we couldn’t come to Chicago and NOT eat pizza, bro! This city is known for deep dish, but the locals prefer tavern-style, which is anything but — we’re talking some of the thinnest crust you can imagine. So how do 5 of Chicago’s top pizza joints measure up? You’re about to find out — right here, right now on Triple B:

Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta

Pizano’s is the kinda place you’d see in the movies, with the checkered tablecloths and signed photos from all the local sports teams on the walls.

This place does both deep-dish and thin crust — apparently the thin crust is Oprah’s favourite.

Thin crust is crunchy and cheesy, with some nice pieces of sausage scattered throughout. Wish there was more meat here…but when you get a bite of the sausage, that, right there is the ticket.

The deep dish was more tomato than anything else. Bit of cheese, with a crispy crust. I think I got the veggie one — if you put some of that sausage on here, it would be that much better…

Flo & Santos Pizza & Pub

Flo & Santos is within stumbling distance of Soldier Field, and there’s no doubt that more than a few Bears fans have stumbled out of this place. They’ve also serving up a Polish-style pizza with kielbasa, bacon and sauerkraut and an Italian Beef pizza — sign me up, bro!

While I don’t think I got any bacon on this slice, the thick ‘n meaty kielbasa goes great on pizza!

The Italian Beef pie has got a lot going on. You get lotsa beef, but also some onions and peppers. Doesn’t beat a dipped Italian beef sando, but I would order this again, bro!!!

They’ve even got a dessert pizza, topped with chocolate and toasted marshmallows. It’s like S’mores Gone Wild, bro!!!!!

They’ve also got $3 cans of Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale. Goose is a local brewery here, so their beer is plentiful and affordable. This one coulda been a bit more citrusy, though…

Coalfire

As the name suggests, Coalfire, this West Town joint, cooks their pizza in a coal-fired oven, the hottest oven in Chicago, apparently — so the pizza comes out quick and crispy, in true Neapolitan fashion.

Their pepperoni & whipped ricotta pie combines the texture of hot pepperoni and cool cheese, which goes on afterwards and you spread it over the top. Ricotta is a pretty mild cheese, so it has good texture, without overpowering the meat.

This Bacon Jam pie is actually dominated by these big ol slices of soppressata, but with little pieces of bacon on top. It’s sorta like, come for the sausage, stay for the bacon, son!!!!

Bartoli’s Pizzeria

Bartoli’s, this funky little joint near the United Center is bringing back the 70’s style pies from Gino’s East, and they sell em by the slice — cuz you can’t always eat a whole deep-dish pizza, bro!

I had a picture in my mind of what Chicago deep dish pizza would be, and this was pretty much it.This slice is definitely too thick to eat with your hands. Saucy, cheesy with some nice bites of Italian sausage on a thick, cornmeal crust. This might be the deepest deep dish pizza I’ve ever seen…

Lou Malnati’s

Now, this is the first time I’ve tried to take down a whole deep dish pizza on my own. I did go for the small size, which they say is enough for 2 people… So no problemo, right?

I went with the Malnati Chicago Classic, which has sausage, extra cheese and tomato. Started off with some garlic bread, and washed it down with a Goose Green Line, an APA so light that I wouldn’t even call it a pale ale. (This is not a good thing.) They do not short you on the garlic bread, though…

Now, when they brought the pizza out, I even asked the guy, “Is this the Small for two people? Cuz it looks like a personal pizza to me!“ (Of course, any pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself, bro!!!!) in any case, this pie was pretty tasty; nice bites of sausage, and a good crispy crust. If that’s extra cheese, though, I’d hate to see what a normal amount of cheese would be…

You KNOW I still had room for dessert, though, bro! Lemme tell ya, though, this is NOT your Nonna’s tiramisu. I don’t taste ladyfingers, cocoa powder or cappuccino— instead, they put chocolate chips in it and top it with chocolate sauce. Not sure if that’s how they do it in Chicago…but I am never ordering tiramisu here again, bro!!!!!!!!!!!

Wild boar pizza + sea urchin spaghetti @ Dova

Now, we’ve eaten a whole lotta Italian food here on Triple B — but every once in a while, I still come across something I’ve never seen before. So we’re hanging out at DOVA, this funky little joint in Cabbagetown, where they’re putting sea urchin on spaghetti, wild boar and black truffle on pizza, and orange mascarpone in their tiramisu. Shut the front, back and side doors, son!!!!!

They call this dish Ricci, and it’s got a helmet like former San Jose goon Mike Ricci. Underneath is some fresh Newfoundland sea urchin, on top of spaghetti, all covered in garlic and parsley. Now, I don’t think I’ve ever had sea urchin before — especially not from Newfoundland — but it added a nice creamy touch to the spaghetti.

But now they’re about to kick things up another notch with their Fughese pizza — and you don’t even hafta be straight edge to eat it, Bro-an MacKaye! Dude, this pizza’s packing wild boar sausage, black truffles, oyster mushrooms and arugula, plus it’s extra cheesy with fior di latte AND stracciatella! Dude, this has gotta be the best pizza I’ve had all year, and let’s just say I eat a lotta pizza…

And since we’re not straight edge here on Triple B, we’re washing this all down with a funkalicious brewski. This here’s a Raspberry Lavender Gelato Sour from Fine Balance Brewing straight outta Kingston. Now, i dunno what lavender tastes like, but you definitely get a lotta raspberry in here — it’s like a tropical fruit punch in Flavourtown!!!

Of course we’ve still got room for dessert — and it’s probably safe to say at a place like this, they don’t do tiramisu just like Nonna makes it. Instead, you’ve got orange mascarpone, Cointreau liqueur, candied oranges and pistachios. It wasn’t bad, but I mostly just tasted the orange, bro…

It’s a pizza… It’s a calzone… It’s Batman, bro!!!!

Now, I dunno if I even wanna see Rob Pattinson in the new Batman movie — especially after Christian Bale absolutely killed it and grilled it in that role, son! (At least he can’t be any worse than Ben Affleck, right?) But when I heard that Little Caesars was putting out a new, limited-edition Batman Calzony in honour of the movie, you KNOW I had to buy a ticket for that one, bro!!!!

I didn’t even think I had a Little Caesars anywhere near me, but it turns out there’s one at Coxwell and Gerrard — which isn’t super-close, but only about a 15 minute drive if you order from Skip the Dishes. (Uber probably wouldda sent a bicycle delivery guy, and had him make 3 other stops along the way…) So while this Calzony wasn’t quite Hot-n-Ready when it got here, it was still warm enough to make for some good eatin’.

Now, one thing that makes this different from your typical delivery pizza is that the slices are are square, or at least vaguely rectangular, in order to make the shape of the Batman logo. Otherwise, this is decent pizza, with a good, chewy crust and pretty good pepperoni distribution.

The calzone section is pretty basic. It’s just stuffed with cheese, with a few pieces of pepperoni thrown in. And I think that might be Crazy Bread — although I haven’t had Crazy Bread since Batman Forever, bro! It also came with a tub of marinara, but unlike the pizza, the dipping sauce was as cold as Mr. Freeze, son!!!!

Still, that didn’t stop me from destroying this whole thing in one sitting. Holy Acid Reflux, Batman!!!!!!!!

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