Original Steak Sandwich from Bear Steak Sandwiches

I’m a big fan of Bear Steak Sandwiches, though I’ll admit that a recent experience there was a bit unfortunate.  I ordered the special, which was a steak on rye sandwich, and… it was basically inedible.  The rye bread it was served on was so stale and dry that it crumbled into bits the second I picked it up.  I took a couple of bites, and then brought it back for a refund, which is something I basically never do.  Not great!  On the plus side, they seemed to know it was an issue and immediately offered to replace it with an original steak sandwich, which they assured I’d like much better.  And they were correct — I’ve previously raved about this sandwich, and yeah, it’s still stellar.  A bit too greasy, but otherwise the combo of the ultra-tender steak and zippy chimichurri (and non-stale bread!) is a big winner.

Diavola Stinger from Pizza Cantina

Pizza Cantina, a pizza joint in the Junction, seems to be pretty well regarded, so I was excited to try it.  I went with the Diavola Stinger (“San Marzano tomato sauce, hot soppressata, mozzarella & hot honey drizzle”), and it was tasty enough.  Certainly, I didn’t dislike eating it.  The crust was odd, however.  I don’t know if it was supposed to be like that or if something went wrong, but it was extremely stiff and cracker-like, with the ends being full-out crunchy with no softness or chew.  It was a bit too much for me, but if you like a crunchy pizza, it was otherwise pretty solid.  My only other complaint is that I found the hot honey to be a bit too aggressively applied — but then I find honey on a pizza to work best in small doses.  Others may disagree.

Pizza from Pizza Karachi

As you’d gather from the name, Pizza Karachi serves pizza with a Pakistani flair.  I tried a couple of pizzas (the Mirchi Sauga and… another one whose name is currently escaping me), and both were solid.  They were pan pizzas (somewhat Pizza Hut-esque), and while the vaguely gummy crust was nothing to write home about, the vibrant Pakastani flavours actually worked pretty well.