Italian food – Page 3

Tasty Pizza at The Fourth Man in the Fire

Published on June 30, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 832 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://thefourthmaninthefirepizzeria.com/

The Fourth Man in the Fire was started by Shant Mardirosian of Burger’s Priest fame, and while it probably isn’t quite as great as the Burger’s Priest was when it first opened, they still serve some tasty pizza.

I tried the Meatball and Peppers Pizza: “Tomato Sauce, Whole Milk Mozzarella Blend, Fresh Mozzarella, Homemade Meatball, Fresh Peppers.”

The pizza they serve here is similar in style to places like North of Brooklyn and Badiali, though with a lighter, airier crust. The crust is slightly lacking in substance, but it’s got a nice char and a light crispiness that’s quite delightful.

As for the toppings, it’s kind of like a meatball sandwich in pizza form, and all of the components are quite good. I wish the peppers had been cooked a bit more; I think they put them on the pizza uncooked, so they’re still quite crisp. This kills the meatball sub vibe a bit, as I don’t think I’ve ever had a sandwich like that with raw peppers. Still, it mostly works.

Quick Bites: Pizzeria Badiali, Ghadir Meat & Restaurant, Chica’s Chicken

Published on May 19, 2024May 19, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Cacio e pepe pizza from Pizzeria Badiali

I wrote about Pizzeria Badiali a few years ago and mentioned how great it is; I’ve been back a few times since, and it consistently pumps out some of the best pizza in the city. On my latest visit, I tried the cacio e pepe (“shredded mozz, fior di latte, cacio sauce, pecorino and black pepper”), and yeah, it’s top notch. It translates the tastiness of a bowl of cacio e pepe to a pizza pretty much perfectly. It’s peppery, cheesy, and rich, and the crispy/chewy crust is as amazing as ever.

Mixed Shawarma from Ghadir Meat & Restaurant

Speaking of the best stuff in the city, the last time I wrote about the shawarma from Ghadir Meat & Restaurant, I mentioned that it’s a contender for that crown. I tried chicken last time and got the mixed this time (which comes with chicken and beef), and hey, what do you know — it’s still some of the best in the city. It didn’t quite have the amount of crispy bits on the meat that I’d like, and there was no hot sauce (I guess you have to ask), but otherwise? Basically shawarma perfection. Perfect balance of meat, veggies, and sauces. Also: look at the way they’ve toasted this thing. It has an almost pita chip level of crispiness in spots. I need literally every shawarma joint to do this, please. Thanks.

Double Crunch Sandwich from Chica’s Chicken

The last couple of times I’ve had Chica’s Chicken, I’ve noted that they’ve been going downhill a bit. I was afraid that this might be an inexorable march to mediocrity, but thankfully, it seems like the quality level has plateaued. It’s not all-time-great like it used to be, but it’s still very good. On this particular visit, I got the Double Crunch Sandwich (which is part of a limited-time promotion with Jarritos, and will be gone by June 14): “fried chicken, peppercorn ranch, deep-fried jalapeños, lettuce on a brioche bun.” They were out of lettuce and subbed in coleslaw instead, but otherwise everything was as described on the menu. It’s a very tasty sandwich: it’s zippy, has some mild pops of spice from the fried jalapenos, and is packed with flavour. The chicken was, mostly, crunchy and juicy, though the thinner parts were a bit dry. It’s a very tasty sandwich, even if it can’t quite reach the heights of Chica’s at their prime.

Thin Crust Pizza at Burattino Brick Oven Pizza

Published on April 9, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 3109 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.burattinopizza.ca/

Burattino is an LA pizza chain specializing in thin-crust pizzas that opened their first location in Toronto a couple of years ago.

They have a handful of fairly unique pizzas on their menu, though the black garlic 120 pepperoni caught my eye — it comes topped with black-garlic-infused marinara, along with a whole bunch of pepperoni (120 refers to the amount of pepperoni slices on the large version of pizza).

For the unfamiliar, black garlic is made by roasting garlic at a very low temperature over the course of several days, giving it a unique jet-black colour and a mild, sweet flavour.

It’s a solid pizza. The black garlic sauce gives the pie a tasty roasted garlic flavour, which contrasts nicely with the salty pepperoni. The thin crust is a bit boring (it’s comparable to chains like Pizza Nova or Dominos rather than the better pizza joints in the GTA), but it gets the job done.

A Great Veal Sandwich at Cosimo’s Cheese and Deli

Published on April 4, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1051 Dundas Street West, Mississauga
Website: https://www.instagram.com/mammaangelinacooks/

Cosimo’s Cheese and Deli is a delightfully old school Italian deli in Mississauga; it’s been around for over thirty years, and it looks like not much has changed since they opened (hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it).

It’s a full deli with the usual assortment of cold cuts, cheese, and Italian pantry items, but it also serves hot sandwiches like veal and meatball.

I went with the veal, which — assuming you ask for everything — comes topped with a mix of peppers, onions, and eggplant, along with a fiery pepper paste.

It came up to $13 even (and it’s a cash-only establishment, so come prepared) and is a seriously hefty sandwich, so it’s a great deal. I was planning on eating half and then saving the rest for later, which obviously did not happen. I mean, come on. I’m sure there are people out there who have the self-control to stop eating a delicious veal sandwich halfway through, but I am not one of those people.

It’s a great sandwich. The veal is super tender, and the sauce it comes with is richly flavourful, with a nice garlicky punch that doesn’t overwhelm. My only real complaint is that this is a hot table place, which means that the veal has been sitting in the sauce. On one hand, that results in a piece of veal that’s really soaked up that tasty tomato sauce; on the other hand, you lose the crispy texture of the fried veal, which is missed.

The sandwich winds up being kind of one-note soft; the veal is incredibly tender, the bread is fluffy with no exterior crustiness, and the toppings are all silky, resulting in basically one texture throughout. But it’s so delicious that is is a very minor complaint.

Delicious Handmade Pasta at Pasta Forever

Published on March 21, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1693 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://pastaforever.ca/

Pasta Forever is a tiny little shop on Dundas that mostly specializes in freshly made pasta you can cook at home, along with various Italian pantry items. They also have a rotating menu of pasta dishes, sandwiches and salads you can take to go.

On this particular visit, there was only one pasta dish on the menu: “beet + ricotta mezzaluna with poppyseed butter, tarragon, + mint.”

I quite enjoyed it. In a lot of ways, it tasted like something you might be served at a nice restaurant; the beet and ricotta mixture is creamy and zippy, the herbs and poppyseed add a nice dose of flavour, the walnuts give it some textural contrast, and the whole thing is rich without feeling overly heavy.

A couple of things held it back from greatness, however. Most pressingly, the pasta was undercooked; the middle part was perfect, but the crimped edges were pretty tough. That’s not to mention the sauce, which didn’t really cling to the pasta the way you’d like, instead pooling at the bottom of the dish. The whole thing was tasty enough that it was easy to overlook these nitpicks, but it was still a bit of a shame.