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Delicious Pizza (and Coconut Cream Pie) at The Fourth Man in the Fire

Published on August 5, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

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

The last time I tried the Fourth Man in the Fire, I thought it was very good, but probably just short of greatness. I may have been wrong about that; I just had another slice, and I don’t think there was anything holding it back from greatness. It’s there.

I had a slice of the margherita, and it was seriously good. It’s cheesier than you might expect, but the balance of rich cheese and zippy sauce was just right. They also chop the basil and sprinkle it all over the slice instead of using whole leaves, and I actually think that’s the way to go. You get the flavour of the basil throughout, instead of just in a few mouthfuls.

On my last visit I found the crust to be slightly lacking in substance, but that wasn’t an issue this time. It’s got a good chew to it, a nice flavour, it’s perfectly charred, and it has a great balance of crispy interior and fluffy interior. The pizza is quite generously topped, but the crust has a enough substance to it to hold up perfectly.

I had to try the coconut cream pie after reading this article, and yeah, it’s delicious, too. It’s super rich and creamy, and has a really nice toasted coconut flavour. It’s one of the better slices of coconut cream pie I’ve had in quite a while, though it’s also extremely pricey at 13 bucks. They say it’s meant to be shared, and it is indeed very heavy, but it’s also a pretty standard size for slice of pie. It’s very, very delicious, so it’s hard to complain too much, but yowza that’s a lot for a slice of pie.

Delicious Pizza at Gatto Wood Oven Pizza

Published on July 15, 2024 by Michael Nusair1 Comment

Location: 2312 Bloor Street West, Toronto
Website: https://gattopizza.ca/

Gatto Wood Oven Pizza is one of those nondescript neighbourhood joints that’s quietly putting out great food while getting basically zero buzz online. It’s tough out there for restaurants that don’t have a gimmick (or an influencer budget) to get people talking.

Gatto’s menu consists mostly of pizza and pasta; I stuck to the pizza side of things, and based on the two that I tried, I think they deserve to be more than just a neighbourhood place. It’s worth going out of your way for.

The place has “wood oven” right in the name of their restaurant, and yeah, they clearly know their way around that oven. Both pizzas were perfectly cooked, with a lightly crispy exterior, a chewy interior, and just enough char to give the crust flavour without overwhelming.

I know a lot of people feel like the crust on a pizza is just a vehicle for cheese, sauce, and toppings, but for me, the crust is the pizza. The other stuff is just there to complement it. So it needs to be really good, and the crust here is really good.

I tried the Regina Margherita (“San Marzano, Fior Di Latte, Parmigiano, Evoo”) and the 2312 Bloor St. West (“Italian Prosciutto, Forest Mushrooms, Fior Di Latte, Basil, Truffle Ricotta”). Both were delicious, but the margherita is the clear winner, even if they kinda cheated by adding grated parmesan (it’s a tasty addition, so I’ll allow it).

The 2312 Bloor St. West was very tasty (the salty prosciutto and earthy mushrooms are a great combo), but it’s almost sunk by the truffle ricotta, which tastes very, very strongly of truffle oil. I think truffle oil is gross and is generally unfit for human consumption (and almost never has even a hint of real truffles in it, making it disgusting and a sham), so the fact that I still managed to enjoy this pizza as much as I did shows you how tasty it was otherwise.

Tasty Detroit-Style Pizza at Renaissance Pizza

Published on July 3, 2024 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 809 Dundas Street West, Toronto
Website: https://www.renaissancepizza.ca/

Did Toronto need another Detroit-style pizzeria? No, probably not. But does it really matter when the pizza being served is delicious? Again, no, it does not.

They have a bunch of tasty-looking pizzas on the menu at Renaissance, from the traditional (pepperoni, fennel sausage) to the not-so-traditional (tandoori paneer, duck confit). But if you’re ordering by the slice, you’ve got two options: cheese or pepperoni. I went with pepperoni.

It’s a great slice of pizza. As is traditional with Detroit pizza, the sauce comes on top of the cheese; interestingly, it’s applied post-bake and is (I think) completely uncooked, giving it a vibrant, garlickly freshness that contrasts nicely with the heavy cheese and greasy crust.

It also has that classic Detroit-style crispy cheese all along the edges, which is as delightful as ever.

My only issue is that I think it’s possible Detroit-style pizza shouldn’t be served by the slice; in this case, at least, the bottom of the pizza lost its delightful crispiness, which is a big part of what makes this type of pizza so great.

Every other element here was so tasty that this wasn’t a deal-breaker, but I’d definitely just order a whole pizza next time, rather than risk getting another soggy slice.

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.

Tasty Eats at Do West Fest

Published on June 10, 2024March 8, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Do West Fest is a surprisingly massive street festival (it covers about 1.5 km, from Landsdown to Ossington) with a whole bunch of tasty eats. I tried a few things.

Heirloom’s Hot & Honey Big Crunch from Heirloom Food Truck

I was actually quite excited about this one. I tried the Szechuan fried chicken sandwich from this food truck a few years ago, and thought that it was basically fried chicken perfection. It was crazy good.

So when I saw the Heirloom truck, I figured another fried chicken sandwich was a safe bet. They have a few on the menu (though not the Szechuan, sadly), but the Hot & Honey Big Crunch caught my eye. “Crispy chicken breast, hot & honey sauce, creamy slaw, pickled cucumber, iceberg lettuce, chipotle aioli, brioche bun.”

It’s a solid fried chicken sandwich. It’s nice and crunchy, and features a good balance of sweetness and acidity (alas, very little spice). It’s tasty. But, in my sandwich at least, the chicken itself was pretty dry, as was the thick brioche bun. I still enjoyed it, but that was a bit of a bummer. Certainly, it wasn’t the mindblower that the Szechuan sandwich was.

Strawberry Rhubarb cake from Moonmilk

Moonmilk is a great little ice cream shop and bakery on Dundas. I’ve tried the ice cream on a previous visit, and it was quite tasty. They also sell a handful of cakes; I went with the strawberry rhubarb, and yeah, this place knows what they’re doing.

It’s a pretty simple cake — basically just strawberry and rhubarb layered with buttercream frosting and a fairly plain cake — but it’s thoroughly delicious. It’s kinda strawberry shortcake-esque, with a great balance between the slightly tart strawberry/rhubarb filling and the silky buttercream. The cake has a good amount of substance to it, but isn’t too dense. It’s very good.

Margherita pizza from Acute Pizzeria

Acute boasts that their pizzas are made from sourdough, and yeah, the crust does have a bit of that sourdough tang. It actually works quite well. It’s also clear that they know exactly how to bake it, as it has a nice crackly crust, a bit of char, and a fluffy interior.

I got the margherita, and it was really good for all the reasons that margherita pizzas tend to be really good — they nailed it. I’d say this place is only a teeny-tiny step below top-tier pizzas like Badiali and North of Brooklyn.

Crispy Coconut Shrimp Dumplings from FeasTO

FeasTO is a dumpling truck that’s been around a while (I last tried it in 2019), and given how good their dumplings are, it’s easy enough to see why.

I tried the crispy coconut shrimp dumplings, which feature a great balance between the crispy fried exterior and the perfectly cooked shrimp within. The sauce they put on top was a bit sweet for me (it’s pretty intense), but otherwise these were quite satisfying.