Georgie's Pizza and Subs

1227 Kilborn Ave. – 526-7777
Date of order: May 5th, 2006
Cost: $17.45 + tip

    The crowd had once again assembled around the big screen at the Pizza Ottawa compound to watch game one of the ultimately disappointing second round series between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres. The eBay gods had smiled upon us and provided a reasonably priced projector which in it’s former life had probably been installed in a dark, disused meeting room. A minimal investment at our local home improvement retailer and a few hours work provided us with the big screen.

    Having exhausted our knowledge of local pizza places that would deliver we consulted the Yellow Pages for suggestions. We chose Georgie’s Pizza and Subs, which we remembered having driven past it many times on the way to the apartment of friends on Kilborn Ave. We called up Georgie’s and ordered our usual plain pie (to keep things honest) and were told it would arrive in under thirty minutes. Less than thirty minutes later it arrived, piping hot. The pizza looked very much like the usual “Ottawa” style fare, but we noticed that it smelled like Swiss Chalet sauce. The crust was soft, golden and didn’t flop too badly when picked up. The cheese was well proportioned and golden in all the right places. The sauce was also well distributed on the pie.

    We both took a bite and noticed that the sauce did indeed have some similarities to Swiss Chalet sauce. This was not overpowering, though. One reviewer suggested that the reason for the hint of Swiss Chalet was because of rosemary in the sauce. The sauce was also just a bit spicy, which we both liked. The crust was a golden colour, had a nice texture and a good taste. The cheese was the usual delivery pizza stuff.

    All in all, Georgie’s makes a very decent pizza. While the Senators went on to lose the game (and the series) we still had a great time with a few beers and some good pizza.

Marzano Pizza

248 Kent St. – 569-2100
Date of visit: Early December, 2005
Cost: ~$14.00
Flyer is here.

    We checked out Marzano Pizza because of a conversation that Mike (1/2 of Pizza Ottawa) had: "During the summer of 2005, met somebody who came from Sault Saint Marie. I told her about my involvement with Pizza Ottawa and she excitedly told me about a place in Ottawa that sold real “Soo ‘za”, called Marzano Pizza. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this, since I had never heard of Soo ‘za or what made it special. I was definitely intrigued and told her that I would eventually try it out sometime."

    Well, months later, we at Pizza Ottawa finally got around to it.

    Marzano Pizza is located downtown, near Somerset and Bank St., on Kent St. We phoned ahead for a pick-up order of a large plain pizza and made our way down to get it. It smelled great in the car on the ride home and we were eager to try it. When we opened the box, we saw a pizza that looked a little different than what we were used to. The crust wasn’t as bubbly and ‘airy’ as most places, nor was it a thin crust. When we dug in, we were surprised with the texture and taste. The crust was soft and kind of rich or heavy. It tasted slightly sweet, too. It was a familiar flavour, reminiscent of a type of bun, but it was not one that we had previously encountered as pizza crust. The good news was that it worked. We found that the pizza was really sloppy, but in a good way. The cheese and sauce were a little runny but tasted great. The total package of Soo ‘za was unique compared to the typical pizza we’ve found in Ottawa, and the fact that the pizzeria doesn’t advertise itself as being gourmet or different in another way makes it somewhat of a hidden gem.

Ricardo's Pizza

267 Bay St (between Somerset & Laurier) – 233-1515 or 235-5555
Date of visit: November 26th, 2005
Cost: ~$35.00 (for two large)

    Well, it’s that time of year again. Fall/Winter usually means school and that means that we get too distracted or lack the energy to write these reviews. That certainly was the case last year. This year, however, something is different: NHL hockey is back on. The most important thing about that is the fact that Saturday nights can now be spent eating pizza and watching Hockey Night in Canada on CBC. So, in what was the first of (hopefully) many Saturdays of hockey and pizza, we ordered a large plain pizza from Ricardo’s Pizza, along with another with toppings for some non-Pizza Ottawa contributors.

    When we phoned to place the order, we found that we were not in the delivery range, which meant that we had to go pick up the pizzas. This proved to be fairly easy, as we were able to park just outside the small restaurant located at 267 Bay St. When we arrived, the two pizzas were ready, and came to a total of $34. We rushed back to home base, turned on the game, and dug in. The first thing we noticed was the smell of the cheese, which was stronger than other pizzas we’d tried, and which had the unfortunate distinction of resembling “foot”. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was noticeable. The cheese itself tasted fine, but it wasn’t anything special. When we started to eat the pizza, we noticed something else: the pizza somehow tasted like apple. We weren’t sure why this was, but we figured that there was cinnamon in the pizza sauce, which was totally unexpected and not a very good touch. The crust wasn’t that great, either. Though well-cooked, the crust was kind of bread-like in that it was soft and thick, and one reviewer noted that the flavour resembled that of bread-machine bread instead of pizza crust. Overall, we were quite disappointed with the pizza, but at least the Senators won!

Pavarazzi Gourmet

491 Somerset West At Lyon - 233-2320
Date: July 9th, 2005
Cost: ~$36.00 (two large)

    Who doesn’t like sitting around with friends eating pizza on a Saturday night? We here at Pizza Ottawa are big fans. On this day, we ordered two large pizzas from Pavarazzi Gourmet, one for us and one for our two non-Pizza Ottawa friends. We had our standard plain cheese pizza (in this case they called it by its Italian name ‘margherita’) and our friends had a pepperoni pie. We weren’t sure about their delivery specifications, and couldn’t be bothered to ask, so we decided to pick them up. Approximately 20 minutes after ordering we were at the Somerset location and our pizzas were waiting for us. Because Pavarazzi is 'gourmet' pizza, we were expecting to pay a little more, and in the end it was $36 for our two pizzas.

    We got back to our friend’s house and dug in. On first impression, the pizza looked very cheesy, with a fairly thin crust. What set this pizza apart from other pizzas we’ve tried so far was the fact that the cheese went almost all the way to the edge of the crust. This proved to be a mixed blessing, as it maximized the amount of cheese but it also, on a few slices, anyway, left no room to handle the crust without getting a little cheese grease on our hands.

    The crust itself was surprisingly supple. It did not fall limp under the weight of the cheese, but it wasn’t crunchy or overdone at all. Looking at the bottom, we could see that it was browned to perfection. The taste was also very good, but it wasn’t spectacular. It also wasn’t particularly distinctive, aesthetics aside.

    The cheese was in abundance here, which was a good thing. Also cooked to just the right consistency, it was a flavourful and chewy cheese. It was also interestingly noted by one of our reviewers that the pizza was very ‘glued together’, that is, it did not peel apart like so many other pizzas we’ve had. Admittedly, one of our reviewers has this problem more than most. The plus side to this problem is it allows for a better review of just the sauce and just the crust. In this case, a real effort had to be made to remove the cheese.

    The one thing that let us down slightly was the sauce. It may be that we are expecting something that most people don’t want or is just too difficult to attain, but we have encountered few pizzerias with spectacular sauce. It isn’t that it was bad in any way; it was just a little plain for our tastes.

    What should be noted about Pavarazzi is, being a gourmet pizzeria, they do offer several interesting toppings and options. For example, we had the choice of plain crust or herb crust (we opted for plain to keep consistent with other reviews we’ve done), plain sauce or spicy sauce, and even plain pepperoni or spicy pepperoni for our friends’ pizza. If you choose to order from there, keep in mind that different toppings are in different price ranges, so study their menu well. We hope to try the herb crust and spicy sauce another time.

    Pavarazzi is one of Ottawa’s more high-end pizzerias by design. They make a very good pizza to be sure, but we were hoping for a little better given its reputation. That said, if you’re into trying something new and something a little adventurous, look into what they have to offer, because some of their toppings are not your usual garden-variety fare. Our self-imposed standards of fairness keep us from ordering extravagant pizzas for our reviews, and as such we may have missed out on what is best about Pazarazzi's, but that shouldn’t stop anyone else from doing so.

Taste Canada

    When we received an email a few weeks ago detailing a Canadian food blogger event called Taste Canada, we weren't sure what we could possibly write about. This is a pizza blog, and, as far as we know, Canada has had very little to do with the evolution of our most beloved pie. What is sold as 'Canadian' pizza in many pizzerias, usually identified by the inclusion of 'Canadian bacon,' is simplistic and uninspired. Is that the best we can do? Surely there is more to Canadian food than its regional specialties.

    To answer this age-old question we decided to take a Canadian specialty beyond its logical conclusion. Why not take poutine, a signature Canadian dish, and combine it with pizza! It seemed like a great idea at the time.

    The concept of poutine pizza wasn’t too difficult: instead of sauce, use gravy; instead of mozzarella, use cheese curds; and instead of the usual toppings, use French fries. On top of our homemade dough we added St. Hubert poutine gravy, store brand crinkle cut fries, and St. Albert cheese curds. After an aborted attempt to use our pizza stone (we're still trying to get the hang of it) we threw the first of two pizzas into the oven.

    The result was, well, interesting. Beyond the obvious visual oddities, our poutine pizza was surprisingly good. It seems as though our peculiar experiment did turn out; it was not, however, the sum of its parts. Pizza and poutine, both separately delicious when done well, isn’t nearly as delicious when they’re combined.

    This leads us back into the question of Canadian food in general. Does it really have to be identified by its quirks? We think that our little project proves that it doesn't have to be that way. Our favourite food experiences, whether it is pizza or falafel or just a burger on the bbq, show us that all food is great when it is made with the best ingredients that Canada has to offer. It has nothing to do with poutine, Canadian bacon, or maple syrup.

    So when you feel stuck in the emotional prison of your next cultural-identity crisis, try to remind yourself that what identifies us isn't what's unique about us but what is best about us. And we make it look easy.

Happy Canada Day!

If you would like to check out other blogs that have participated in Taste Canada there is a listing here.

We Need Help

    Has it really been a year? We wouldn't have guessed. Pizza Ottawa's 1st Birthday has been and gone without any fanfare. Truth be told, we aren't really into that sort of thing. What we ARE into, though, is pizza.

    The time has come for you, dear reader, to help us in our search. We’re looking for pizza places in the Ottawa area to review. Have a personal favourite we haven't critiqued? Don't mind that a few more people learn about your secret spot for a good slice? Send us your suggestions! Just email us at pizzaottawa @ gmail.com. We've decided to increase our output to at least one review a month, and we can't do it without your help.

    We're also looking for some suggestions of good places in the Montreal area. We're not starting Pizza Montreal; we're just in the area a lot and haven't found a decent place yet. Preferably something close to a metro station. Have a favourite 99 cent place? Send it on down!

And, most of all, thanks for taking the time to read Pizza Ottawa!

Milano Pizzeria

2430 Bank St. at Hunt Club – 310-6666
Date of visit: May 7th, 2005
Cost: $20.30 + tip (for an extra-large)

    Sometimes Pizza Ottawa gets its pizza during exciting circumstances. Other times, we just want pizza. In our efforts to review more pizzerias, we decided that we should just get some pizza. After a long session of messing about with our large collection of odd musical instruments (70s synths, Farfisa organs that sound like accordions, etc.), we were very hungry. We decided to order an extra large plain pizza from Milano Pizzeria to sate that hunger.

    Using their website, we verified the number to call and placed the order at 7:15 pm. A mere 30 minutes later, the whopping pizza (plus a free litre of Pepsi) was at our door. We turned off the movie 'DIG!', which we had been watching while waiting, and found the Canada-Sweden hockey game on TV, which was perfect viewing for eating pizza.

    The pizza was very cheesy and not too greasy. The cheese didn’t have a very distinct flavour, but it was plentiful and tasted fine. The sauce was very well-distributed over the entire pizza, which was both good and bad. On the bad side, the large helpings of sauce tended to overpower the pizza in some spots and occasionally get a bit messy. On the good side, because it was evenly distributed, every bite contained some sauce. In the flavour department, the sauce was so-so. It had some interesting spicy flavour, but it certainly wasn’t great, and as mentioned, it tended to be overpowering in larger doses. (Note: the slice-folding technique was used to eat much of the pizza, since some of the slices were so wide. This resulted in the sauce pooling in the centre of the slices, causing areas of higher concentration. This was not an issue closer to the crust.) The crust itself was quite good. It was a good thickness and it was flavourful, especially the outer crust. Our only complaint was that the crust seemed to buckle under the weight of the sauce and cheese, which resulted in some limp slices. This issue was most likely a result of the extra-large slice size, but it might have been good to have the crusts a little more well-done.

    When all was said and done, we finished the entire pizza, so we were happy that we ordered the extra large. That said, we weren’t terribly impressed with Milano Pizzeria. The price was quite steep so we were expecting something great, and we didn’t feel that the pizza was outstanding in any area. It was good, to be sure, but not great.

Crust: 7.5 out of 10
Sauce: 6 out of 10
Cheese: 7 out of 10
Grease: 8 out of 10
Presentation: 8 out of 10

Overall Rating: 7.125 out of 10

Forno Antico

683 Bronson Ave. – 234-1377
Date of visit: April 26th, 2005
Cost: ~$68.00 + tip (for five)

    The end of the school year is always a happy time. With the final exams of the year behind us, we had set our minds on celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to eat pizza at a restaurant at which you’d never eaten before? Forno Antico first came to our attention in the summer of 2004, when we saw a boarded up building with a sign saying that a new pizza place was coming soon. By the time the establishment opened for business, we were no longer in the area all the time, and our thoughts and efforts had become more concentrated on school. After eight months of relative inactivity, though not eight months without pizza, we were finally free to set our sights on reviewing more pizza in Ottawa. First stop: Forno Antico, a restaurant that presents a more traditional wood-burned, Neapolitan pizza.

    We walked down Bronson Ave. on a mild but grey late-April evening. We walked in and were greeted with a simple decor; plain tables and chairs surrounded on three sides with murals depicting the old country. The restaurant itself was not large, though it could comfortably seat at least twenty or twenty-five people at any one time. The eating area is directly beside the cooking area, so the sights and smells do wonders for your appetite as you await your meal. The menu contains several gourmet pizzas with toppings such as olives, artichokes, and bruschetta tomatoes, as well as sausage, pepperoni, peppers and mushrooms. The prices are higher than a typical fast food pizza place, but that’s to be expected. Our party decided to order two and a half pizzas, with the Pizza Ottawa reviewers sharing one, a Margherita pizza, which had bocconcini cheese, sauce and red peppers. Our friends had the 'Grand Texan', topped with pepperoni, ground beef, bacon and Italian sausage, and the 'Frankies' with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes, and basil with mozzarella and feta cheese. The food was prepared quickly and was hot when it arrived at our table.

    Forno Antico’s pizza is not the kind of stuff that we usually review here at Pizza Ottawa. Following a more traditional Neapolitan style, there were quite a few things that were different than the pizza we usually have. There was much less cheese than we are used to. The crust was rectangular and a perfect thickness; not too thin that it’s hard to eat and not too thick that the crust overpowers the pie.

    That said, the most important factor for pizza is flavour, which this delivered in spades. The thin crust was absolutely delicious, especially the slightly burned outer crust. The corner pieces were the best because they had two sides of crust as opposed to just one for the middle slices. The crust was also soft and chewy in the centre, though a little crunchy on the bottom. The sauce was pleasant and tasted fine. Because it was thin and soaked into the crust, it did not drip anywhere, which was also good. The cheese was fresh and delicious, and though it wasn’t in the copious quantities that we’re usually used to a little does go a long way.

    Forno Antico is all about delivering a delicious traditional pizza that isn't what most pizza places offer these days. They definitely have their place in the pizza market in Ottawa and it's nice to see some variety in the city.

Mr. Mozzarella

3679 Riverside Dr. – 260-8555
Date of order: September 12th, 2004 at 6:40 PM
Arrived: 7:39 PM
Cost: $25.29 + tip

    Pizza Ottawa is fairly certain that the NFL season is a lucrative time for pizza places, so it’s fitting that we chose opening weekend to try out some slices. We convened in the official Pizza Ottawa testing chambers, opened some beers and turned on the TV. Though your faithful armchair critic doesn’t know much about football, and frankly doesn’t really care, all of us here at Pizza Ottawa do appreciate the savage beauty of the battles won and lost on the gridiron. In this contest the Denver Broncos took on the Kansas City Chiefs. While neither team made it to the Super Bowl this year I’m sure they tried their best.

    We had decided on Mr. Mozzarella for our next review after picking a flyer up off the ground during one of our strolls though the ByWard market. From what we can gather Mr. Mozzarella is a local chain that operates several pizzerias in Eastern Ontario. Two large pies were ordered, one plain and one with onions and mushrooms. We were told that it would take about an hour to arrive, and they were telling the truth; the pizza arrived just shy of 60 minutes. The boxes had odd looking caricatures of what we assumed was the pizzeria’s namesake, with his name written in a very 70s style font above him. The pizza themselves looked quite appetizing, the cheese golden and nicely browned crust. The sauce, though, was a darker shade of red than we’re used to seeing.

    We dug into the plain pizza while a friend of ours started on the onion and mushroom. The cheese was usual pizzeria issue, with some nice flavour coming from the perfectly browned crust. The sauce was tangy and a little spicy, but it seemed as though most of it was in circle around the crust. Proper sauce spreading technique is crucial to good pizza making. Overall it was pretty good pizza. We also tried some of our friend’s onion and mushroom and its qualities were consistent to those of our plain pie. The toppings were fresh and well cooked.

    Mr. Mozzarella makes perfectly acceptable pizza. It isn’t special in any way, but if you’re close by or want something different than your usual it’s a good bet.
Ratings:

Crust: 8 out of 10
Sauce: 7 out of 10
Cheese: 8 out of 10
Grease: 8 out of 10
Presentation: 5 out of 10 (The guy on the box was creepy.)

Overall Rating: 7.75 out of 10