Fertile Soil

Dupont and Dovercourt is industrial bare-bones with a factory-turned-squat-loft, a security guard school, and a rail overpass. Last year, an Italian bistro has moved into the South-East corner, another in the Toronto's growing list of authentic pizzerias. Known mostly to locals, Picea has recently gotten a bigger profile by scoring in the Top Ten by local alt-weekly Now Toronto.

I've been meaning to go to this restaurant, as part of ongoing "research" into pizza joints, and Friday night was as good a time as any before the horde descends upon it. Bare brick walls, dark wood, deep red pillars, and colourful murals, Picea was going for that traditional trattoria feel. A large pizza oven dominated the room, it was actually bigger than the small kitchen in the back.

Feeling "earthy", I ordered a mushroom soup ($6) and a Bourbon pizza ($17). The soup promised shiitake, portobello, and button mushrooms with truffle cream. It was definitely earthy, with a touch of creamy dairy. But the finely grounded mushrooms lost the distinctive flavour and texture of each type of mushroom. A good appetizer but not as enticing as the description.

The pizza came to the table hot and sizzling with generous toppings of tomato sauce and mozzarella. The crust was thicker than the new pizzerias like Libretto, but this was an advantage if you have a hankering for the doughier Pizza Pizza but of better quality. Both the capers and anchovies gave burst of umami saltiness, perhaps a little too much near the end, and the chili added a hint of spiciness. This was a substantial and tasty dish.