The Side is Pie

Though I've eaten plenty of cheap but tasty pizza from 241 Pizza and Fresca lately, I had a hankering for better quality ones. I recalled that early on in the pandemic, I was walking through Ossington and saw just off a small side street a pizzeria called Blondies. So on Friday, I placed an order for a small (13") one called A Kissing Tigress ($15) for lunch. On my way to Humbert St., I passed by trendy Dundas St. W. and onto Ossington. They also have had sections of car lanes blocked off so that restaurants can install patios. Though some just put out small tables, others have upped their game complete with wooden fencing or chest-high planters and full-sized picnic tables. With its narrow lanes, Ossington now resembled a quaint European street. There were lots of construction too. A row of houses from 46-54 Ossington has finally succumbed to gentrification. Billboards have gone up advertising retail spaces for rent.

My pizza came in a pink box with white polka dots. The Tigress was essentially Blondies' take on a traditional Margherita. I sat on the grounds of the nearby (and temporary location of) University of Toronto Schools to take a bite. If I had known Osler Playground Park was so close, I would have walked the extra 2 blocks. The slice was tasty with soft dough, fragrant cheese, and some freshness from the basil. It wasn't quite as good as Maker Pizza as far as higher-end pizza went. And as I was eating my second slice, I realized that it wasn't as enjoyable, subjectively, as Fresca either. Though the latter used inferior ingredients including cheap cheese, its Margherita slices were more satisfying to gulp down. I wondered if it came back to the pizza makers. The dour-faced ones at Fresca have years of experience while the baby-faces here looked barely old enough to drive. They probably weren't planning to make a career out of it either.

Edit: The leftover slices were quite good cold from the fridge. The soft dough kept its toothsomeness and the cheese and basil seemed to have better, punchier flavour.