Friday, April 9, 2021

Buono Got Back

The thick-crust pizza at Milano in Ottawa is middle-of-the-road. So I was surprised that new-ish Italian joint Buono in Toronto, replacing Pray Tell at College and Ossington, offered Milano-style pizza! Milano wasn't just a made-up Italian name?

I dropped by Thursday for a margherita. There was no patio because rising cases from the Covid variants have finally convinced the provincial government to legislate stay-at-home orders.

It came out with a thick, but soft, crust and much better tasting than chicago-style. The top layer of thick mozzarella was rich and gooey, although the cheese could use a touch more flavour. I also wished the focaccia-like crust to have been infused with olive oil although not to the same level as is typical. Essentially because the fresh, but strongly tangy, tomato sauce dominated the taste, I wanted a bit more punch from the other ingredients for balance.

The only disappointment was that a long, crusty edge was only on one of the 4 slices. Though I ordered a full pizza ($18) compared to the slice option ($9.50), it was obviously that this was part of a larger pan pizza. Maybe mini-pans don't work, but more of that crunch would have been welcomed. With the total close to $25 with tax + tip, this pretty pizza won't win against Maker Pizza (on the fancy end) and Fresca (for the cheap eats) for my dollar.

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