Leavened

A new pizzeria opened in an old location of a Pizza Del Arte near Bloor and Ossington. During the pandemic, a soft-serve tried to make a go of it there. But even without the shopping restrictions, I don't know how a business with no visible signs or menus expected to attract much foot traffic. Levant Pizza made its presence more obvious with a big blurb detailing their journey to pizza-dom.

I had wanted to eat here for a few weeks so I was surprised that when I dropped by on Friday, it had only been open for 3 days. I had seen people trying out their slices in the past. Perhaps these were soft-openings for testers and friends? The menu highlighted that this store offered a unique combination: thick-slice Sicilian-style pizza with Middle-East toppings. After looking it over, I chose the Sumac Musakhan ($19). This Palestinian dish of spiced, roast chicken has been adapted for pizza, with the taboon bread being replaced with a "4-day proof" dough.

The rest of this review will be with left-overs consumed over several days. I thought the pizza seemed small for the price at first but the substantial dough turned out to be quite filling. In fact, it was best eaten with additional sides like salad to keep the slice from feeling too heavy. The sumac was front and centre both good: a citrus-y, perfume-like fragrance unlike any other pizza toppings I've had, and questionable: a pink-ish liquid that you don't want to see when you cut through chicken. The latter had good texture and nicely spiced. It went well with the egg-like whipped ricotta. The dough was spongy unlike other deep-dish styles I've eaten. There was a thin, cracker-like bottom crust similar to a Romana pizza (the good sort, not the inedible kind). Overall, it made for good dinners especially so I don't have to labour in the kitchen during this heat wave.

It seems odd that I would talk about the left-overs, but I hated this pizza freshly made: the dough was gloopy, the toppings dripped and ran. As I grimly made my way through the first slice, I thought "Why not stick with an authentic pide or lahmacun if you wanted Middle-Eastern pizza"? But like the recent coconut bun, it looks like a day or two in fridge reduced the moisture content and turned a mediocre dish into something great.

Wait Til Your Father Gets Home

Wednesday night, I watched a live-stream show by musician Annie Clarke aka St. Vincent. Most attendees knew that it wasn't a live concert. There were some reasons why this show was pre-recorded. The first one had to do with the visual effects. Her latest album, Daddy's Home, was steeped in early 70s sounds. People are calling it St. Vincent's Bowie phase with a hint of Pink Floyd and other luminaries. So for the concert, they "filmed" it in 4:3 aspect ratio as well as applying sepia tones, star flares, graininess, and other post-production effects to make it as though you were watching a TV taping from 40 years ago. None of this is achievable with a live show.

But with pre-taping, they were also able to take advantage of the entire theatre. Songs were not only recorded onstage but also in the green room, sitting in the theatre seats, and even in the "old Hollywood glam" foyer when Clarke sang New York accompanied by Rachel Eckroth on a baby grand.

It was a fun way to visually experience this retro aesthetics. But afterwards, I was thinking that this was the easier way to generate this vibe. The alternative, to watch the 70s in full HD (e.g., think period-accurate costumes on a new Brady Bunch movie), would have been more costly and labour intensive.

The New York number encapsulated perhaps the most exciting aspect of this show for the audience. First, Clarke has assembled some notable talents in the indie music scene for her Down and Out Downtown Band. They made their debut on Saturday Night Live a few months back. Tonight, their live playing added so much energy and vitality to her music. Clarke changes with every album. But the recent songs, with their warmer tones, are perhaps more inviting than her previous stylized persona. Second, as much as fans loved new tunes like Pay Your Way In Pain, Daddy's Home, or Down, they wanted to hear her old songs reworked with this 70s sound as Clarke has hinted at on social media. So numbers like Mass Seduction, Digital Witness, and Cheerleader were met with ecstatic kudos in the chat.

As great as everyone was, the 3 backup singers with their wonderful harmonies made the biggest impact. They elevated Clarke's songs especially her back catalogue to a whole new level. Many people tonight was adamant that they had to see St. Vincent on tour in the fall so they can experience this band and those vocal harmonies at a live venue.

No Can Go

For the last few Sundays I have been back at a Yoga studio. I now prefer my self-practice that allows me to concentrate on each pose. But there is an energy to a live, fast-paced class that has its own allure. So even though my tights don't fit so well after more than a year at home, I've been heading Ossington and Queen for the workout.

I was looking for a restaurant for a post-session lunch but the patios on Ossington seemed too chi-chi for my sweaty clothes. Then I remembered that a new sushi joint has opened on College. I guess Siri, which had pretty good Thai, could not survive long-term having opened during a pandemic. I did enjoy their vegan drunken noodle (Pad Kee Mao) on a semi-regularly basis.

The extensive menu in the window of Cango Sushi didn't inspire much confidence. It's the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach of a lower-end business. In any case, I settled on the "tuna combo" ($13.95). After lamenting at all the take-out containers (8 separate pieces!), I looked over the spread and noticed an extra order of yam sushi. Perhaps these were bonuses during first few weeks of opening? The pieces were large with lots of filling and more substantial than Kobi Sushi (which has been doing much brisker business than its predecessor Gobo Sushi) down the block. This lunch set was looking good.

Things started out well with the salad and miso soup. But the sushi was a major let-down. I wasn't expecting quality fish but these tuna were flavourless. The spicy tuna maki was perhaps the blandest version I've ever tasted. The nigiri wasn't much better and the hand-roll was a losing fight. But even average sushi can be saved by good rice (and excellent sushi must have good rice). Sadly, these were sticky, clumpy, and lacked that delicate vinegar tang. I don't remember struggling to finish a sushi meal like today.

I will say that the Yam maki was the best of the bunch. Given its size and price ($3.95), the good selection of veggie maki (from $3.95 to $6.50) at Cango is probably worth a second look if you're into vegetarian sushi.

6-0

It has been a while since I went to Chinatown so I did my groceries there on Saturday. A few restaurants had set up makeshift patios. I rarely see Asian restaurants with outdoor seating, except for Pho Hung at St. Andrews and Spadina. And that was more of an extension. The novelty of having dim sum at Rol San outside would have to be balanced with interacting with homeless people talking to themselves. But obviously some folks thought it was worth the potential hassle.

I wanted to get some empanadas at Jumbo Empanada in Kensington Market but the shop still had no indoor dining (and they have closed their patio). Numerous restaurants did install sidewalk patios. But with the already narrow lanes, along with the frequent passer-bys, and the freely imbibing "locals", these outdoor seating didn't feel relaxing.

Since I've been enjoying weekly bagel purchases from Wise Bagel, I decided to get a half-dozen ($9) from NU Bügel. This was a mistake. I remembered when they first opened and the novelty of a Jewish-adjacent business returning to a former Jewish neighbourhood. I have visited them a few times though not within the last 5-6 years. Well, the novelty of eating a fresh bagel still warm from the oven quickly palled. The sea salt on the everything bagel killed off any flavour from the poppy, sesame, and caraway seeds. Over the next few days, they didn't store well with a heavy doughiness and a sticky outer layer. I guess I've wised up now (haha).

That one bagel was enough for me. I still needed more food so I headed over to Fresca for some pizza. I chatted with the owners about their current situation. Business was still good with frequent customers but their daughter has stopped helping out. It's hard to live at home and work for your immigrant parents, too. The 24-7 interaction was probably challenging. So they were surprisingly on the fence when I told them I was contemplating a return to Ottawa to be closer to family.

I finished off my eclectic lunch with a croissant from Bonne Nouvelle. Disappointingly, it has been a slowly diminishing return from this bakery. I was initially enthused but I am now noticing that their butter croissants have a slightly sweet coating. I prefer a richer, more savoury mouth-feel. It feels like a recent change and not a welcome one.