211 Gilmour (at Elgin) – (613) 238-3333
Date of order: March 2nd, 2009
Cost: ~$49.00 for two large and a small

Ottawa has a rich and colourful history. From full-on riots and political assassinations to the Tulip Festival, there are a lot of stories to be told (or that have been told) in this town. Touching on the subject of a previous review, our most recent pizza adventure found us once again on Gilmour St. Not only that, but we were again admiring some of the finer points of the city, although this time it was from the perspective of books.

The Ottawa Public Library’s Main Branch is located at Metcalfe and Laurier. The boxy, brutalist structure is a relic of the 70s but it’s a pretty cool building (even if it did replace what appears to have been a much nicer building, the Carnegie Library, of which only the stained glass window remains…). Of course, with libraries, the inside is where the fun lies. This branch happens to have the Ottawa Room, which is a special room filled with photos, records, maps and books all about Ottawa. Taking advantage of their Monday evening hours, we made the first of what we hope will be many visits to this room. We (mostly) had fun perusing books like 1904’s “The Hub and the Spokes.”

Of course, while we have history we also have the present to deal with. Since we had hungry mouths to feed, we decided to visit another local landmark, House of Georgie Sorento’s. The draw here is their gravy pizza, but we didn’t go for that on this day. We ordered three pizzas (two large with toppings and a small plain) and waited in the small shop. A map of downtown Ottawa and an aerial photograph of Carleton University provided a bit of entertainment. After a 15-20 minute wait, we happily collected the steaming boxes and drove them home in an increasingly fogged up car.

Upon our arrival, we gathered the troops and some utensils and dug in. We first tried the plain pie and then moved on to the others (pepperoni and vegetarian).

The cheese was thick and gooey, which meant a knife was useful for dividing up the slices. It was a little salty with a nice cheesy taste. It was pretty much standard fare, but satisfying.

We found the somewhat thick crust to be soft and chewy, almost bread-like. We would have preferred a bit more crunch and a bit more flavour, but it did the job.

As you may have learned from our past reviews, we usually find the sauce to be a let-down. Not so this time. While we wouldn’t say “We’ve found it!” we will certainly say that the sauce had a nice sweet and spicy flavour that complemented the pizza very nicely. It’s definitely one of the better sauces we’ve tried.

All in all it was a fun night of old and new. We hope to pay a few more visits to the Ottawa Room and we’ll certainly go back to House of Georgie Sorento’s. We’re thinking we’ll stop in for a slice of gravy pizza on a summer day and follow it up with a visit to Pure Gelato…

1227 Kilborn Ave – (613) 736-1414
Date of order: February 2nd, 2009
Cost: ~$30.00 for two large

Groundhog Day! The annual occasion when a band of heartless animal oppressors rip a happily sleeping rodent out of the ground to perform magic tricks for the benefit of the slack-jawed masses. Sounds like a perfect pizza day to us!

Depressed by Phil and Willy’s prediction that winter would last another six weeks -doesn’t it ALWAYS last another six weeks? Maybe their magical incantations are meant for warmer climes - we ordered some pizza from a local place we hadn’t tried before. After queuing up the Bill Murray classic ‘Groundhog Day’ on demand we dug into what we hoped was some tasty pizza. We had ordered the pizza (two large – one plain and one vegetarian) from Uncle Joe’s Pizza, a standard pick-up and delivery place in an unassuming strip mall on Kilborn Ave. near Bank St.

Maybe it was our less-than-stellar moods (due to winter lasting forever) but we weren’t so keen on either choice. The dough was soft and crunchy in all the right places but lacked a noticeable flavour. The sauce seemed almost non-existent, so much so that we sacrificed a slice to go searching for an alcove or a mound or ANY kind of structure that could house enough sauce to get a good taste but were unsuccessful. The cheese was standard Ottawa pizza fare, golden brown on top, stringy and gooey underneath but nothing all that special. On the plus side, ‘Groundhog Day’ is a pretty good movie.

In the end it was decided that Uncle Joe was one of those bland relatives that you see at family reunions but never seem to remember who he is or why you’re related to him…is he really your uncle or just a sad, old family friend that keeps showing up because no one has the heart to tell him not to?

1580 Walkley Rd – 521-2025
Date of order: January 21st, 2009
Cost: ~$30.00 for two large

In yet another case of ‘pizza for dinner’ (as opposed to ‘pizza for an event’, even if the event is the pizza itself), we ordered two larges from Gloria’s Pizza (One plain tester and one with toppings for friends). It was very reasonably priced at $30 plus tip to the cordial delivery guy. With curiosity and hunger, we tucked into yet another ‘unknown’ pizza.

When we opened the box, the first thing we noticed was the dark golden brown cheese covering the whole pie. This was obviously a more ‘well done’ type place and after we ventured in for the kill, we decided that this was different from many other pizzas we’ve had. The cheese was chewy and more dense than the greasy goo we’ve come to love. This rubbery texture worked in its favour, however, because it didn’t slide off the crust when a bite was taken. As for the flavour, it benefited from being well-done and had a nice cheesy taste.

Underneath the cheese, the sauce was less prominent. Even taking cheese-less bites, it was hard to pick up on any distinct saucy flavours aside from the standard tomato. It could have been due to the limited amount of sauce, but we found it to be lacking. Are we ever going to find the elusive ‘perfect sauce’?

The foundation of the pizza was a soft, chewy, bready crust that fell limp under the cheese. There was a distinct yeasty flavour around the edges that only added to the bread feel and the overall flavour was quite good. The crust served well to absorb whatever grease there was so that this was one of the least greasy pizzas we’ve tried.

In the end we were satisfied with Gloria’s Pizza. While it’s not up to the standards we like, the friends who joined us preferred it to the usual greasy goo that Ottawa pizza is known for. As a suggestion, with better sauce it might have more kick.

1080 Pleasant Park Rd. at St Laurent – 523-0000
Date of order: January 3rd, 2009
Cost: ~$16.00

Yes, our loyal readers, I know. It’s been a while. It’s just that we drifted apart - that spark, that excitement we had between us just faded. It wasn’t anyone’s fault…it was bound to happen eventually. But now, with an infusion of capital from our good friends at Google (keep clicking those ads!) we’re back and ready to eat some pizza. We both now live in different parts of the city so expect some new perspectives on the Ottawa pizza landscape. And if you’re extra smart you can map the pizza places we try and figure out where we live…please don’t stalk us, though.

We had been to the grand re-opening of the Mayfair the night before. As longtime patrons of the Old Ottawa South landmark we were happy to see the Mayfair get another chance to shine. It was doubly better now that they would be showing more movies that we’d actually like to see, instead of the usual Hollywood drivel! (To be fair there were usually one or two cool shows a month, but those were getting fewer and farther between.) The local short films were great – I highly recommend ‘Skins and Rubbers’ or any of the Harry Knuckles films if you ever have a chance to catch them – but the highlight was a screening of Metropolis with a live band. We were impressed that a silent film kept the capacity crowd’s attention for the full two hours; no small feat in this age of YouTube and Twitter.

Our first pizza of the new era was ordered from Super Duper Pizza on Pleasant Park near St Laurent. We were intrigued by the name – was the pizza really ‘super duper’ or just ‘super’? It also helped that their location was close to our testing facilities. We needed some good pizza to help get us through what would become a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with the Canada/Russia game as well as the Senators game and NFL playoffs all on at the same time. To combat the issue of having three things to watch at the same time we set up three televisions. To be fair, two of the three are setup in a side-by-side configuration permanently, one for watching TV and the other for video games. The third TV only comes out on special occasions. It reminded me of the Dire Straits video for ‘Money for Nothing’ only with less cheesy 80s computer graphics.

We ordered one large plain (our standard) and one large vegetarian. Prices were what we think of as standard for a non-chain pizza place. They were ready for pickup (save 10%!) in under 40 minutes. It definitely looked pretty good – standard ‘Ottawa style’ pizza with lots of golden cheese and a thick, crispy crust. The toppings on the vegetarian looked well proportioned and didn’t make the crust so soggy that it was impossible to pick up, as others that we reviewed have. The cheese was tasty but not too greasy. There was a good amount of sauce – over saucing is the worst pizza abuse! – and it was mildly spicy without being overbearing. The crust was chewy without being too chewy and was a nice golden brown. While we here at Pizza Ottawa feel that a good crust doesn’t need dipping sauces to enjoy, the folks that do suggested that the small amount of browned cheese on the crust removed any need for it.

All in all this was some good pizza. I might not live up to its name - it’s gotta be great to be ‘super duper’ – but if you’re in the area we definitely suggest trying it out.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

    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.

    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!