My benchmark for amazing pizza was Somerset Pizza circa 1989. In my opinion, we've slid a long way…read moredownhill from quality food made with care to commoditized crap that barely qualifies as the lowest common denominator. I live next door to a neighbourhood pizza shop and I desperately want to love them, but I can't. Their pizza is truly awful. Pretty good shawarma, but awful pizza.
For the past two years I've been on a quest for good neighbourhood 'za. So far, everyone that delivers in my area can be described as mediocre at best. Usually I end up with a too-thick crust underneath boring sauce and questionable toppings, hidden by a placenta of too salty cheese with a pool of grease in the middle. How did we ever get to this point?
It was with these low expectations that I decided to try Panago. I found them somewhat by accident driving home from the theatre and noted their existence.
I ordered a medium Panago Classic (Italian Tomato Sauce, Pepperoni, Canadian Ham, Red Onions, Sautéed Mushrooms, Black Olives, Green Peppers, Mozzarella Cheese) with a regular hand-thrown crust. By the time I was done with tax, delivery charge and tip the bill came to about $25.00. A little pricier than average, but if the quality was there, it would be worth it, right?
It was. The crust was cooked right on the money and just the right thickness for my liking. Not so thin that it folds up and you end up with hot cheese in your lap, but not so thick that you notice it. This crust was basically invisible until right up to the edge, where you have about a 1/2" bone to chew on while you contemplate whether you want to blow the diet and have another slice or not.
The sauce was a lovely passata, which served as a lovely bass line for the toppings to play off of. Next came a thin layer of cheese, just enough to form a substrate, then the oh so fresh toppings. Then more cheese. Not enough to form a sheet of salty goo, but enough to lock stuff together. The olives and mushrooms were the soloists in this little jazz, and the way they were arranged, they got to shine on their own. Did I mention fresh?
Look, making pizza isn't rocket science, but it is s certain art to getting it right. I think a fair comparison is truck stop coffee versus Starbucks (before you go all coffee hipster, you don't know what it was like here in the before times) versus Cafe au Lait at The Blue Moon. Panago (which happens to be a national multi-unit out of Toronto) is solidly in at least the category of Starbucks. Competent, slightly artisanal, and hopefully a force that drives the locals to raise their game. Is it epic pizza of all pizzaness? No. but graded on the curve that is the Ottawa pizza scene it's a solid 4 stars. This may change when I make it back to Moe's Newport.