Out of the Oven: February 25, 2021
The anticipation and excitement to try my very first Good Pizza was worth it.
This is pizza you can literally (shh) feel good about eating: good pizza, made by good people with good vibes, AND supporting a good cause: Good Pizza donates 20% of profits to a local cause, and this month proceeds are going to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.
I can’t think of a time when I felt better about eating pizza. (This is saying something!)
The bar was high and Good Pizza did NOT disappoint. Overall, the self-described “crispy crunchy cast iron pies” truly were both crispy and crunchy. Please pause for a moment and properly think about how beautifully distinct these two textures can be.
This week’s “meat” feature was the “Not Hot Chicken Hot Chicken”: squash puree base, roasted chicken thighs, kale, mozzarella, hot honey, pickled shallots.
Round One. (02/25/2021)
Every ingredient on this pie could stand its own. Together, they are even more brilliant.
First and foremost: the chicken. This is the type of chicken you (I) only dream of being able to roast to such perfection. I’m so impressed and firmly believe this chicken could be the star on its own. There is something almost nostalgic about having chicken thigh on pizza…much more homey than the usual strips or cubes of breast. Not comfort food in the “cheat day” kind of way, but true grandma-did-you-make-this type of comfort that is infrequently present in or on pizza…But then you snap out of it and remember the chicken is on top of a pizza dough that provides a pillowy embrace, interrupted briefly with pieces of chip-like kale that I would also happily eat on their own and… dang!
The squash base also needs a moment of appreciation, providing such an elegant texture and flavour that accentuates how fresh the dough is. Last (literally), but not least, I had the pleasure of watching the shallots get placed on the pie, followed by a honey drizzle. Unlike some other honey drizzles, I am ecstatic to report the flavour on this one was actually present, providing delicate moments of delight amidst the other robust toppings.
Textural Experience – 98
Good Pizza has absolutely nailed the full range of textures here: the incredibly fluffy, and cloud-like dough supports intentionally hearty toppings and an ever-present layer of melted, and sometimes crunchy, cheese. This deep and light and crunchy combination (the dream!) starts from the very tip of the slice and fades only at the end when you’re met with the crunchy edge that marks the end of the slice (and the beginning of the next 🙂 ). In between you have–I really can’t stress this enough–the full experience of eating roast chicken. Think: savoury, perfectly cooked and impressively hearty. Next you meet a flakey, crisped kale, followed by just the right amount of acidity and brightness from the pickled shallot topping. The dough and sauce interface (squash, not tomato!) adds a vibrant, refreshing consistency, in contrast to the heavy chicken and cheese above, that supports you through every bite. A+
Sauce-to-Cheese-to-Topping (SCT) Ratio – 1:2:2
The sauce is a rising star here, starting subtle, but really shining under the chunks of chicken where the flavours collaborate beautifully. While there’s definitely no shortage of cheese on this pie, the toppings (did I mention the chicken?) stand their ground amidst some occasionally aggressive, near-burnt patches. Even the kale plays a dual role: both remaining soft below the cheese layer and adding a delicate crumble in chip-form on top where it acts as a smoky finisher.
Dough Integrity – 5
Across the board (box), every slice of this pie is durable and committed. While the shorter slice size may play a role in the dough integrity here, I would hypothesize that even larger slices would uphold the toppings reliably.
Fancy Scale – 8
Folks, don’t let the casual and down-to-earth setup fool you. This pizza is worth some fanfare and deserves to be eaten with your undivided attention. Get a salad, make a night of it, you’re eating good (great!) pizza and contributing to a good cause
Crust Elevation – 8
This is deep, yet fluffy; while it’s got significant height, it doesn’t land too heavily. For maximum enjoyment you better self-describe as a bread-lover, but we also haven’t maxed out on the thiiiiick scale. You know?
Round 2. (02/26/2021)
Cold Comfort – 3
After 24 hours of resting time in the fridge, the dough has lost some of its beautiful bounce but remains chewy, offering an oddly comforting embrace in the middle of each slice, like that of the cold side of the pillow. The cheese has formed a crusty (almost sharp) shield atop the cold dough base. If you’re not careful (or have sharp enough teeth) the whole shield pulls off in one fell swoop, leaving you with a big bite of thick hardened cheese to tackle. Consequently, you may feel the burden of the now-exposed, thick dough that no longer has any toppings to support. Amidst the hardened top layer, pockets of squash base provide a nice refresher, and the shallots surprise us with now cold bursts of juice. Initial assessments suggest the whole pie lands at a higher spice level, which is somewhat confusing. The crisped edges of cheese around the (fairly easy-to-tackle) end crusts are a welcome note, even when cold. Very excited to report the chicken is still fantastic!
Microwave – 2
A quick zap in the microwave brings a little extra spring and lightness back in the slice. While the pizza is noticeably softer (compared to cold assessments), the cheese does not re-melt, and some of the flavours feel oddly missing in action. Except of course the pickled shallots that continue to shine bright like the acidic diamonds they are. Overall the textural experience is also reduced as if everything has regressed toward the mean.
Microwaved slice described by sound: squelch – the dough is exhaling.
Oven – 3.5
Reheated in the oven, the slice now has some newfound rigidity. While the shield-like cheese crust further hardens on top, creating a more distinct separation between toppings and base (ie. a more jarring textural variety), the flavours also become more distinct compared to the microwaved edition. Importantly, the end crusts are loud and proud again, offering cacophonous (used positively) sound effects. And I’m not upset about the now-crispy shallots.
Oven-heated slice described by sound: crack (you are breaking ground with every bite).
Reheat Value = 0.4***
This is a close call: unless you’re a temperature fanatic you may be better off cold. If your oven preheats quickly, I would go for it.
***Miraculously, the chicken is epic in all 3 forms, supporting earlier hypotheses that it truly is the star of this show.