Mother's

Mother’s (Pizza, 5710 Young), visited November 20. We started with an arugula salad, which was ok, but soaked with vinaigrette, making it a bit too acidic. It would have greatly benefited from candied walnuts or pecans over the barely noticeable sesame seeds. The unquestionable star of the show was the Deluxe Garlies – the feta, provolone, mozzarella and Swiss worked together fabulously. The Meatza pizza featured Italian sausage, pepperoni and salami and was loaded with toppings, but a bit sparse on the cheese. All in all, a good visit. Verdict: 3.5/5 (70%) chance of returning.

 

 Arugula Salad and Meatza pizza from Mother's

Salvatore’s

Salvatore’s (Italian, 5541 Young), visited November 17. We’d tried to visit on previous occasions, but it was always too full (it’s pretty small inside, and deservedly popular). The Greek Salad was very generous – lots of it, and lots of toppings. We’d ordered a large meatball hero to accompany a small pepperoni pizza. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up and we received a small pepperoni sub instead. Although we would have preferred the meatball, the sandwich we received was pretty great – the bread had a great crunch and a zesty seasoning on top, and all of the ingredients worked together nicely. Based on previous experience, we were expecting a spicier pepperoni on the pizza, but it was quite mild – no complaints at all! We were very pleased that the cheese and toppings went virtually all the way to the edge of the crust, which was nice and fluffy with a good crunch. We left having consumed the perfect amount of food, and the bill was very reasonable. Grazie! Verdict: 5 /5 (100%) chance of returning.

Greek Salad, Pepperoni Sub & Pepperoni Pizza from Salvatore's

Morris East

Morris East (Casual Dining, 5212 Morris), visited November 10. The original Morris East is a lot smaller than we remembered. It was a bit slow, but it was a Tuesday night during a pandemic, so it was totally understandable. The Vinaigrette Caesar was good and generous with the toppings, with a delightful lemony vinaigrette. The featured pizza included pineapple, peppers, onion, chicken and avocado sour cream - original and tasty. Unfortunately, the much anticipated big finish was a bit of a miss – the Wood Fire S'more came on a thick, cold chunk of what tasted like gingerbread, a very thin layer of chocolate, and topped with marshmallow that was singed a bit too much for our liking. It was a decent size, but we would have preferred something closer to a graham base, more chocolate and a gooier marshmallow. Nonetheless, we enjoyed the visit. Verdict: 4 /5 (80%) chance of returning.

 

Pineapple Chicken Pizza from Morris East

 

Steak and Stein

Steak and Stein (Diner, 6061 Young), visited November 8. As unpretentious as it gets. We stopped in for brunch with friends and enjoyed the Big Breakfast (ham, sausage, bacon, eggs, toast & hash browns) and the Western omelette. The service was a little slow, but cheerful, and the food was fine. Verdict: 3/5 (60%) chance of returning.

Morris East (Vernon)

Morris East (Casual Dining, 1984 Vernon), visited November 7. The newest Morris East location is an industrial chic spot tucked inside The Keep (Quinpool & Vernon). We’d enjoyed a slice at their Slice Shop a while back, and decided to try out the dining room. We were impressed by the booths on wheels – moveable for events – smart! The salad was a bit small but lovely and delicious – beets, arugula, orange, goat cheese and fried parsnips. If you like Morris East’s pizza (which we do), try the quaintly presented garlic cheese bread – a surefire hit. As for the pizza, the Meat Lovers featured bacon, sausage, pepperoni and chili honey. Good stuff! Verdict: 4.5/5 (90%) chance of returning.

Arugula Salad, Garlic Cheese Bread & Meat Lover's Pizza from Morris East (Vernon)