sort of an impromptu slice this time, although thinking back on it - most pizza trips are. i dont tend to plan out my pizza trips way in advance but a weekly scheduled pizza outing would be nice, ideally with no one but myself. pizza is a prayer, often to be experienced internally in seclusion without outer distractions. on some occasions, such as this one, the experience is shared. me and two friends went to see a showing of Black Christmas (1974), a horror slasher film that takes place in Toronto. it's one of the few toronto films out there that doesn't bear the biased label of being a "toronto film" as its dominating factor, put on a pedestal by locals. in fact, the toronto setting is often lost in the discourse and it is elevated to being simply "a good film". having an important cinematic achievement like that come out of toronto, to the extent that its canadian attributes disappear, is so refreshing. and it IS an important film. although many glimmers of the slasher/horror tropes we know today were vaguely seen in earlier cinema, Black Christmas was part of a family of films coming out during the 70s that put these tropes front and center. at the same time, the film was unique in that it subverted some of the cinematic cliches that were dominant at the time. for one, the dumb college student that mindlessly stumbles around looking for sex and drugs is given more humanizing layers. the director, Bob Clark, wanted to show that college students are people too - capable of intellect and emotion. above all that, its a genuinely creepy film. in a fresh way it sets up from the start that the killer is in the house, and the characters slowly get picked off one by one without knowing it. i promise ill stop talking about the film, but i also quickly wanted to shoutout the amazing musical score - composed by tying forks, combs, and knives to the strings of a piano in order to warp the sound. it does a great job in keeping you uneasy.
ANYWAYS, afterwards we got super hungry and stopped by King Slice, on Bloor street. never heard of this spot until now but im definitely coming back. oddly enough it seems like this is one of the few genuinely good spots where a single slice is big enough to make a good dent in my hunger. Descendant is another one, but thats understandable given the deep dish style. the slice here, as you'd expect given the name, is huge. its got a thin crust with little bits of basil sprinkled on top. the best part is, they rub the crust with a garlic oil that you can actually taste. i find a lot of oils that places try to add to a pizza tend to fall into obscurity with your first bite. the slice had some great cheese distribution, and was done in a way that sticks to the crust as you eat. one of my biggest pet peeves is when the whole layer of cheese slides off in one go like a slug on a waterslide, or anyone on a waterslide i guess. good sauce to cheese ratio, although i couldve used a bit more of the sauce. maybe a separate bucket of sauce for dipping wouldve been nice given how great it tasted - a perfect example of how not to overcook it, and clearly made with real tomatos. definitely one of my favourite slices in the city. the location of the pizzeria is half the fun and this one delivers with its playful mural at the front, which makes sure you know you're in good hands. unfortunately i hear the queen street location is missing the mural. the owner has a great toronto history too, working at Sneaky Dee's then the now-closed Vinny Massimo's, both spots who's reputation speaks for itself.
Lastly, the $7 for a slice is pretty great given the size you get.
Check it out!!
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