When the moon hits your eye

Fall in amore with summer via the perfect patio dinner, with help from some of our favourite local eats. →

When the moon hits your eye

Backyarding—the trend of using your outdoor space for both work and play— reached a whole new level in the past year when lockdowns forced Torontonians to get creative with their spaces. The hottest table in town is now the one on your patio, so why not celebrate summer with the ultimate outdoor dining experience, courtesy of a few of the East End’s favourite local businesses.

A Slice of Home

One of the east end’s most sought-after pizzerias was launched from a back porch, when Luke Pollard and his wife Brianna Murray found their design business shuttered in the spring of 2020. One Night Only was born as a limited run of 10 homemade pizzas, baked every Saturday night in Pollard’s home oven, and picked up by friends and family from the couple’s Riverdale backyard. Word spread, and in-the-know locals couldn’t get enough of the thin-crust pizzas, bubbled to perfection, with artisanal toppings and a signature creamy garlic-dill dipping sauce on the side.

“Pretty soon, we were making 25 pizzas every Saturday night out of the house,” Pollard says. This spring, One Night Only moved into a storefront at 581 Pape Ave. (the former home of Casa Tamayo). He now cranks out 80 pizzas every Friday and Saturday night, available by pre-order for pickup only, timed so your 16" pie comes straight from the oven as you arrive. Ordering opens Mondays and sells out promptly, with pepperoni (topped with fresh mozzarella and basil) as the best seller.

Pollard is modest about his pizza’s success. “I’m just trying to make pizza the way I like it,” he says. “We keep the menu nice and simple, and do our best just to make a beautiful product.”

His not-so-secret secret is the crust—a recipe (see page 12) he’s happy to share—that he preps three days ahead for a long, slow rise in the fridge. “The long fermentation time allows the flour to fully develop the flavours,” Pollard says. “Even if you just let your dough sit for one day, you’re ahead of the game.”

You don’t need a traditional pizza oven to get that golden, bubbly, perfectly crispy thin crust (but they certainly don’t hurt—see sidebar). Pollard says he started out baking with his standard electric home oven, maxed to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, cooking each pie about 10 minutes. “Even if your oven only goes to 500 degrees, crank it as hot as it goes and let it preheat at least half an hour to an hour,” Pollard says.

Al fresco apps, made locally with love

Nothing says summer like seafood fresh off the grill, so while your pizza bakes, throw Eastside Social’s octopus on the barbecue. It comes pre-poached sous-vide in a meal kit that you can pre-order for pickup from the restaurant’s Queen and Carlaw location, Wednesday to Saturday. “Our octopus is what we’re known for, and it comes with an amazing chili oil for serving,” says Cherie Stinson, who co-owns Eastside Social with partner Joey Skeir.

The couple, originally from Halifax, infuse the restaurant’s entire menu with coastal influences. Several dinner kits are curated to include their best dishes, like fresh shucked oysters, clam chowder, PEI mussels in a white wine jus with housemade molasses bread for dipping, and the popular Fisherman’s Box, an easy-prep feast for seafood lovers.

Sipping season

Summer evenings call for a signature cocktail, like Eastside Social’s Bourbon Sour, available pre-mixed a jar that serves four, made with Skeir’s own rhubarb-berry syrup. “If you don’t have a shaker, use a big mason jar, and a wooden spoon to muddle the mint,” says Stinson. “For a true sour, crack an egg and froth up the white nice and fluffy.”

Grilled octopus pairs well with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc, like the 2017 edition from Domaine des Pasquiers from Provence, France. “The fruit and acidity of the wine really cuts through the chilies, garlic and olive oil base,” says Skeir. “It’s also a great crisp summer wine that pairs well with pizza.”

Local brew Goose Island IPA, an award-winning, hoppy beer with bright citrus and bold finish, is another of Skeir’s favourites. “The slightly bitter profile breaks through the velvety cream of the clam chowder,” he says. It’s also a great companion to spicy dishes, like One Night Only’s Spicy Potato Special, with a garlic and basil cream, pickled red onions, jalapeños and fresh basil.

DIY your own pizza with One Night Only’s dough recipe

Crust Me

PREP TIME:

3 hours, plus 24-72 hours of fermentation 3 cups (700 ml) warm water 1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar 1 tsp (5 ml) active dry yeast 2 lb (1 kg) flour 1 tbsp (15 ml) salt 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil Add the warm water to the sugar and yeast and let sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast foams up. In a large bowl, weigh out 1 kg flour and add to water and yeast mixture. Using your hands, gently mix until all flour is incorporated with water. Cover the bowl and let sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Add the salt and olive oil to the dough, and mix by hand until both are incorporated and the dough becomes a sticky ball. Cover again and let sit on the counter until the dough roughly doubles in size (about 1-3 hours, depending on room temperature). Punch down the dough and place in the refrigerator, covered, for 24-72 hours. When ready to make the pizza, take the dough out of the refrigerator and portion into thirds. If you only want to use 1 portion, place others back in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze. Ball up the dough you’re using and place on an oiled bowl or plate, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough proof until it comes up to room temperature. The dough balls will now be ready to shape and be made into pizzas. Makes enough for 3 large pizzas.

The Investment

The Mangiafuoco Wood Oven

This wood-fired pizza oven was designed from the ground up to cook perfect, Italian wood-fired pizza. The efficient oven uses 5x less wood than a traditional ceramic pizza oven and is portable. fontanaforniusa.com

Some like it hot

At-home pizza ovens take your pies to the next level, mimicking the results of a commercial pizzeria without the woodfired brick oven.

The Countertop Cutie

Breville Stainless Steel 4-Piece Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Set

One of the few countertop ovens that heat up to 750°F, this mini powerhouse cooks authentic wood fired-style pizza in under two minutes.

thebay.com

The Budget BBQ Box

BakerStone Grill Top Pizza Oven Box

This Oprah-endorsed grill insert transforms your BBQ into a pizza oven, with a stone baking chamber that cooks pro-quality pizza in under four minutes. bakerstonebox.ca

WIN

The Showpiece

Ooni Koda 16" Gas Powered Outdoor Pizza Oven

This top-reviewed stone-baker fires up with an instant gas ignition and heats to a blazing 900°F, cooking Neapolitan-style pizza in under a minute. Folding legs make it easy to store in the off season. nellaonline.com

Enter our contest to WIN an Ooni Koda Outdoor Pizza Oven! @RichardsGroupRemax on Instagram

The East End is made up of countless micro-communities, each one with its own unique identity, local attractions, and hidden gems. We asked you to share your favourite East End spots on Instagram, and these were a few of your favourites.