Papa Pavarotti

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Rigoletto, Verdi

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Verdi Reprise

Papa Ceo’s is a wonderful haunt for pizza sleuths just up from Spadina and Harbord, and I confess that I’m a turncoat, since Cora Pizza, just steps away, was for a long time my favourite pizza joint. Sorry, there’s just no comparison, especially after members of the Toronto Masters of the Universe swim team introduced me to the beer and pizza combo for $5.95(!) after a Friday night workout – after a big swim practice one finds oneself basically inhaling the calories, even for the massive slices these guys serve up.

The slices have great names, mostly of movie stars, and wonderfully apt during this time of year with the TIFF in town. Last night I settled quickly, however, on the Pavarotti – not my usual pick – with wonderfully fresh globs of ricotta cheese. Before my visit was done and with a Blue Jays victory playing out in the background, I decided to pay tribute to our late, beloved mega-star!

It turns out one of the pizza-makers is a drummer (hidden talent everywhere you turn!) and after the staff had humoured me by letting me play a couple of tunes, this guy was whistling, singing and humming all sorts of songs. He and I agreed that the theme from The Godfather would work really well on the flute, so I promised that I would get hold of a copy – incredibly, never having seen the movie – and return later in the fall.