Ardo
243 King St. E., 647 347 8930
Chef Roberto Marotta’s Sicilian-inspired dishes provide a level of sophistication that sets this new St. Lawrence spot above many of the city’s trattorias. Acciughe—punchy white anchovies and roasted red peppers on crunchy herb butter–soaked crostini—are a great two-bite snack (or spuntini, as the Sicilians would have it), and sourdough starter makes an exceptionally bouffant pizza crust. It’s a welcome change from your Neapolitan tyranny.
Buca
604 King St. W., 416 865 1600
Few places where executive chef Rob Gentile prepares some of the city’s dining culture is ’sed by encapsulate Toronto better than Buca most original and elaborate plates in a bare-bones industrial room. Smoked burrata tops spicy pig’s blood spaghetti with sausage and rapini. Truffle shavings adorn ricotta-filled fried zucchini blossoms—a dish that’s described (correctly) by a closeby diner as “better than sex.”
Bricco Kitchen and Wine Bar
3047 Dundas St. W., 647 464 9100
Using its midcentury Scandinavian furniture, whitewashed brick and intricately patterned ceramic plates, this lovely 45- in the Junction is easily among the prettiest spots in town. The polished-but- unfussy aesthetic applies to the cooking at the same time, with nuovo rustico dishes in the Piedmont area highlighting both stylish demo and flavours that are substantial. The antipasto board departs from the typical meat-and-cheese spread to incorporate chickpea fritters, blue cheese–filled dates, superb lonza and prosciutto-wrapped bread sticks. Lemon rind balances creamy Arctic char that is uncooked, and large, fluffy gnocchi add a rich braised rabbit support that is starchy. Wine rotates every two weeks, and the trios of two-ounce pours are a great method to try the many all-natural, small-producer choices on offer.
Tutti Matti
364 Adelaide St. W., 416 597 8839
Don’t let dinner jazz playlist and the dated decor only at that Entertainment District trattoria dissuade you— so long as you’re famished, there’s no better place to be. Servers are concurrently efficient and laid back, a mix that implies an all too-uncommon awareness of hospitality that is genuine. The menu attributes humble Tuscan staples—tons of beans— of a lot and boar but the dishes arrive to the table conceived and expertly cooked. A well-timed glug of amber vin santo catapults sage butter and chicken livers, tossed with golden house-made tagliatelle and briny capers, into a celestial plane. While the short ribs are popular, the bunny entrée is superlative, its meat gently cooked sous vide before being dusted with flour, deep fried and plated with broiled greens and lemony fingerlings. It’s a sly showstopper, memorable just for its brazen simplicity executed. Which, come to think of it, also describes Tutti Matti to a T.
Piano Piano
88 Harbord St., 416-929-7788
His fan base was aghast, where Splendido was when an informal pizza place opened. Where before there were substantial linens, candles and stately mirrors representing your quiet abundance back at you, now there’s a jarring, Tim Burton meets Nancy Reagan ’80s vibe of graphical white bistro chairs against black floors, heavy flowery wallpaper as well as the wail of David Lee Roth switching with Prince Paul. But the best part is the food. Disorganized and soft pizzas loaded with toppings like bubbling and dandelion scamorza, line-caught trout with its own roe and thick, bone-in veal chops are only some of the standout items. The star, nevertheless, is the stripped down caesar salad: grilled sections of radicchio and romaine, crispy-greasy strips of roasted pork belly, chunks of buttery crouton, fresh white anchovy, a slickness of garlicky dressing along with a liberal dusting of parm. From morsel to bite, it’s smoky, crunchy, salty and sweet—more of a marvel than any molecular gastronomy trick.
Buca Yorkville
53 Scollard St., 416-962-2822
At Rob Gentile’s new Yorkville eatery, the focus is on top-notch seafood and fish. The “ salami made with scallop, octopus, swordfish or tuna blood together with pork fat, are like fine headcheese, though nowhere near as popular as deep-fried exotica like Atlantic cod tongue or dumplings that are puffed dyed a deep black with squid ink. The day’s catch is cracked tableside and presented like a devotional offering. Everything is ideal, such as the zeppola—an Italian doughnut— stuffed with a rich pistachio and dusted with confectioner’s sugar -mascarpone cream.
Mistura
265 Davenport Rd., 416 515 0009
The fine, gray-on-gray room is best scanned from the comfort of a plush booth. Chef Klaus Rourich sends out refined interpretations of classic northern Italian dishes. For seasoning, a bright salad of orange slices, shaved fennel and uses ricotta and niçoise olives, and almonds for feel. Earthy puttanesca, without a hint of mush, offsets octopus. Textbook bolognese, just bound with milk, is strong with flavour.
Zucca
2150 Yonge St., 416 488 5774
For 2 decades, this upscale Midtown haunt has been the benchmark for exceptional food that is Italian. Chef Andrew Milne- the eatery’s professional waiters could educate Parkdale’s cool children a thing or two, and Allan was doing local, seasonal cuisine long before it absolutely was trendy. Made in-house every morning, the ever changing pastas are an apparent strength, like the hand-cut red wine tagliatelle in a duckandrabbit ragout—an attractively pastoral dish. Elaborate plates, like the seared muscovy duck breast with roasted figs, treviso that is bitter and also a lemon risotto, showcase the kitchen’s deftness at balancing flavours. A decent wine list is broken down by area of Italy, and classic desserts like affogato, panna cotta and biscotti are perfect endnotes to some romantic meal.
Enoteca Sociale
1288 Dundas St. W., 416-534-1200
Its chefs may change, but at its core, the restaurant will not. Between the faux-wood panelling, the genuine warmth toward returning celebrations by professional staff along with the bar shown ’s extraordinary collection of unique, Italian wines that are quaffable, this cozy spot remains Toronto’s of dining by the Tiber most authentic replica. Chef James Santon captures the soul of a languorous puddle of smoked ricotta, a pillowy basis for tart tomato, chilies and the boot in his gnocchi that reads achingly easy, but is soul food hearty. Conversation pauses for chocolate terrine, a trinity of compact chocolate mousse, candied hazelnuts and spritely olive oil, and resumes after every last morsel was scraped from the plate and licked off the spoon.
Amalficoastrestaurant
Toca
181 Wellington St. W., 416 572 8008
The Ritz-Carlton’s attractive eatery has finally found its footing. A pair of just cooked scampi perch of burrata on soft curds held in place from the natural bowl of an artichoke heart. Bitter, bright red radicchio leaves are tamed by mellow sautéed mushrooms in a heating autumn salad. Arrayed and sliced throughout the bone, the sup remely soft, somewhat funky steak Fiorentina is one of the city’s great cuts. Airy and smooth Roman gnocchi, made with semolina rather than potato, make a great accompaniment, as does a bowl of glistening braised escarole studded with hazelnuts and raisins.
