MERCATTO

MERCATTO

LOCATION:
15 Toronto Street
Toronto ON
M5C2E3

101 College Street
Toronto ON
M5G1L7

330 Bay Street
Toronto ON
M5H2S8

RATINGS:
Service: 2 . 5 / 4
Ambiance: 3 / 4
Food: 3 / 4
Price: $$

AM and I went to  Mercatto on Bay for date night last Saturday night.  The restaurant provides a wonderful ambiance which includes a trendy yet comfortable atmosphere. The comfortable decor goes with the reasonable prices and interesting variety of menu options, we were surprised to find that the restaurant was quite empty, as the quality of the food was high and the prices were right. My only guess would be that the place was quiet due to the service. Our waitress was unfriendly and seamed a little annoyed to be waiting on us.  We tried to not let this ruin our time at Mercatto, as everything else about our meal there was lovely.

We started off with the SALUMI AND CHEESE PLATTER, which included three different cured meats and two cheese options. The meat and cheese was accompanied by some apple slices, bread sticks, and mixed olives. As always, AM was thrilled with this dish. For him nothing beats cheese and meat.

Next, we shared the FRITTO MISTO large pieces of calamari and shrimp lightly battered and quickly fried to perfection. Each piece was tender, crispy and well seasoned. We were happy that, the portion was quite large, for we both could not get enough of this.

I decided to go with the STICKY LAMB RIBS. I had never had lamb ribs before so I had to give it them try. The lamb was served with a warm creamy celery and potato salad, which turned out not to be  an overly exciting side. The ribs, however were very flavourful and saucy, although they were extremely fatty. If you have high cholesterol, then stay away from this menu item. There was only about two bites of meat on each rib, so it would have left me very hungry if we had not ordered those  apps.

AM ordered the SPAGHETTI, and loved every bite of it. The al dente spaghetti was tossed in a zesty tomato sauce and topped with large chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese and a mountain of parmesan cheese. As a huge fan of spicy food we thought it could use a few chili flakes but even without that every last bite was gone by the end of the night.

Would we go back? Yes, but hopefully we would get a more friendly server.

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:
Fritto Misto

 

SPUNTINI

SPUNTINI RISTORANTE & BAR

LOCATION:

116 Avenue Road Toronto, ON M5R 2H4 (416) 962-1110 RATINGS: Service: 3 / 4 Ambiance 3 . 5 / 4 Food: 3 . 75 / 4 Price: $$$

We made our way to Spuntini for a wonderful romantic dinner. The interior was small and intimate, full of candlelit tables nestled into the cozy exposed-brick room. The dinning area was bustling, as Spuntini attracts a multitude of people ranging from businessmen and families to celebrities during TIFF. Sputini is know for its large and interesting wine list, with selections from various price ranges moving from affordable to high end.

As you all know AM and I both love carpaccio, so we had to order the CARPACCIO DI MANZO. The thinly sliced tenderloin was served with the traditional arugula, parmigiano regiano shavings and olive oil dressing. It was so fresh and tasty, we could have each ordered our own plates.

Next came the POLPO ALLA GRIGLIA grilled Moroccan octopus served on a bed of Romano bean salsa. It was divine: firm yet tender at the same time, it had a nice charbroiled flavour that intertwined well with the bean medley. 

The mains continued to impress. I ordered the GAMBERI AND CAPESANTE. All of my favourite ingredients on one plate: large pan-seared scallops and shrimp with crimini, shiitake, and portobello mushrooms, and roasted green onions tossed in a Pernod cream sauce and placed on a bed of linguine. The cream sauce was rich, yet very delicate; the pasta was cooked perfectly; and the seafood was large and plentiful. MMMM, I'm drooling just thinking about it. 

AM ordered the BISTECCA SOFIA ALLA GRIGLIA. The grilled 12 oz sterling silver strip loin was cooked to a nice medium-rare served  and with a natural jus reduction  that really brought out the flavour of the meat.

Would we go back? YES please!

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT:

Gamberi and Capesante

GUSTO 101

 GUSTO 101

LOCATION:

1. 101 Portland Street  Toronto, ON M5V 2N3 (416) 504-9669

RATINGS:
Service: 2 . 5 / 4

Ambiance: 4 / 4

Food: 3 / 4
Price: $$$

If you have ever driven down Portland then I'm sure you could not help but notice the crowds of people trying to get into Gusto. Located in a converted old garage, Gusto is what all local foodies are talking about.This new hot spot  provides a large indoor seating area in it's raw, industrial garage,  where diners can see right into the busy kitchen, which is always a nice touch. Gusto's street side patio and roof top terrance has led it to become a great summer spot.

To start we had the POLIPO. Char grilled octopus, served with olive tapenade, orange, and green beans. Although the octopus was tender, some parts were overly-charred. The tapenade was a unique addition to octopus; its saltiness of the olives provided a nice balance to the natural flavours of the octopus.

The beef tenderloin CARPACCIO was accompanied by truffled canellini beans, and pecorino. The canellini were coated in a cilantro pesto which, while unique, overwhelmed the thin tenderloin. 

 THE SPAGHETTI CHITARRA ALLE VONGOLE E GAMBERI was a delicious rich pasta. The bowl was full of  manila clams, shrimp, and prosciutto, all tossed in a white wine sauce. We asked the server if we could have the dish split as we were sharing it, but she informed us that the chef does not like to split plates, so we were forced to do it ourselves. 

Would we go back? I think so 

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT: 

 Spaghetti chitarra alle vongole e gamberi 

BLACK SKIRT

BLACK SKIRT

LOCATION:

974 College Street, 
Toronto. 
416 532 7424. 
Open Tuesday to Saturday. 
10am to 10pm.

RATINGS:

Service: 3 / 4

Ambiance: 3 / 4

Food: 3 / 4
Price: $$

Black Skirt Restaurant is a hidden gem in the Little Italy/Little Portugal area. Owners Rosa Gallé and Aggie Decima serve up rustic italian family style comfort food. The restaurant has an intimate, relaxed feeling; the modern rustic decor suits the food; simple and fresh.  

The first dish that arrived was the plump succulent SHRIMP, pan-seared in a spicy pizzaiola sauce that was to die for. The shrimp were served with grilled italian bread, which we used to dip into the tangy sauce. If you catch the chef on a lucky day you may be able to get this appetizer served over pasta as a main course.

The thinly sliced marinated OCTOPUS was fantastic, melting in our mouths. The capers, calabrese green olives and celery added a Mediterranean zest. The coolness of the fresh lemon and olive oil completed the dish.

The PORCINI pasta was a guilty pleasure, drenched in a parmigiano and porcini cream sauce. Though the chef was a little light on the mushrooms, the wide variety of mushrooms tosses onto the pasta included oyster, crimini, and portobello. All in all it was as fantastic dish. 

Meat Lovers keep an eye out for the DOMENICA. The item so good that it had to be served on two plates. First comes the warm bowl of spaghetti tossed in a fresh tomato sauce. For a short while, you begin to wonder where all the meat is. Soon behind, however, comes a steaming bowl full of slow cooked pork shoulder, meatballs and italian sausage in a light tomato stew. This meal is quite large, big enough for two.

STANDOUT DISH OF THE NIGHT: 

The Shrimp