A Chic Experience at Scarpetta Toronto

We don't often head out for fancy Italian, French is more our cuisine of choice, but I had a craving for some good carbs last night. There were a couple restaurants that had opened in the last year that I had been interested in checking out but never made it to...it was a toss up between Enoteca Sociale and Scarpetta. I was craving some good tagliatelle, and Enoteca Sociale's offering with goat ragu was definitely calling my name; unfortunately, they were full for the night (with a chance of walk-in availability of course). But we were quite hungry and didn't want to risk having to search out another restaurant should it be full.....so we went to Scarpetta instead for some New York charm.

I've stayed at the Thompson Hotel before for a stagette, where Scarpetta is housed, it's a swanky hotel that exudes the uptown, sophisticated New York vibe it's going for. I was always a little skeptical but the Thompson has done a fine job. It is definitely a very chic crowd. Apparently, this crowd is there 7 days a week, which amazes me more...where do they come from??

Scarpetta is an extension of the chic charm of the Thompson, not unexpectedly of course. I was amazed by the number of service people on staff...so much there probably wasn't enough for everyone to to do, since I noticeably saw them sitting around, but I'm not one to complain about dedication to service. I'm not going to lie, I found there to be an air of snobbery, but it was the food we were there for and for that, I couldn't wait. We had previewed the menu online and there were a couple items I already had in mind.

Before our starters even came we were served a great assorted bread basket. I was most excited by the bread that kind of looked like a cinnamon bun with layers of prociutto (or some other ham) in between the layers. It was sooo good! I bypassed the rest of the bread although it looked very good...had to save room for my main starches!

STARTERS:
Yellowtail Sashimi: it was ok, nothing spectacular. I'm not sure why I decided to have this, because choosing sushi in an Italian restaurant doesn't really make sense, but I must have come across a couple reviews that had mentioned it, rendering it a recognizable item on the menu I felt like we had to try. I've had "fusion" sushi/sashimi dishes before at other restaurants where added ingredients really are great, but in this case it wasn't anything spectacular. The fish was certainly very fresh, but the oil it was served with was not to my liking. I just prefer good, fresh fish if it's going to be simple. It wasn't BAD, but I can't say it was my favourite or something I'd have to have again.

Raw Waygu Beef: Raw beef is a favourite of mine so of course we decided to give it a try. A tight cluster of tartare was served with wild greens, mushrooms and a side of hazelnuts. I don't know what else it was made with but it was really delicious! The beef was very fresh, firm (I hate mushy raw beef) and prepared with simple accentuating ingredients. Even Tony enjoyed the accompanying greens and he would normally never choose salad :) I thoroughly enjoyed this modern dish.

Polenta with Truffled Mushrooms: I can't say I would have picked this dish right off the menu, other than the obvious attraction of "truffled mushrooms." But I did stumble upon a review that claimed having the polenta was like he had died and gone to heaven. That is a pretty big statement! Thankfully, it did not disappoint! The polenta came in a little bowl, and the truffled mushrooms in its own accompanying pot. Our server spooned a small amount on the pollen, and we of course drenched some more on our own plates. I was wonderful, and I liken it to having high-end, adult mashed potatoes and gravy....same kind of comfort and satisfaction. This was Tony's favourite appy while mine was the beef, but I would definitely want to order this again, one of those great dishes you can not get enough of.

MAINS:
Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli: Little triangle pockets of duck and foie gras made up this dish. I loved the one bit triangles, although it was hard to discern if I was tasting more duck or foie gras. It a very distinct taste, almost like duck egg. Although it was very good, and certainly very unique, I'm not sure I could have finished a whole plate by myself - probably would have been too filling.

Rabbit Tagliatelle: Since this is what I was craving, I was immediately drawn to this item on the menu. It did not disappoint me - the tagliatelle thick. I really enjoyed it but not sure if it was actually fresh pasta, it didn't have that lightness that fresh pasta, quickly cooked and ready has. It was a little more starchy and heavier than fresh pasta usually has. In any case, it was still very good, I actually quite liked the big thick noodles, and the braised rabbit was exactly what I wanted, and even a little lighter than I expected so it all came together nicely. I easily could have eaten the whole dish, but I did spare Tony some to try!

DESSERT:
Coconut Panna Cotta: This was truly delightful, made with caramelized pineapple bits (amazing!) and served in a guava soup (again, amazing!), and topped with a sorbet to refresh your taste buds should it be a litle sweet, and also a really good deep fried coconut crisp. Sometimes, crisps served on dessert are a bit stale and soggy, but this was crunchy and very good! All the elements worked nicely together, making for a wonderfully refreshing dessert to finish a great meal.

There was also the option of assorted cheeses, which I was too full to completely indulge, but like any good restaurant the server was happy to bring me the one cheese that did catch my eye, a cow/goat/sheep soft cheese. It was served with a simple fruit chutney that perfectly complemented the taste. Was great! It also came with a bubbly biscuit (lifesaver like in shape) which I didn't have much of since I was alreayd full and didn't feel like it added anything.

Scarpetta was a good splurge. The food was unique, delicious and beautifully served, just what I expect from a high-end dining establishment. I was previously concerned it was overrated but I am thoroughly satisfied with its quality and appeal. This is definitely a place to celebrate a special occasion...or if you're like us, just randomly want a nice night out with some good, specially prepared food. A couple of watch outs - the tables on left side of the restaurant when you enter leave the person sitting on the banquette facing the window AND the parking lot across the street, I had some bright lights in my eyes a couple times...not bliding but a bit annoying. I did appreciate, however, that they did not fill all the tables in the section, so you actually had some privacy when dining. And speaking of the parking across the street, it was not readily available as we had expected and that lot charges $15, same as valet. We did find street parking a block or so away which was only $4 something...the street parking right by the lot was mysteriously blocked by pillions.

Scarpetta (@ Thompson Hotel Toronto)
550 Wellington
416-601-3590
http://www.scottconant.com/restaurants/scarpetta/toronto

WINTERLICIOUS: Contemporary French at Celestin

Another Winterlicious has passed us and time to reminisce about our last meal of the "season." Our first taste of Celestin was several years ago when Tony bought me a delicious birthday cake from the bakery. Truthfully, I had heard mixed things about the restaurant so I couldn't wait to check it out for myself. And really, you can't go wrong during Winterlicious - even if a 3 course meal were bad, it's not like you blew a lot of money trying a new place out.

Celestin is a fairly small intimate restaurant, contemporary in nature but not too sleek and still holds some traditional charm. The good and bad thing about Winterlicious is you don't need to spend a lot of time studying the menu, you only choose between a couple set options, but part of the fun is evaluating the options and deciding what to eat! In any case, we were quick to browse the menu and made our decisions.

There was no doubt what started I would have, the lobster bisque, one of my most favourite things in the world, how could I ever resist?? It was as delicious as I expected, with a light froth and solid lobster meat (it is my pet peeve when there is no actual lobster meat!). I definitely could have used more in my little bowl. Tony had a delicious ricotta gnocchi, was light and just right as an appetizer.

I had a braised lamb shoulder with prawns and white beans as my main, which was quite good except that I don't like white beans very much (I must have overlooked it on the menu!). Tony's roast sea bream was really good, the fish was prepared just perfect and served beautifully. Although both our mains were tasty, I thought the fish was more exceptional in its preparation. I love good fish when it is cooked to the right level with just enough flavour added.

I can't say the portions were exceptionally large so I definitely had sufficient room for dessert - a Creme Arlequin which was some version of a creme brûlée topped with this amazing layer of dark chocolate. It was amazing! We also had a Winter Pudding with caramelized apples, which was also very yummy. i think the best part was that the desserts were delicately prepared and not too sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed them both, but the Creme Arlequin was definitely the better surprise of the two.

Overall, we really enjoyed our experience at Celestin. The food was good, the restaurant nice and quiet enough to catch up with friends, and the service was friendly and intimate. It's a little more modern than Auberge, but food still quite good, although more simple. I appreciate when a restaurant doesn't overbook themselves for Winterlicious. We felt comfortable and had a nice time. As we looked around the room, it looked like a lot of regulars visiting. A nice side benefit is that there is a public parking lot across the street from Celestin - having parking is an underrated asset. We've wasted a lot of time driving round and around the block to find street parking in the mid-town areas and is very annoying, enough to deter me from visiting again.

Celestin
623 Mount Pleasant Rd.
416-544-9035
www.celestinrestaurant.com

WINTERLICIOUS: Quality Food, Service and Ambiance at Auberge du Pommier

We were most excited about our Winterlicious reservation at Auberge du Pommier, a lovely French restaurant in North York. Although minutes from my office, it has always been a bit far to trek on the weekend. This year, we got an early reservation to drop in right after work with our friends Al and Gloria...perfect!

I think Auberge is one of those restaurants that really takes pride on delivering a great Winterlicious/Summerlicious experience, which can't be said about all participating restaurants. When you make a reservation at Auberge, you know it will be a quality experience. It was our first time at the restaurant so we were eager to start eating.

To start, Tony and I were both most interested in the puff pastry with goat cheese...but since we always want to try as much as possible, we also ordered the sweet shrimp cocktail salad. The puff pastry did not disappoint - it was a simple dish (not to understate the actual complexity to make!), delicious, and served beautifully accompanied by delicate. The shrimp cocktail salad was a VERY good choice, it came as a tower of shrimp served with dill and tarragon and was super tasty! I felt like I could have had a whole second plate and was eager to sweep up the remaining sauce with bread. It always pays off to try more items on the menu! In the end, I think this was my favourite dish of the night.

Choosing mains was tough, all 3 options sounded good. We ultimately settled on peppered Wellington County beef and baked pickerel, giving up the coq au vin. The beef was very good, had great "beef" flavour, which is always hard to find. The flavour was almost baked into the meat, it was slightly dry but great flavour made it for me. My fish was prepared just perfect, although not outstanding in any particular way, I still really enjoyed it. It's not always easy to serve baked fish with just the right texture, tenderness and flavour.

For dessert, I opted for the cheese plate with "Le Blackburn" and

Tony salted caramel mousse with caramelized white chocolate torte and banana chocolate sorbet. My cheese plate was good, but a little disappointing. I was expecting an assortment of cheeses - simply my misunderstanding. The cheese was actually quite good, but as I prefer soft cheeses, I think I "under" enjoyed it. Tony's dessert, on the other hand, was wonderful. Everything on the plate was good! I was initially hesitant because I am not in love with caramel, but the salted caramel mousse was really tasty along with the torte and the sorbet...it all came together beautifully. Having chocolate banana sorbet is just awesome - who doesn't like chocolate and banana??

We had a great experience at Auberge - it is a solid French restaurant, a rustic house adding to the simple and understated charm. I also appreciated the exceptional attention to service, our plates always came with two servers at a time...these small details matter. I always feel a tad rushed for Winterlicious meals, but and although our food came quickly Auberge did not compromise quality or service.

Auberge du Pommier - guaranteed for a good Winterlicious experience!

Auberge du Pommier

4150 Yonge Street

416-222-2220

Click here for Winterlicious Menu.

WINTERLICIOUS: Great Braised Rabbit at Globe Bistro

Our first stop for Winterlicious this year was Globe Bistro on the Danforth. It's one of those restaurants we've always meant to try but never got around to it...and Winterlicious is one of those great opportunities to get a taste.

We were pleasantly surprised stepping into the modern restaurant at how far big it actually was, stretching deep to the back and with a second (and maybe third?) floor, where we were seated. The hosts at the front seemed a bit scrambled, Winterlicious is probably an exceptionally busy time, but we were quickly taken to our seats. We dined with our friends Julie and Daniel, and we knew right away what we wanted:

To start, we had the elk broth and salumi plate. The broth was tasty but nothing extraordinary, and the salumi plate was quite good...I'd say the salumi plate was the better choice. For mains, we had the roasted wellington country rib, which looked and smelled delicious but was a bit on the dry side. The braised rabbit accompanied by polenta and a rosemary froth, on the other hand, was fantastic - every bite was tender, flavourful, and just amazing. After passing it off for Tony to try, I quickly tried to steal it back! The rabbit was definitely the best main, but I recommend anyone going to visit to maybe try the Ling Cod, we couldn't decide between that and the rib. For dessert, I had a tasty walnut butter tart while Tony had originally ordered the goats milk panna cotta...but when he received the espresso chocolate mousse cake made the wise decision to keep it (he had a taste of the panna cotta from Julie and Daniel).

Overall, we were pleased with our Winterlicious experience at Globe. The rabbit was really outstanding enough to warrant a return at some point! The restaurant is very modern and would make a great place for a small party or gathering.

Globe Bistro

124 Danforth Ave

416-446-2000

Click here for Winterlicious Menu.

My Great Love of Porchetta

I am always on the hunt for great porchetta, and I was happy to have found a new place had opened on Dundas West.

My love of porchetta started in 2005, when my friend Lorena and I went to the south of France and stumbled on this amazing stuffed pig at a deli in the Nice market. Our face pressed against the glass in awe led a lovely lady to come greet us....who turned out to be American and cut us a small slice to try it out. It was stuffed with lots of herbs and other sweet-meats, it was amazing. We were in heaven, and I have been in love ever since.

When we were in NYC last year,

we made our way to Porchetta, a small deli on the East side. And this week, I discovered that a porchetta deli had opened right here in Toronto, Porchetta&Co.! I, of course, felt obligated to go and try it out as soon as possible - could it be as good as in France?? We made our way there for a late brunch today (Sunday), which was the right choice given there's really only 4 stools, it's kind of a grab and go kind of place...and very very similar to the one in NYC, no idea if they are related. We did manage to get a seat along the bar, facing out to Dundas St. We each had a porchetta sandwich topped with truffle sauce (if you get this, I recommend not adding too much mustard afterwards...takes away from the truffle!), and a side of black lentil and beef short rib soup to warm up from the cold. Next time I think I'd like to add the rapini on my sandwich. It was a very good sandwich indeed, similar to what we had in NYC; but sadly, not like the porchetta I had in Nice. Don't let my mild disappointment fool you, it is good, simple and hearty food, and definitely worth a visit. Don't expect a seat (it's a bonus if you get one), but drop by to grab a sandwich on your way out on weekend errands.

Porchetta & Co. 825 Dundas St. West

www.porchettaco.com

@porchettaandco

Tues-Sat 11am - 9pm

Sunday 11am - 4pm

Redemption: A Tasty Meal at Coquine

It's not often that we'll return to a restaurant we've had a bad experience in, but the exception is usually made for gatherings because it's not really about the food, there's always something acceptable to eat, it's about the people. We made a return to Coquine Bistro on Yonge this weekend for a friend's birthday. Long time followers of my blog know I generally don't write "trash" reviews - why share bad experiences? I'm here to celebrate food! I have shared some mediocre experiences in the past, usually to express my disappointment more than anything. Coquine was one such experience more than a year ago where we stopped in for a bite after picking our friends up from the airport and were served a disappointing meal that came slow and cold. I was disappointed because the menu had looked so good online! Well today, we have redemption! We had a wonderful meal last night and are glad we had the opportunity to return.

To start:

I had escargots, which were baked with lots of ooey gooey cheese. They were hot and delicious and exactly what I was expecting. Tony had French onion soup, which was also delicious. The soup was not super salty as it is in most cases, but had a rich, sweet onion taste. We were both pleased.

Mains:

I was still a little skeptical of the restaurant when I ordered,

so in debating between the veal bourguignon and seafood linguine, I decided to go with the safer linguine - how can anyone screw up pasta right? My seafood linguine ended up being AMAZING, probably one of the best seafood pastas I have had (imagine that!). It was served with copious amounts of seafood, I could barely finish the giant scallop, mussels (done just right), shrimp, clams...let alone the fresh pasta. It was all served in a little peppery white wine broth and was just perfect. I lapped it all up in the end! Tony had veal liver, and he was also very happy with his meal, asking for it rare, it came more like medium rare, but actually quite perfect how it arrived. Served with a savoury sauce of onions and mushrooms, Tony said it was some of the best liver he's had in years.

Dessert:

Our meals were such large portions that I was too full to indulge in dessert, but the waitress kindly brought over a chocolate lava cake and creme brulee for the birthday girl that was passed around - I had a small bite of the cake which was oozing chocolate; no doubt, having a whole dessert would have been good too!

I'm very happy to write about what a great meal we had, especially since we were so disappointed the first time. Our waitress was also quite good, no wine glass was ever empty or had to be filled by the group themselves. Hopefully Coquine maintains its consistency and our bad experience was pure bad luck! We are definitely happy to recommend and return to Coquine now!

Coquine is at 2075 Yonge Street, phone 416-322-6767.

It's Time for WINTERLICIOUS!

Well it's time for Winterlicious again! Reservations start today for a great deal on a number of restaurants across the city - whether you need a place for a night out or just interested in trying some new restaurants, this is the time to do it!

This year, Tony and I have settled on 3 restaurants to check out: Globe, Celestin, and Auberge du Pommier. It will be our first time at all these restaurants - very exciting.

Where will you go??

For some tips on the Winterlicious experience, see my post from 2010: How to Winterlicious :) I also shared some great experiences at North 44 and Trevor's Kitchen from last year, 2 restaurants I highly recommend. Reservations open today, so start calling!