little italy – Fare..Eat..Ales

Review:Little Italy and Portugal Village:Darwin

July 11, 2013July 11, 2013 spennyrdLeave a comment

So a family from Bangladesh opens a french bistro in Little Italy and names it after an English naturalist. That’s Darwin. OK…allow me to put it into perspective. The owners did hire a french chef and even though it’s in Little Italy, it joins the onslaught of non-Mediterranean restaurants (Bar Isabel, Bestellen and Woodlot for example) which has opened in the area. Finally, according to the owners, the name pays homage to a man who adhered to a philosophy of “survival of the fittest”, a saying which is especially pertinent in the restaurant business.

I took one look at the menu and was intrigued to check it out. In essence, it’s primarily a French menu with some international flare at very reasonable prices. For example, most appetizers and cocktails are under $10 bucks and the 12 oz steak and frites comes in at $25.

Unfortunately, I picked the night of the great flood of 2013 to venture out. Thinking it was a good thing that humans evolved from fish, I waded down College St., umbrella in hand and found my destination at College and Grace. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t too busy although a table of four older ladies was keeping the place alive. The decor is modern, a fusion of a traditional bistro and a trattoria. It’s a narrow space with a full wall mirror on one side and brick wall on the other (so it looks a bit bigger) that ends suddenly at a largish wooden bar that matches the rustic accented tables (although the legs are central so I did the stupid almost tip the table over thing a couple of times). There was one waiter who was a pleasant and knowledgeable guy with 15 years in the business who was most insightful and attentive during the evening.

An interesting twist on the classic drink, I started with a maple old fashioned made with Crown Royal in conjunction with the traditional ingredients and a touch of maple syrup. It was a pleasant blend and without abundant sweetness.

I opted for the shrimp cocktail ($10) which was also a spin on the original. The shrimp were spiced, cooked and served warm on a bed of creamed avocado. The menu promised mango as well, but I find the tiny cubes were few and far between, adding little to the dish. The avocado was fresh and simple and lacked the additional flavours present in guacamole and other popular dips and spreads. The shrimp was a little salty and swam in an excessive amount of green but there was a balance which made it pretty good.

The moules and frites ($12) were another classic dish presented with a twist. The broth was reminiscent of a tom yum soup, bursting with south asian flavours. It was served with a spoon, an addition the very helpful waiter admitted was an afterthought after numerous requests. I found myself lapping the broth up as well. The frites were delicately done, fried “just to done” and seasoned with perfect amounts salt and rosemary. I would have loved a half a french baguette (for authenticity you know) to soak up all the remaining broth.

I shied away from the steak frites and instead went for the sauteed chicken on aligot mashed potato, a classic french dish. The chicken was moist although a bit underseasoned. The potatoes were surprisingly light and swam in a pool of tasty sauce. Overall, it was a decent dish and came in at an impressive $18. I paired it with a glass of Domaine de Joy “Cuvee Etolle” Blanc from France at a very reasonable $9.

Sauteed Chicken with Aligot Mashed Potatoes $18

On another note, I love sorrel and each of the dishes was garnished with this delightful and underutilized herb. It has a great taste, a mix of earthy, acid and sweet which complements most dishes quite nicely.

Although there is no formal dessert menu, there are a few choices which include a rum, banana bread pudding and homemade lemon tart. I opted for the former. It’s prepared individually in a ceramic dish and doused with chocolate sauce. I’m normally not a fan of chocolate in general, especially on bread pudding but this sauce was stunning, a perfect balance of sweet and bitter. In general, the dessert was not sickly sweet and the cloud-like bread mixed with the smooth sauce and small scoop of ice cream was textural bliss. The accompanying cappuccino was not great, but maybe we will leave that one to the Italians.

My Take

This place reminds me that good food can still be served at a reasonable price, a near forgotten philosophy that has kept many restaurants in business for decades. Not only was Darwin known for his belief in “survival of the fittest” ( by the way, for Jeopardy fans the term “survival of the fittest” was first coined by Herbert Spencer, not Charles Darwin), he was obviously known for his theory of evolution, another concept important in the survival of a restaurant. Darwin has plans…big plans. The waiter offered a quick tour of the large back patio which will be a stellar hangout once it is licensed. The idea is to have a raw bar and grill given the fact that the kitchen is quite small and would have difficulty handling more than the 35 or so seats in the main dining room. The menu is also under constant revision. Recently, the duck breast has been replaced with confit; the trout with salmon.

Darwin has a fresh decor and a decent menu with refreshing pricing. There are a number of cocktails and appetizers under $10 and no entrees for more than $25. Despite the prices, there is no compromise when it came to quality. The highlights were the moules (sneak in a baguette) and the bread pudding. The key to success will be an adherence to the foundations of the french menu without the standard pretension and pricing of other bistros coupled with an evolutionary philosophy and a damn good back patio…and maybe some help from Noah’s Ark on night’s like this..but wait…it is called Darwin afterall.

Review:Toronto:Little Italy:Bestellen

April 30, 2013May 1, 2013 spennyrd2 Comments

A colleague of mine asked me a simple question the other day. “Where can I get a good steak in Toronto?”. There seems to be a few answers:

1. A steak house with cuts of beef as pricy as buying half a heifer at an auction not to mention the fact that the creamed spinach is extra.

2. A chain offering AAA cut steak which inevitably ends up being generic like the rest of the menu.

3. A few bistros which pair it with frites and douse it in some kind of butter so they can call it French cuisine.

This got me thinking about my recent visit to Bestellen and why it didn’t come top of mind. The showcase of the rather large dining room is a transparent meat locker housing steaks of all shapes and sizes. One of the features is a $98, 32 oz steak with marrow and sides. Otherwise, they offer a daily cut in the $30 range. Add the fact it’s the brain child of Top Chef contestant Rob Rossi and it sounds like a slam dunk, right?

Must

You can’t go wrong with “buck a shuck” oysters, which were fresh and addictive. Although not served with fancy mignonette, they had the essentials; a lemon wedge, horseradish and a bottle of Tabasco.

The “toad in the hole” was a current spin on a old favorite. The batter had a yorkie lightness which surrounded dense and delicious black pudding. The eggs were a good medium to blend the contrasting textures and flavours. The spattering of scallions added a bit of colour and and freshness.

Opting for the small charcuterie option for $13, I was treated to 3 house-made meats complete with a few pickles, some mustard and some toasted bread drenched in olive oil which was absolutely fantastic. The meats themselves were thinly sliced and cured beautifully. It was a pleasure to eat.

Maybe

Although a little skimpy on the condiments, the steak tartare was delicious. Half a quail egg and a few jalapenos were nothing more than decorations. The chips were alright but weren’t the tastiest vehicle for scooping the tender meat.

Why do I order deviled eggs in a restaurant? They were tasty enough but not worth 6 buck and shuck oysters (see picture above…with the charcuterie).

The Budino dessert and olive oil cake were reasonably priced at $7 and a good example of Rob Rossi’s Italian heritage although they did not elevate to the level of Lutheran grace. The ice cream was splendid, an apparent reflection of a new machine just installed in the kitchen.

Budino and Olive Oil Cake ($7) — Budino and Olive Oil Cake ($7 each)

Mundane

On this particular night, the feature was flank steak for $28. I envisioned a slice of a magical beast taken from the locker adorning the centre of the restaurant. Instead I received a few overcooked slices of tough, overdone meat served on a rather bland puree. Even the presentation was rather lame. It looked a bit like leftovers.

Given it wasn’t a really busy night, the service was rather slow. The wine list is set up by offering $45, $65 and $85 bottles. I opted for a mediocre Pigeoulet Provence at the middle price. The waiter did not seem overly concerned that I didn’t enjoy it, assuring me it was “the type of grape”.

My Take

Bestellen is a German named pseudo-steakhouse run by an Italian on the edge of Little Italy. It’s atypically large compared to other eateries in the area, so one can argue it lacks a bit of coziness, especially if it’s not busy. It has a bistro feel in the front, with tall, wooden tables and a window view. Toward the back is an open kitchen with long, communal seating for larger parties. The above mentioned meat locker divides the two concepts.

At the time, the menu offered a spattering of cultures but since, the menu has evolved and now seems to offer at whole lot of Italy, minus the ubiquitous pizza and pasta peppering the rest of College street. The toad in the hole and deviled eggs has disappeared, leaving polenta, octopus and fritto misto on the forefront. A little over a year ago, the Globe and Mail review referred to Bestellen as a steak house. Yes, you can get a $100 steak with all the fixings but the daily cut was disappointing. It’s a bit of a tease that you’re 15 feet away from tenderloins, porterhouses and skirt steaks but have no access to most of the choices on a nightly basis.

I can sum up Bestellen with one word…awkward. Traveling to the suburbs of Little Italy for buck a shuck oysters but questionable service and suboptimal steak leaves me undecided. Maybe delving into a suckling pig or indulging on a full charcuterie plate would make me feel better. As far as recommendations for my colleagues…I suggested the following advice by Buddy Black and Leroy Van Dyke:

Forty-five dollar bidja now, fifty dollar fifty wouldja make it fifty biddle
Onna fifty dolla fifty dolla. Wouldja gimme fifty, wouldja gimme fifty dolla
Bill? I gotta fifty dolla bidja now, five, wouldja biddle onna fifty-five,
Biddle onna fifty-five, fifty-five. Who’s gonna bitta the fifty five dollar
Bill?

-The Auctioneer (1956)

Review:Toronto:Little Italy:Campagnolo

December 26, 2012December 26, 2012 spennyrdLeave a comment

Campagnolo, a creation of Craig Harding, sits quietly along the busy Dundas West dining corridor. Well, quiet if you consider its subtle online presence versus local internet juggernauts Pizzeria Libretto, Black Hoof and California Sandwiches. Not so quiet when you consider it was voted one of 10 Toronto restaurants on Mclean’s top 50 in 2012 and has a food, decor and service Zagat rating of 27, 23 and 27 respectively. There was nothing really fancy about either the inside or outside of this Little Italy venue upon arrival but it gave me a swagger similar to walking into a queen street consignment store and buying a yellow Lacoste cardigan. I was seated right by the window and was subject to a rather annoying draft for a good part of the evening.

The menu is ever changing and based on fresh ingredients but hinges on a few signature items which you can get regularly. That being said, I was here a few weeks ago so a few of the items may not be available if you go today.

Must

There’s no doubt about why Campagnolo is known for its roasted beef marrow…because its fantastic. The buttery, rich flavour of the marrow is sliced by a sweet and sour plum marmalade and spiced up with a tender oxtail stew. Its primitive presentation made me feel like a modern day carnivorous Fred Flintstone, although I was wearing shoes.

The rabbit cavetelli was another gem. A good portion of rabbit was braised to perfection and served in a vibrant, light sauce and finished with a few greens, a few pine nuts and salty cheese. The pasta had the softness of a firm pillow, sending my tongue into a slumberful bliss. On that note, I will mention that my other party member sent the spaghetti back, finding it too firm. The kitchen quickly made another and “overcooked” it according to the kitchen but importantly made the customer’s desire paramount vs the chef’s wishes. I appreciated the “nobody’s wrong…we just differ in opinion” mentality and guarantee this would not happen at a few of the other eateries in the area.

Rabbit Cavatelli — Rabbit Cavetelli ($21)

Another signature item is the burrata served with roasted grapes to add some subtle sweetness to the rich cheese. It was satisfying and simple to the point where the obvious quality of the product is not compromised by too many bells and whistles.

Maybe

If you’re going to ask me to pay for bread at the table, it better be good. The homemade bagettes and gougeres (cheese pastries) were delicious but for four bucks were not significantly better than some of the complimentary loaves available at other places.

Bagettes and Gogueres ($4) — Bagettes and Gougeres ($4)

The shaved cauliflower salad was a seasonal offering. Despite the attractive presentation and array of ingredients, the sulphuric taste of the cauliflower was too prevalent. Whatever dressing was used in an attempt to unify this adventurous amalgam was off key. That being said, my table mate disagreed and thought the salad has a fresh and balanced taste.

Mundane

Some restaurants are not known for dessert and don’t have the same passion toward the concluding course. I suspect Campagnolo fits this bill. With no dessert menu per se, we were offered a couple of choices and settled on the budino (caramel pudding). It was a cloying concoction, topped with an ashy tasting sponge toffee. Two bites were enough.

The wine menu is quite small and quite expensive. It’s difficult to find a red under $12 a glass. The white list is a little more reasonable in price but still limited in choice. In the end, I opted for mulled wine on the cocktail list which was a more modest $12 and offered welcome relief from the ongoing draft running up my back.

My Take

Campagnolo relies on a moderately sized menu of signature and seasonal items to fill its modest sized dining area. It’s trendy, in demand and has received accolades from critics and diners alike, although it flies a bit under the radar on online social media sites. The service was top-notch, friendly and informative other than a moderate delay between starters and mains. Despite an uncompromising approach to food, there is enough flexibility for the customer to be right despite differences in opinion with the kitchen. They don’t apologize but make it right which is more important than offering comped drinks I don’t want. Bring your wallet though; it’s not a cheap evening out. In the end, Campagnolo is cool, crass and comforting and does so by adhering to their country bumpkin philosophy in a classy fashion.