Ardo, still a lovely Sicilian restaurant [Toronto]

[DrJohn]

When Ardo first opened, we went several times and enjoyed everything about it - the food, the Sicilian wines. We hadn’t been back during the pandemic as they did not have a patio (for the most part) and its sister restaurant Dova did have a patio and was within walking distance from our house. So it was nice to go back when we had a theatre event nearby recently. Food remains excellent overall and while there is some semi-overlap with Dova in terms of ideas, each restaurant maintains its own different menu.

First up was a fun cocktail:

Tartufo Sour: porcini-infused vodka, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg white, shaved truffle, black walnut bitter - interesting riff on the usual sour, with lots of mushroom-y aroma and flavour. We also had glasses of 2021 Tornatore Etna Bianco (pleasant but not remarkable) and the 2018 Tornatore Etna Rosso (mild tannins, lots of cherry).

Arancino stuff with beef ragu, green peas, and caciocavollo cheese - excellent; crispy outside and melted-cheese creamy inside.

Acciughe: Sicilian white anchovies, bread crumbs, roasted red peppers, mint - fresh and bright from the vinegar. Both Ardo and Dova do little fish well.

Gamberi pasta: squid ink conchiglie pasta, Nova Scotia shrimp, shallots, fennel, white wine, Sicilian tomato paste, anchovy butter, pistachios - great pasta, lots of fishy tang from the anchovy butter, balanced with a bit of sweet and acid from the tomato paste.

Milazzo pizza: wonderful thin sourdough crust as always, fior di latte, mascarpone, cantaloupe (lovely thin sheets), 24-month prosciutto in long shavings), basil - delightful.

Salsiccia: orecchiette, spicy Sicilian sausage, provolone, rapini, heirloom cherry tomato, chilli - also very tasty though perhaps the sausage was a little too salty.

Panna cotta: fennel infused panna cotta with candied lemon - a gorgeous creamy/custardy version with a hint of fresh licorice from the fennel.

Chocolate mousse: Sicilian dark chocolate in a cup, half covered in coffee crumble and half in caramel - lovely though could have been a little less sweet.

[Phoenikia]

It sounds like the City wouldn’t let Ardo operate an alley patio this summer. Dova still has a patio this summer, and I will finally be visiting with friends this month.

[DrJohn]

We were attending something at George Brown College and so thought that a later dinner at Ardo would be nice as we hadn’t been in some time. On a Tuesday night around 7:30, there were many spots available for walk-ins and it was a quiet evening where we could hear our conversation without yelling.

For wine, we enjoyed the 2022 Tornatore Etna Bianco, Sicilia (Cataratto grape) - fresh, with lots of mineral.

The arancino (see above) are still on the menu and remain excellent, stuffed with beef ragu, peas, and caciocavallo cheese.

Feeling the need for something a bit lighter, we tried the newish Ravanello salad - mixed greens, shallot dressing, radish, heirloom carrots. golden beets, house-baked ricotta - light and nicely balanced dressing.

We tried the newer version of the Gamberi pasta. Unfortunately they have swapped out the sustainable shrimp they used before with Argentine red shrimp, so we asked them to hold the shrimp. So we got mezze penne with pistacchio pesto, annatto oil, citrus, and chopped pistacchio - quite wonderful even without shrimp.

Perhaps the best dish was the Norma pizza. The crust remains a chewy, puffy delight and comes topped with fior di latte, house salt-baked ricotta, basil, tomato sauce, and sweet fried eggplant.

To finish we shared the same fennel panna cotta as above. Still terrific.

[WanderingFoodie]

Great stuff there. They also opened Bar Ardo just west of the restaurant.

[DrJohn]

Yes, I noticed. Have you tried it? We haven’t yet.

[WanderingFoodie]

Not yet. I like how there’s not a lot of overlap of the menus. And smaller plates (slightly cheaper for similar items) will allow us to try more as it’s usually just two of us dining.