I guess this thread pushed me in an Italian direction tonight.
I headed to Enoteca Sociale.
Tonight was a little brisk on the unheated patio. I suspect this was my last patio dinner until April.
I enjoyed the puntarelle salad with anchovies, capers and pecorino ($17), the mushroom agnolotti with lemon butter ($28) and the torta Caprese ($14) Espresso is $3 which is probably the most reasonably priced espresso at a nice restaurant in Toronto
One recent Italian discovery for me is Porzia’s on Oakwood Ave. Their red prawn pasta and ice cream tiramisu were both very good
Their lasagne is amazing, too.
They were! We even brought it home afterwards since it is such a large portion
We were attending a concert on King St. E. and decided to try nearby Gusto 501 a second time. They have both a streetside patio and a rooftop one, though how much longer is anyone’s guess. Overall the food remains very good, but the volume is loud (both the music and the yelling by other customers).
For wine we tried glasses of their Gusto Bianco - Pinot Grigio (very acidic, pear, honeydew, white flower), Gusto Rose - Argentina Malbec (green strawberry), and the 2021 Luigi Righetti, Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore, Veneto | Corvina | Rondinella | Molinara (light and pleasantly fruity).
The Pizza Carbonara (fior di latte, guanciale, pecorino, egg yolk, black pepper) was our favourite the last time and is still lots of fun, with runny egg yolk and very smokey guanciale. The crust is thin, with nice chew and flavour.
Because we haven’t met a mortadella pizza we haven’t liked, we tried their version (mortadella, taleggio, pickled peperoncino, pistachio butter). Unlike some versions, the mortadella was cooked with the pizza, concentrating the flavour. The pistachio butter gave it a lovely nutty richness.
In the spirit of the more carbs the better, we also tried the Risotto Verde (hen of the woods mushroom, pine nut, herbs), which was essentially a fragrant pesto risotto decorated with dry-roasted mushrooms.
For dessert, we ordered one cocktail: Coco Colada (Malibu coconut rum vanilla liqueur, lime, coconut milk, sour cherry syrup). It was fun, but should have been called a Cherry Colada as coconut is always part of a colada and the cherry flavour was pronounced. We also had the Torta Di Mandorla (warm ground almond cake with peach compote, vanilla mascarpone cream, and pistachio), which was not too sweet and showcased the last of peach season.
Looks good.
I much prefer mortadella or prosciutto added on top of the pizza after the pizza has been cooked, to keep its texture.
I prefer that too. The mortadella pizza that Stock TC had for awhile was my favourite version.
That carbonara pizza looks so good!
My friend and I stopped by Pasta Forever today. Nice shop.
We tried the leek and taleggio arancini. I also bought a small sesame focaccia to go.
I haven’t been yet
. It looks like Tiny Market has taken a page from Famiglia Baldassare, and offers lunch from 11 am -3 pm.
The gnocchi, a photo of which were posted on Instagram, look great.
They have been offering lunch for a while now …
" Cara Cara " up in Richmond Hill has revamped its menu, offering more interesting food and at a better price point.https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61569805559417
I liked Taverniti’s take-out last night. Arugula salad ($15), and gnocchi alla gorgonzola ($25). The Bruschetta ($15) was fair. Fair for me means not bad, and that I probably won’t order it again at this restaurant.
Traditional vibe with checkered tablecloths.
It’s a change from the hipper Italian spots on Dundas W
A work dinner took me to Coppi, which has been a long-time favourite. They do nothing cutting edge and not every dish is amazing, but the good ones are reliable. I was not disappointed.
We had several bottles of the 2022 Pecorino, Velenosi, Le Marche - a bit grassy, some citrus, and held up well with the food.
They started us off with 3 antipasti family style:
We then had the Risotto Porcini for the table, which is a dish I order every time. It’s just-done arborio rice in a flavourful vegetable broth, with cremini and porcini mushrooms, mixed in a giant wheel of parmesan, with an ample hit of butter.
The other dish we had for the table, another favourite, was the Pesce al Sale. This was 3 whole spigola, salt-baked, and then deboned at the table. The fish was moist, light, and served with multi-coloured carrots.
We then had a choice of mains and I had the fresh pappardelle with Bolognese ragu, a satisfying mix of braised veal and pork with San Marzano tomatoes, topped with pecorino.
For dessert, I had the lemon basil panna cotta, which smooth and not too sweet.
Which are your favourite dishes at Terroni?
I can recommend the funghi assoluti, spaghetti al limone, fried calamari, and salt caramel budino.
I haven’t tried anything else for ages.
I want to try something else tonight. Thanks for any ideas.
Garganelli Geppetto, Tonarelli Cacio e Peppe, C’t Mang pizza.
I always get Funghi Assoluti - since the 90s.
Thank you!
Weirdly, I started getting hives from the Funghi Assoluti close to 10 years ago. I am fine if I make a copycat recipe at home. It’s so delicious.
