Sunday 24 February 2013

gusto 101

happy sunday! another weekend, another toronto restaurant review.

last sunday night we finally made our way to gusto 101 down at king and portland. it is not to be missed! having just celebrated their one-year anniversary in a town that spits out new restaurants by the dozen, we knew we had to give it a go. after waiting a half hour in the crowded bar area, we were  debating whether or not we should leave. there are only so many times you can be elbowed in the ribs before giving up. luckily, we were seated before we made the decision to look elsewhere.

we sat at a great table by the open kitchen. the industrial, abandoned auto body shop that was once 101 portland is now a trendy, food-focused destination. the chef, Daniel Mezzolo, is right on point and fun to watch, even chatting with us briefly about what he was cooking up.

check it out for yourself.



they sold these cute little sacs the bread was served in
appetizers
RK and i shared the mozzarella di bufala. i would argue it is toronto's best.
roasted tomatoes, basil oil, parmigiano crisp, smoked paprika, arugula

AY and MS shared the bruschetta ai funghi
wild mushrooms, truffle oil, manchego
mains 

AY ordered the rigatoni heritage pork sausage
rapini, peperoncino, ricotta salata
MS ordered the rigatoni lucani, and was impressed by the amount of meat:
shredded braised lamb shank, tomato, fresh herbs, shaved pecorino

i loved the roasted pumpkin agnolitti
sage brown butter, marmigiano, poppy seeds
i'm still thinking about it...

RK enjoyed the recommended spinaci pizza
spinach, buffalo mozzarella, pecorina, fresh ricotta and sliced garlic
dessert
two for the table
a divine dessert, budino al cioccolato
we should have ordered 4 this was so scrumptious
overall, great vibe, great food, great service! a definite recommendation!

before we left, our amazing waiter took us up to the second story to show us the new renos. come summer 2013, good luck getting in to gusto 101



Gusto 101 on Urbanspoon

Monday 18 February 2013

buca

finally, after a few months of waiting, i finally made it to buca. and it was amazing. 
AF, AR and i made our way down to king west last saturday for an early reservation (the only time we could get), but ended up staying the evening. buca's atmosphere is perfect: cozy and cool at the same time. buca, meaning "basement" or "hole", is just that, an exposed brick, high-ceilinged basement in an old king street building. with an entrance wedged between two buildings down an alleyway, it is a little difficult to find, but is a must-try on the toronto restaurant scene these days.

we were greeted warmly and shown promptly to our table by the wonderful host. our waiter was very knowledgeable and the manager came by to chat frequently. none of the coldness i had read about in other reviews  since they don't have an online menu, we were eager to see what we were in store for! 

buca is a definite recommendation, but it is pricy, so save up!
menu for the day
i must mention, they have an extraordinary wine list. my favourite, a white pinot noir! it wasn't on the menu, but if you ask for it, you won't regret it.


apps:
we had heard lots about the nodini, and they were delicious.
little bread knots covered in olive oil, garlic, rosemary and salt. 
amazing charcuterie. we ordered (from L to R):
 ricotta di buffala, sovrano bufala reggiano and prosciuttini
we couldn't get enough.
a definite favourite, the parmagiana di melanzane
(preserved tomato and eggplant layered with
bufala ricotta and burrata cheese)
 at this point, the manager sent over orecchio di maiale (crisp pig's ears) with fennel salt, on the house. but i didn't manage to get a photo.
mains:
AF and AR were both tempted by the bigoli:
hand-cranked duck egg pasta with duck leg, offal ragu,
venetian spices, marscapone and basil
i ordered the orecchiette di grano arso: fresh hand-rolled 
pasta with burnt durum semolina and finished with preserved tomatoes and cacio di fossa cheese
we were beyond full, but.....
dessert:

temptation at it's finest, we shared the tiramisu di buca:
espresso-soaked house made tapioca biscuits
layered with mascarpone and chocolate mousse
a little something extra...
who doesn't love a complimentary treat?
thanks for the end-of-evening champagne, another special treat.
thanks to the amazing staff, wonderful new manager and exec chef rob gentile. we had great eats and lots and lots of laughs.

definitely add buca to your 'must-try list'. hope to head back with RK soon!
Buca on Urbanspoon