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

cheap and cheerful!

first off: happy new year!
resolution 1: post more!!


a few weeks back, we had a wonderful and delicious group dinner at famoso! annually, the gals and i have our traditional chrismukkah dinner hosted at someone's home. this year, we decided to make it easy: we switched it up and decided to dine out.
we arrived at famoso on bloor and were seated almost immediately for our 8pm reservation.
famoso has an interesting system where you peruse the menu at your leisure, write down your order, and walk it up to the counter. everything else was business as usual. known for their neopolitain-style pizza, i was doubtful it would be as delicious as pizza libretto, but was happily suprised!

overall:
the food was delicious. drinks were flowing. wait staff were more than accommodating. the whole group was happy. prices were good and the atmosphere was cheerful. a win-win!

check out the pics!

drinks were flowing. 

standard caprese salad

caeser salad

prosciutto wrapped mozzarella balls

piazetta and fire-roasted tomato bique

margherita

pepperoni and roasted mushrooms

primavera piazetta and caprese

siciliana

leftovers!!

we had a great time! i would recommend for groups, a quick and easy bite, and people with kids in tow.

hint:place your order only once you are ready to eat. these neopolitan pizzas are ready in 90 seconds.

l'unita

after many canceled reservations at a variety of toronto's best, an intimate group spent an evening celebrating the birthday of the wonderful AF, at the one and only-l'unita. situated right at avenue and davenport (warmly referred to as 'av and dav'), l'unita had a great atmosphere and delicious italian cuisine. a definite recommendation. 
beware: they were sold out of a lot of the special items. next time, we'll make sure to book an earlier reso.
take a gander...
n.b. it was very dark inside so i had to use flash...not recommended

wine recommendation: cave springs 2012 reisling

the bread and olive oil were delicious. couldn't get enough. 

autumn squash agnolotti 
sage, brown butter, amaretti & parmigiano

must try: oxtail gnocchi 'alla romana' 
red wine soffritto & parmigiano
ox tail melted in my mouth, it was fantastic

potato & pnacetta  
taleggio, smoked crema, onions & fresh thyme

margherita D.O.P.
tomato sauce, fior di latte & fresh basil
(not a favourite)

on to dessert....

espresso cake 'tiramisu' 
mascarpone crema, amaretti biscotti, espresso & lemon

mascarpone cannoli 
candied orange & cioccolato bianco
holy cannoli--MUST TRY!

Overall, the pastas and desserts were both mouth watering. I wasn't a fan of the pizza, however others in my party loved it.
Give l'unita a shot--you won't regret it!
Later this week I am going out for dinner with NA of Where The Locals Go, stay tuned!

saturday brunch

it has been a very very long time since the girls and i shared a meal. far too long. 
today, after....an indeterminable amount of time, all six of us were able to make it for brunch. finally. and we only had to book it two months in advance!
from all ends of the city, we ended up at oliver and bonacini at bayview village. the most easily accessible location for all attendees.
our meals did not disappoint.  here is a taste.

MM and I each ordered the Belgian Waffles
fresh-off-the-iron with seasonal berries, topped with creme fraiche and maple syrup

a side of extra crispy bacon never hurt anyone....

MC ordered the O&B Breakfast, complete with:
two free-range eggs (ordered scrambled) three slices of bacon, two sausages, roasted mushrooms,
home-fried potatoes and two cheddar scallion scones

JL ordered the Farm House Ham and Swiss Cheese Omelette
home-fried potatoes, sweet and bitters herbs
 

DH and JW (new initials for the Mrs!!) shared the Margherita Pizza
San Marzano tomato sauce, bocconcini and basil with added prosciutto

 we were stuffed, not even room for their tempting desserts. 
everything was so delicious.
thank O&B...until next time!

pizza party!

last week, we enjoyed a delicious thursday night dinner at pizza libretto's new-ish location on the danforth. 

known across the city for their popular Pizza Napoletana, pizza libretto offers VPN certified pizza, using the guidelines set out by the verace pizza napoletana (vpn) association. 

while reservations are nearly impossible to secure, we were able to walk-in and get a table, no prob.  this location is more spacious than the original ossington location, offering a basement space in order to squeeze in more of their loyal, taste-obsessed patrons.

550 danforth ave, toronto

apple & fig salad-blue bénédictin cheese, croutons, cider, white balsamic vinegar

quattro formaggi-tomato, truffle, bufala mozzarella, montasio, moliterno, parmigiano reggiano

margherita D.O.P.-tomato, basil, mozzarella

unseasonably warm, lovely march evening on the danforth

  
i highly suggest you stop in for a bite.
enjoy!