cluny bistro: a parisian dream

welcome!! though this blog has been dormant for the past 21 months, rest assured i have been dining all over this wonderful city of ours (and in many other cities, as well). i figure i will jump back into blogging with a recent visit to cluny bistro, as an homage to our french-honeymoon in summer 2014. 

from the moment you enter cluny bistro & boulangerie in toronto's distillery district, it is evident you are in for a treat. the decor is lovely and purposeful: the stunning tiles, detailed tablescapes and warm atmosphere are just the beginning. though it was a busy saturday night, the service didn't slow. we were treated to effective service, on-point suggestions, and friendly banter.

warm and elegant atmosphere, complete with interesting wood detail and beautiful colour scheme

house-baked, fresh multigrain and white bread served in an endearing basket (with soft butter)

i started with the deconstrcuted cluny "caeser", though it didn't particularly scream "caeser", it was delicious: romaine topped with smoked cheddar, crispy chick peas and a light, garlic-based caeser vinaigrette. the crispy chick peas were a nice touch and added a delicious crunch

had to order the much-talked about crispy sesame-baked asparagus frites. these are lightly battered with an amazing flavour. the spicy yogurt dipping sauce added a great contrast.

rk was crazy about the spicy salmon tartar: there was no shortage of avocado in this dish. the homemade chips were a nice touch. this resembled more of an elevated chip dip than your standard tartar, but it was delicious.

as my main, i devoured the melted gruyere, served french onion soup style. having ordered this previously, i knew what to expect with the glazed onions and rich beef broth. any cheese served in a cast iron dish is a hit in my books.

finally, we had the veal meatball tomahawk. this delicious and dense tomato-braised meatball was bursting with flavour. not your typical meatball, it was a meal on it's own. the meatball was accompanied by a side of parisian gnocchi, which added a little kick. 

beverages: rk (old-fashioned connoisseur) raved about his old-fashioned, and particularly enjoyed the flavour-filled smoothness on a cold january evening
wine: 2013 pinot noir from bouchard pere et fils (bourgogne, fr) 
          2014 chinon, from beatrice et pascal lamert (loire, fr)  

all in all, we were too stuffed for dessert. cluny bistro offered an aesthetically pleasing, inviting atmosphere. the food was rich and delicious. we will return.

sidecar

who knew loving and adoring a puppy took up so much time? i have been absent from a culinary cabaret, but i am back. i have so many reviews lined up you'll be blown away.
about a month ago, af and i headed out to see joshua radin in concert (again) at an intimate venue on college street. before the show, we headed to sidecar for some pre-show dinner. i have heard a lot of hype about sidecar and was happy to finally make it there. we enjoyed a quick, delicious meal with fresh ingredients that were palette-pleasing. i would definitely head back, and perhaps dine on the back patio which seemed to have a great atmosphere.

we each ordered a glass of the 2010 angel's gate reisling

delicious bread, great texture and flavours

incredible salad (that they split into two bowls for us)
chopped jicama, red onion, cucumber, tomato, radish, feta, creamy oregano dressing

i ordered the tasty steak frites: AAA 8oz centre cut top sirloin, hand cut fries,
tangy roasted garlic aioli

af indulged in the papardelle:
braised short ribs, aged cheddar, king oyster mushrooms
with san marzano tomato sauce with spanish onion 

overall, we were both very pleased with our whole evening (especially because we had great seats to the concert and even got to meet joshua radin afterwars)! thanks sidecar for starting it off on the right note, we will be back!

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!

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!

dinner party

last week, we hosted an intimate dinner party at the condo! our first time hosting in the new digs.
it was a pretty successful eve, aside from the boggle-induced noise complaint after midnight!

a special thank you goes out to KB for sending the scrumptious chocolate cream pie we enjoyed for dessert!

allow envy to ensue...

savoury cheeses and an assortment of crackers
cheese recommendation: le delice de bourgogne
(available at: alex farms, st lawrence market)
cracker recommendation: cranberry hazelnut
lesley stowe raincoast crisps,  

salad: arugula with asiago/pear, homemade lemon vinaigrette dressing
(subbed apple for pear)

olive oil coated veggies, seasoned to perfection!

the plate
lemon peppercorn rounds, grilled veggies, salad

DELICIOUS chocolate cream pie, thanks again KB!
you can bake for me anytime!

lots of boggle...special shout out to AF for being the winner of the eve!
do i hear a rematch?

recommendation recap:
cheese: Alex Farms Delice de Bourgogne (a favourite cheese of mine!)
cracker: Lesley Stowe Cranberry Hazelnut Raincoast Crisps
wine: Cave Spring 2010 Reisling

coming soon: pictures from lake louise, banff and jasper!

festive foods

lots of fun with the new camera this week..learning to shoot with the dslr and am really enjoying myself. i find the colours are so bright and, using the macro setting, i am able to see so much detail.
i am, however, being accused of shooting 'too close' to all my subjects, but that is what i love!


this post shows some of the delicious homemade foods i indulged in over the past two weeks.
if you're interested in a recipe, just let me know!

parnsip, potato and carrots

yummy salad with sliced nuts,
 cranberries, avocado and all the
good stuff

mom's famous sweet noodle kugel

beef brisket. favourite.

**white wine recommendation (a rarity on this blog)

moving on to brunch now....at least once a week at our house

fresh berries to go on the blintz carrerole, or to be enjoyed in yogurt

hot bagels and bilka buns

and, back to dinner again

homemade experimental butternut squash soup.
noted some improvement for the future

bruschetta toppings (tomato, avocado, onion, garlic)

presentation. drizzled with balsamic glaze.

some of the good eats the holidays offered.
happy cooking!
-talia