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FeedToronto Eats
Alan Bedenko
I’ve convinced myself that Wegmans and our proximity to Toronto are two of the biggest quality-of-life benefits of living in Western New York. My family and I make a habit of going up to Canada’s megalopolis as often as possible to experience the world-class, big-city vibe.
It’s only recently that we’ve started exploring some of the truly amazing culinary destinations that Toronto has to offer. Following Toronto foodies like Mary Luz Mejia and Ivy Knight through social media, as well as keeping up-to-date on goings-on through BlogTO and the Torontoist certainly help us get ideas for the next trip up.
Over one autumn weekend, we were able to experience four truly exceptional food experiences an hour and a half up the QEW from home.
1. The Cheese Boutique
45 Ripley Avenue , Toronto, ON M6S 3P2, Canada; (416) 762-6292; www.cheeseboutique.com; @cheese_boutique
A miniature temple to what I call “stuff that goes well with fine wine”, the Cheese Boutique is well-hidden, tucked away off a side street on the outskirts of Toronto proper, near Etobicoke. Its specialty, obviously, is cheese, and you’d be hard-pressed not to find just about anything you’re looking for here. There is an emphasis on artisanal cheeses from Quebec, but nearly every type of cheese I can think of is represented here in some way. The pates, terrines, sausages, and meats are also carefully selected and delicious.
One of the highlights is the shop's cheese cave, which guests are welcome to explore. Inside the aroma of aging cheese and the temperature-and-humidity controlled environment combine to give you a unique olfactory experience. Check out how the massive wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are marked with the names of the restaurants that have purchased them and are using the Boutique's cave to age them.
There are also prepared foods not unlike what you might find at Zabar’s in New York, fresh warm bread is always on hand right by the cash registers, and there’s a fantastic, huge pasta section, chocolate and pastry section, and an upstairs area where you can stock up on kitchen gadgets and hardware.
Even if you buy nothing, the Cheese Boutique is a foodie paradise. Sample what they have, and say hello to the owner, who is often seen walking through the shop with samples of Turkish tea for patrons to try.
2. Enoteca Sociale
1288 Dundas Street W, Toronto, ON M6J 1X7 Canada; (416) 534-1200; www.sociale.ca; @EnoSociale; reservations available via OpenTable
“Enoteca” is Italian for “wine library” and this intimate, cozy corner restaurant on the west end of Toronto is like taking a step into a Roman trattoria. The menu changes seasonally and has a strong focus on cheeses and pastas. The starters are billed as “piatti sociale”, or plates to be shared. We started with a shared cheese plate featuring three small servings of cheese along with some crostini, sliced apples, marmalade, and maple syrup. As with all of our dishes, we asked the server to recommend a wine pairing, each of which was carefully selected, enabling us to try a little bit of lots of things. Each of the sweet sides paired perfectly to each of the three cheeses.
Another item we selected was arancini, or breaded, deep-fried risotto balls. They were billed as “stracciatella” and were served with arugula, lamb bacon, and caramelized onion. The crispy shell revealed a rich risotto, the flavor of which was beautifully paired with its acopmaniments—the mildly bitter greens, the smoky bacon, and the sweet onions. A salad resembling a caprese instead featured roasted Ontario beets, sweet and tender, alongside fresh burrata cheese and pistachios. It captured the very essence of autumn.
The pastas are all made in-house, and we tried a rich and hearty orrecchiette with chicken gizzard ragu (that’s exactly how it was billed on the menu), porcini, and gorgonzola. This was wonderfully rich and packed with savory flavor. A house-made ravioli with chestnut, apple, ricotta, and black truffle was also quite good, but it was a bit too sweet to really work as a main. We made up for that by sharing a light, fluffy, and delicious ricotta tiramisu for dessert.
The food at Enoteca is made with care, and the wine pairings are a lot of fun. The servers are knowledgable and not at all shy about engaging you in a conversation not so much about the food you’re going to inhale, but the experience you wish to have. It’s no wonder Enoteca is as well-regarded as it is.
3. Pizzeria Libretto
221 Ossington (West Side), Toronto, ON M6J 2Z8; (416) 532-8000; 550 Danforth (East Side), Toronto, ON M4K 1P7; (416) 466-0400; www.pizzerialibretto.com; @PizzaLibretto
When I need authentic, certified “Vera Pizza Napoletana”, I choose Libretto. While there are other great wood-fired pizzas available in Toronto (Queen Margherita Pizza and Pizza e Pazzi are two worth trying), Libretto is my current favorite. In order to get the VPN certification, Libretto has to use very specific ingredients, prepared in a codified way, and bake their pizzas in a 900 degree F oven. The pizzas only take 90 seconds to bake in this way, and with type 00 flour serving as the basis for a perfect dough this method gives you a soft and tender crust ideal for cradling San Marzano tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.
It’s easily one of the best pizzas you’ll ever try, and has the added benefit of being authentic Neapolitan. The only WNY pizzerias that come close to what Libretto does are Trattoria Aroma and Tony D’s coal oven fired pizza in Rochester’s Corn Hill area.
Libretto is owned by the same group that owns Enoteca Sociale, and there is likewise an emphasis on wine and cheese for starters,. Don’t forget to try their Nutella pizza for dessert.
4. Nota Bene
180 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON; (416) 977-6400; www.notabenerestaurant.com; @NotaBeneToronto; reservations available via OpenTable
When Nota Bene opened a few years back it topped a bunch of local Toronto “best” lists. This is a place tailor-made for the TIFF set, with a bar and dining area that rivals anything you’ll find in New York or LA. The focus, however, is on Canadian ingredients and flavor. Chef and proprietor David Lee trained in London and Switzerland before moving to Canada, and the menu changes based on what’s fresh. He's also a proponent of cooking sous vide—a method which utlizies a water bath to slowly cook foods “under vacuum”. The result is intense flavor, and items cooked to perfect doneness each and every time.
A hamachi ceviche was served with cilantro, lime, avocado, and jalapeno. The tender fish was fresh and moist, a woderful complement to the spice and citrus flavors, as well as the distinct cilantro and creamy avocado. Octopus salad with braised greens, navy beans, and Iberico chorizo was the sort of delicate texture you can only get from cooking sous vide. Again here, the combination of fresh flavors and octopus, alongside the spice of the sausage, was spectacular.
An 8-ounce filet was served perfectly medium rare throughout, seared in olive oil, balsamic, and a “rosemary and thyme ash”. The exterior char and the tender, moist, and pink meat were excellent, and the seasoning didn't distract from the steak itself. The charred rare big eye tuna was also perfectly done with a raw center. Very fresh and flavorful, it was served with green beans, cloud ear mushrooms, sesame, and cilantro to give it a bit of an Asian nudge. Sides are ordered a la carte, and we picked sweet roasted beets in an herb vinaigrette, which were fresh and full of flavor, and brussels sprouts tossed in a spicy sambal chili sauce, mint, and crispy tempura bits—a bit of heat never hurt anyone.
Service was attentive and polite, and it was our server who recommended we try the octopus. As at Enoteca, the server at Nota Bene was interested in helping us have an overall satisfying dining experience, and was knowledgable about the menu. We didn’t go for wine pairings, however, and instead enjoyed a nice, but young, bottle of Southbrook “Whimsy” Cabernet Franc from the Niagara region.
Nota Bene is a trendy spot, for sure, but the food lives up to the hype, the atmosphere is elegant, and it’s well worth a special occasion reservation.
By way of honorable mention, I’ll recommend that you check out any one of a few “La Tortilleria” locations (one is in the Kensington Market area, near Chinatown off Spadina), and grab a kilo of freshly made, warm white and yellow corn tortillas. (www.latortilleria.ca, @LaTorti).
Alan Bedenko is a restaurant critic for Buffalo Spree.
