Briscola Trattoria

Yummy yummy yummy!  Only words that could come to mind during this meal!

I am bombarded daily with newsletters, blogs and articles about new restaurant openings in the city and more often than not I’m excited about them but it can also get overwhelming, especially when my list of places to go doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller.

Recently I was reading a lot about a new gem that opened up on College street so not only was I excited because it was close to work but the reviews sounded great.  On my list it went and instead of venturing out there 3 months down the road and thanks to a mother of a snow storm, I was able to test drive it sooner than later.  What better way to wait out being poured on with snow and warm up from the cold then with good old comforting Italian eats.

Briscola Trattoria is actually the new home the now closed  Cinq 01 which was getting a lot of buzz during TIFF 2010.  My work peeps and I even ventured out there a few times for after work drinks but for some reason it was always empty.   Now under the new management of night club kings Charles Khabouth (Ultra) and Toufik Sarwa (Amber), it’s been re-invented and recently opened its doors under the new name. 

The interior got a minor update with a new communal table  added to the back dining area for larger parties (very cute!), cozy and spacey booths and metal tables.  It’s the perfect setting for a night out with a group of people, a casual drink or a date.  Would love to see what this could become with a DJ at the back on the weekends!

 Front area with the bar

 Booth seating

 

 View of back dining area with communal table

The menu had a number of different options for each course and what was great about the mains was that they offered a small and large portion  The selection is made up of mainly Southern/rustic inspired Italian food.  Good selection of pastas and pizza all running in and around of $20.

The first thing I HAD to order was these Fried Artichokes with Saffron that I had read about a few times in some of the reviews.  They came out rather quickly and we pretty much devoured them - it was an interesting blend of textures with the fried outside but the soft/layered artichoke in the middle.  It came with a Pickled Chili Aioli dipping sauce which we of course wiped clean. 

Before I go on to our mains I do have to make this one note about waiters - what is the deal with giving the options of still or sparkling when I ask for a simple glass of water?  I always thought that unless specified when someone says "water please" they mean good ol' Toronto H2O.  No?  Maybe I'm wrong but dude got a crazy annoyed look when we had to specify.  Anyways.

Next on the menus were our mains - BK opted for the Eggplant Parmigiana with tomato sauce and Buffalo Mozzarella and I went for the Risotto ai Funghi - a mixture of wild woodland mushrooms finished with white truffle oil.  The only words that I could get out of my mouth were "Oh my god." and BK by said that it was by far "the best Eggplant Parmigiana she's ever had".  The tomato sauce on the eggplant tasted so fresh and the veggies were cooked to perfection.  The small serving was actually quite filling.  The risotto, oh the risotto - to die for.  It was creamy, soft and bursting at the seams with flavors of Italian cheese and fresh ground pepper.  I couldn't finish it even though I tried really hard to - filling but good to every last bite.

Another funny waiter story - so BK asked a question about the sides because they were pretty much all written in Italian and she quickly realized there was no bread option.  The waiter then said "oh but there's bread for the table, is that what you want?".  Um, doesn't bread for the table come BEFORE the appetizer?  Oh boy.

Since no meal for BK is complete without her dessert we had to opt for something sweet after all deliciousness.  We both went straight for the Perugia Chocolate Mousse-Cocoa Shortbread Crumble.  It was good but I could have used more shortbread crumble and less mousse. 

Another waiter story - we ordered our dessert from a waiter who wasn't our original, asked our bill from the guy that we think is the manager and then paid our bills with a waitress in training.  Interesting.

Overall great experience - would definitely go back and test out some of the other options although I don't know how I could not order that Risotto again.  The Mediterranean Sea Bass with clams, tomatoes, olives and black lentil ragout sounds divine and the Tagliarini tossed in a creamy Parmigiano Fonduta and finished al gratin is just what I need to kick my diet out the door.

Till Next Time!

Address: 501 College Street

Parking: Street parking or a paid lot right next to the place

Price: $$ - about $50 for a shared appy, main, shared dessert and glass of wine

Service: 6/10 - I think our waiter was on crack

Food:  8.5/10

Ambiance:  8/10

The Mad Italian

…he will not let me stick to my diet plan AT ALL! The Mad Italian Gelato Bar just opened its doors at College and Manning – literally down the street from where I work and I have no words how to describe how I can be beyond excited and scared all at the same time.

With over 40 different milk based gelato varieties and over 15 water based flavors – the combinations are ENDLESS. Not to mention the extremely courteous owner who comes straight from a family in Italy who have been in the gelato business for over 28 years in Rome. These people mean business. At $3.75 a pop for a two scoops of any flavor its worth every penny. They even have hand-made waffle cones for those who are feeling extra indulgent.

This lovely afternoon on the eve of yet another spring snowfall and I went for my classic combination of coconut and chocolate – the memories of Barcelona just came flooding back. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted any other chocolate ice-cream/gelato that was so rich in flavor. Of course to add more fuel to the fire, The Mad Italian also carries a wide variety of fresh baked goods like cookies, cake, biscotti and other lovely and delicious looking treats. I’ve also heard the cappuccino takes you straight into a little veranda in Italy – if only I enjoyed coffee.

Clearly there will be more experiments of different flavor combinations to come in the next few months so stay tuned. So far it’ll be hard to tear me away from my standard chocolate/coconut.

Address: 589 College Street
Parking: Street Parking available or just walk over like me…
Price: $
Service: 8.5/10
Food: 9/10
Ambience: 8/10

Who needs street meat anyways?

There’s nothing like a spicy Italian Sausage at the end of a long night of dancing and drinking - and I’m talking about the hot dog here people!

I went through a stage in life where this was my ritual of sorts – some people like Chinese food, others like Mickey D’s but I loved my street meat. I also discovered on numerous occasions that there’s something about having a pool of alcohol in your system before indulging which just helps to break it down and digest better. Sober street meat indulgence is not pretty.

So this past weekend I found myself doing “The Pretty Girl Rock” on the Thompson rooftop which I actually can’t wait to re-visit in the summer. It has the makings of those exclusive rooftops which are scattered all over the NYC nightlife scene. The place is definitely crawling with suits, people reeking of money and of course your standard overdressed, ill mannered, sour faced women. But that’s another story.

After one drink which felt like 5, we headed down to the lobby bar to grab a drink and obviously check out some of the talent when we both had a hankering for food. The Thompson also houses some pretty good options for dining – Wabora (Sushi - SO GOOD), Scarpetta (Italian) and The Counter which is a 24 hour diner offering some tasty late night delights. “A modern twist on the classic diner”.

We opted for the Double Mac n’ Cheese with Cured Pancetta Crisp and Truffle Oil and a Side of Fries with a Spicy Chipotle dipping sauce

And I thought street meat was a heavy after bar meal???  Although the Mac and Cheese was a creamy heaven and the dipping sauce was to die for, I was definitely paying for it the next morning.  Would highly recommend sharing the mac and cheese and definitely downing a lot of water.  The fries were nothing to write home about.  What I did love about this place though was the atmosphere.  For all you Waterloo readers – it was like a fancier and more sophisticated version of Mel’s Diner.  Loved it.

Address:  550 Wellington Street  West

Parking:  Plenty of street parking

Food:  7.5/10

Ambience 8.5/10

Service 8/10

ROTD - Sausage Cacciatore

See..I don't lie, I told you guys this Recipe of the "day" wouldn't necessarily be an accurate description!

On a day like today when the only word to describe the weather is miserable, the few things I crave are my warm blanket, a big glass of wine and comfort food to soothe the soul.  An obvious choice is any kind of pasta dish - its easy, you can use pretty much any ingredients and you can be pretty creative.

I came across this great recipe from Canadian Living, one of my favourite resources for recipes and tried it out tonight to warm up this cold and disgusting day.  This recipe is pretty simple and you can speed up the process of you're a good multi-tasker and can do more than one thing at a time ;)

Servings - Makes 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
1 onion thinly sliced
1 sweet green pepper sliced
2 cups mushrooms quartered
2 carrots sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can of tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 lean Italian sausages
4 cups rotini pasta
1/4 cup Romano cheese

Directions:
In a saucepan heat oil over medium heat and fry onion, green pepper, mushrooms, carrots, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper until mushroom liquid is evaporated - about 8 minutes.

Add tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile prick the sausages all over with a fork, in a skillet, cook the sausages over medium/high heat, turning occasionally until no longer pink inside - about 10 minutes.
Drain on paper towels, slice thinly and add to tomato mixture.  Simmer until thickened and bubbly - about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large pot of boiling water cook pasta until tender but firm.
Add to sauce and toss.  Serve sprinkled with  Romano cheese.

Substitutions and changes:
Instead of using a can of tomatoes I used diced tomatoes, made it less chunky.  I used Longo's HOT Italian pork sausages and actually cut them first and then fried them.   The recipe and amounts above are for four servings but I only made two and basically cut all the measurements in half which worked perfectly. 

The result?  An extremely flavourful dish with the perfect kick.  2 servings was MORE than enough.  I had plenty for dinner and enough left over for lunch.  Enjoy!