Campagnolo has been on my list of places to eat for
months. After being on every “Top
Restaurant” list that the city puts out including Canada’s 50 Best Restaurants,
there was no way I couldn’t try out this place and it had to be soon. Thank god for my lovely friend SB for
suggesting it instantly when we were trying to figure out a place to go eat
good food and catch up. The owner apparently
created the concept as an homage to his nonna’s Venetian cooking keeping all
aspects of the food and drink, simple, authentic and ridiculously tasty. This lovely little gem is located at the North
East corner of Dundas and Euclid and is only open for dinner 5 days a
week. Reservations are HIGHLY
recommended.
The restaurant itself is very cozy with printed wall paper,
wood ceilings, booth seating and dim lighting.
You walk in and the place may seem empty but within minutes there is not
one vacant seat. The wait-staff is super attentive and friendly
and I love how the bend down to be at eye level when speaking with you.
Appetizer: Fresh
Burrata Cheese with Roasted Grapes and Toasted Bread
Mains: House-Made
Spaghetti All’Amatricana and Wild Boar, Spare Rib, Meatball and Tripe Ragu with
Soft Polenta
Dessert: Salted
Caramel Budino – pudding with crunchy toffee chocolate bits
I don’t’ think my pictures or description will do it justice
but I literally wanted to lick my plate clean.
The Burrata appetizer was a plate of fluffy, cloud like cheese spread
over toasted bread and drizzled with olive oil and toasted grapes. The saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness
of the grapes was the ultimate combination.
I probably could have easily ate two of these servings on my own. Great sharing plate though.
I ate EVERY bite of the Spaghetti. The sauce was fresh, you could taste the
delicate herbs, it had a bit of kick to it which I loved and had small tender
bits of pork which weren’t overwhelming as you at but added an amazing texture
and saltiness to the dish. Simple is
sometimes clearly the way to go. The
Wild Boar dish was quite heavy and was A LOT of food but again, you just wanted
to eat EVERYTHING. One thing I will say (also because I asked)
this place is probably not extremely vegetarian friendly as they won’t accommodate
adjustments. There are two veggie options and one fish option on the menu. Most of
my friends are not big meat eaters and will usually stick to chicken which is
hardly on the menu so unless you’re willing to expand your meat eating
horizons, this may not be the place to dine.
The dessert. Good god
the dessert. I basically told the waiter
that I work down the street and that he may find me at the bar during the week
just having this dessert. Whoever
decided to mix salt and caramel is a genius.
The pudding was sweet no doubt but I have a big sweet tooth and didn’t
mind at all. The crunchy and light
toffee/chocolate wafers also added the perfect texture to the dish.
Bottom line – don’t come here if you’re scared of meat or paying
for amazing tasting food. Who wants to
go again???
832 Dundas Street West
416-364-4785