THE CITY IS MINE: Campagnolo

It was a bold statement. I knew it the minute it came out of my mouth but it was true and I couldn’t deny it. I had just had the BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE. Crazy right? Maybe I was still hazy from the "out of this world" meal I just had but the fact is that I’m still thinking and talking about it.

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.

I had read a blog a while ago where they spoke so highly of their Spaghetti that I already knew going in that I had to have it. So on the menu for this evening was:

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.