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| - Does anyone else know about Bar Salumi?? I was so pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across it tonight on Queen West.
My friend and I were perusing the area for a small bite and first approached Local Kitchen and Wine Bar just 3 doors west of Bar Salumi. Since there was a 30 minute wait for a table, owner Michael recommended we sit at Bar Salumi in the meantime. Bar Salumi and Local are owned by the same two guys - Michael and Fabio. Because Local has become a popular spot since it opened two years ago, the two opened up Bar Salumi: a tapas style bar where their guest could go and enjoy cocktails and apps while waiting for a table at Local Kitchen and Wine Bar. Brilliant.
The scene: small space with big character. Homemade tomato sauce and preserves line the top shelving along the bar. Cured cuts of prosciutto, chili peppers and onions hang from the ceiling, juxtaposed with crystal chandeliers. The food is served on beautiful, raw 2" thick cross-sections of an old maple.
The menu: delicious cheese plates, sardines, olives, cured prosciutto (sliced right off the cuts hanging from the ceiling - did I mention it's local?), and pizza. This pizza is good. And I mean REALLY good. I would say it's on par (if not better than) Pizzeria Libretto's or Terroni, but the topping selection isn't as superior. The owners do not encourage their patrons to make adaptations to the menu options, so in order for us to have some of that delicious prosciutto on our pizza we had to order the plate of it and add it ourselves. But let's be serious, who wouldn't want to order just a pile of shaved prosciutto as an app?! ($8)
Honourable Mentions:
- homemade sauces and preserves used in their dishes
- reclaimed wood used around the space
- delicious Aperol Spritz
http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/opening-daily-dish/2010/09/27/introducing-bar-salumi-an-aperitif-bar-by-the-owners-of-local-kitchen/
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