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| - Taverna Mercatto is conveniently located near the Delta Toronto hotel in the Entertainment District of Downtown Toronto.
For drinks, we shared two Moosehead Radler on draught. This is the first time I've heard of blending beer with grapefruit juice. I liked how it was sweet, light, refreshing and surprisingly not sour or tart. I sampled the Blackthorn Cider but felt it was too dry and strong for me.
For lunch, we ordered a variety - Spiedini (appetizer), Pesce (fish entree), Chitarrine E Vongole (pasta), and Margherita Pizza (pizza). All the dishes were delicious in their own way.
My mom ordered the Spiedini, which consisted of grilled octopus on top of fregola (pasta resembling Israeli couscous), panna fresca (Italian cream), tomato, and olive tapenade.
My dad ordered the Margherita Pizza, which consisted of buffalo mozzarella, sprigs of basil, and San Marzano tomato sauce. We liked how it wasn't too cheesy.
My brother ordered the Chitarrine E Vongole, which consisted of fresh squid ink pasta, topped with savory clams, guanciale (cured meat), and bone marrow pangratatto, and garnished with sliced chili peppers. We liked garlicky and savory aroma and taste of the dish.
I ordered the Pesce, which consisted of Arctic Char served over roasted vegetables (e.g., cauliflower, fingerlings, escarole) and chopped almonds in a lemon vinaigrette. The fish was tender, skin was crispy, and the vegetables were cooked to perfection and quite flavorful.
It was probably my favorite meal from this Toronto trip.
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