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| - The highlight of a Summer night outing
In all aspects of life, one takes comfort in relying on excellent purveyors, service providers and restaurateurs. L'unita is such an establishment which can be counted on to be the torchbearer for hearty, unpretentious Italian cuisine in our fair city. There are few other Italian restos that have been as consistent over nearly a decade as this wildly popular Av & Dav Mecca. For us, L'Unita represented the ideal dining experience whereas Il Fornaro, also on Avenue Rd., was the nightmarish opposite.
Great food coupled with poor service can suck all the joy out of dining out. However, at L'unita you'll find the service standard equal to everything coming out of the kitchen. John, our server, exemplifies intelligent, polite, unobtrusive yet always present when needed level of service. The simplest, and yet often missed, an indicator of attentiveness is on how timely a basis water glasses are filled. No need to ask here as it was replenished with nary a mention from me.
Two of us begin with the Lamb Spiedini (skewers) on an apricot conserve and a gremolata of fresh mint. In presentation, taste and portion size one couldn't find a fault with this app. The lamb was tender and incredibly tasty, with the apricot and mint complementing and enhancing the dish.
While one chose the Cucumber and Strawberry Salad w watercress, arugula, poppy seeds and Parmigiano. Which they rated as quite good and delicious, what more could you ask for?
The three of us unanimously and without too much discussion hone in on the Grilled Albacore Tuna sided with green beans, summer radish, smoked potatoes & tonnato sauce. Thank goodness we did. Soon after our plates arrive the table fell silent and the only audible sound were quiet moans of culinary joy. We were in agreement that this was probably the best Tuna dish we have had in our collective dining lives.
How does one equal, never mind top, such an outstanding three-star main course? By employing an immensely talented pastry chef.
For dessert, everyone picked a different offering which covered the whole menu.
One opted for the Espresso Panna Cotta with chocolate mascarpone, amaretto caramel & coffee crumble. While the quantity on the plate seemed modest they needed "my help" to finish the dish. The rich, smooth and wonderfully rendered dessert left us with a smile of satiated joy.
The other diner was drawn to the Vanilla Pound Cake with lemon curd and miniature meringues. An attractive plate garnished with fresh mint leaves managed to balance sweet and tart nicely.
I chose the slightly restrained but no less satisfying Goat's Cheese with an ash rind accompanied by a peach marmalade, wildflower honey and crostini. The cheese was served at the right temperature, critical to really appreciating its strong lingering flavour, and the desired sharpness contrasted beautifully by the marmalade and incredible honey sourced from a local apiary.
By omission and certainly not intentionally it has been five years since my last meal at L'Unita. I have no intent on waiting for another five to repeat such a pleasurable dining experience.
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