| rev:text
| - Lessons learned:
1. Order a variety of foods if you can afford it - much to offer here, but any individual dish probably won't leave a deep impression especially as you weep over the $30+ you just spent on the tiny portions.
2. Order a pasta main. The pastas looked amazing. I was a village fool for not caving to herd mentality.
3. Not very vegetarian-friendly at all especially if you don't eat seafood either. Options do exist, i.e. basic pizzas, but why even come here.
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Came here for a chef's table experience on date night and was mildly disappointed by the food and ambiance, but perhaps my expectations were set too high after reading about how Buca Yorkville is currently one of the best Italian restaurants in Toronto :P
Food- 3/5. I'm not super Italian food saavy at all since I usually eat like a vegan and rarely eat pasta or pizza (love both but trying not to overindulge regularly), but have been to a good number of Italian restaurants around Toronto and sampled enough times from my carb- and Italian-loving partner's plates that I can say that I was a fool for not ordering a conventional carb-heavy Italian entree (i.e. pasta) at Buca. I was told the pastas here are the highlights... FML. Instead I went for the Salumi Di Mare (cured fish plate), which is more of an appetizer than a main since portion size is small and not that filling despite being protein heavy. The plate comes with squid ink bread (delicious!!!) and a seasonal preserve sauce. My partner ordered the vegetarian and very basic Burrata pizza, which looked huge, but tasted only a-ok. We shared the Insalata Invernale (not vegan since has goat cheese), which was a small, bitter salad, but fascinating! I actually recommend this salad - the bitterness of the radicchio leaves were perfectly balanced by the sweetened Bartlett pear bits.
Value- 3.5/5. For a fancier place, the prices were very standard, i.e. carb-based entrees high teens-$30. Pricier than say, Gusto 101 (better food IMO), but won't put you in the red as long as you stay away from ordering alcohol or animal protein entrees. Small portion sizes, so treat it like tapas-style, which is probably better for sampling all the flavors Buca has to offer too.
Service- 3/5. Friendly, standard, but slow.
Venue- 3/5. Can be hard to find since the entrance is actually not that big or grand looking and tucked away under a condo. Crowded and loud inside since so popular. It was difficult to hear my partner without leaning in... Ayyyy good date spot ;) There is no pressure to dress up by the way - saw a variety of attire.
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