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| - I have passed by Vagabondo many times, and I finally got to dine here. It is located close to the St. Lawrence Market. The decor is trendy, they played a good mix of music, and have "party rooms" that are separated with red curtains.
Parking is validated which is a big bonus for downtown! After we were seated we were kept waiting for awhile before the server came to check on us. They have a summer prix fixe menu of four courses for $35. The portions were more generous than I anticipated.
First course: Feta Bruschetta on toasted Calabrese baguette served with garlic and olive oil, topped with fresh tomatoes and feta cheese. The tomatoes were fresh, and the feta cheese was divine. Tres yummy!
*NB* This was infinitely better than the bread basket they brought out. The bread basket was stale, and the bread was cold. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil are available at the table.
Second Course: Insalata Estate with mixed greens, strawberries, slivered almonds, goat cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette. Can you believe I was already starting to get full by the second course? This salad is the same as an entrée sized Spinach Salad at Milestone's. I loved the strawberries and goat's cheese. However, the raspberry vinaigrette was too overpowering. My word of advice - ask for the dressing on the side!
Third Course: Vitello a la Romana which is a tender provimi veal with fresh garlic, baby arugula and white wine topped with fresh slices of shaved parmesan. It is served with steamed vegetables and potatoes. The dish was swimming in oil! The parmesan cheese was WAYYYY too salty, and the vegetables were bland. The potatoes however, were quite savoury.
Fourth Course: Strawberry Cheesecake served with a chocolate drizzle. I absolutely adored the cinnamon cheesecake base. The cheesecake was quite tasty, although I found it to have a "chalky" consistency. That didn't prevent me from devouring the entire slice, whipped cream and all!
In addition to the summer fixe menu I also ordered a grilled calamari that was slightly burnt, served on a bed of mixed greens. If I had known the generous portion sizes of the summer fixe menu I would've passed on ordering another appetizer. Again, a generous portion of calamari showed up on my plate.
I also got to sample the Pizza Della Nonna, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, green olives, pepperoni and mushrooms. It was a thin crust pizza that was delicious. I did notice that some parts of the crust were burnt.
The cheese ravioli was also quite tasty, although the cheese again had a "chalky" consistency to it. I think the primary suspects in both the cheese ravioli and cheesecake chalky-ness was ricotta cheese!
A bottle of E.J. Gallo White Zinfandel was ordered for the table. It rang in at $37 for the bottle.
Verdict:
At the end of the day with tax and tip the bill came to $470 for our party of 8. A few things I noticed was that the bread basket came out after our appetizers arrived, the servers didn't know who ordered what when the courses were brought to the table (we all had to raise our hands like roll call in primary school to claim our dishes) and there was a delay in the offering of parmesan cheese and ground pepper when the mains were brought out. Positive things were that our water glasses were constantly replenished, and the hostess did a little something special for the birthday girl's dessert.
Vagabondo is a nice place to go to for a private dining area, and its complimentary parking. The ambiance and music make it a trendy restaurant. I am definitely keeping this on my list of places to book a party at. That and it is in close proximity to Pravda Vodka Bar in case you want to have an after party ;)
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