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| - The gals and I had much to celebrate this past week and we met up at Nodo, a new Italian hotspot in Toronto's Juntion neighbourhood. I liked the French country décor....but wasn't this an Italian restaurant? Whatever. It was a warm and welcoming atmosphere right upon entry.
I joined my girlfriends, who were already mid-update and snacking on what I think were pickled or soured navy beans (Is it a French thing? I'll have to check), and sliced baguettes with olive oil. I loved how the table was casually dressed in a simple and elegant way.
Three out of the four of us ordered that night's special, which was a veal chop with potato "cubes" resting on a bed of rapini and asparagus. Tan ordered the braised beef with vegetables. All plates were a very good size, very well presented and paired well with our wine. (And Barb's preferred mixed drinks :-)
Nodo's chop was a chop all right. And a good-looking one, too. I cut myself a piece from the generous portion and thought about the bite as I chewed. (What I call the "Ratatouille Moment.") Not as crispy as my university-friend's version, but tasty. Truthfully, I found it a little on the salty side and it was an active explosion of flavours when paired with the bitterness of rapini and strong taste of asparagus, but when I asked my two friends (who also ordered the chop) one said: "A teensy bit salty, but very good," and the other replied "I'd like to marry the chef."
It's funny how we all taste our food differently.
In my opinion, the birthday dessert of handmade cannoli were the star of show (Happy Birthday, Tan!), and after one bite, I don't recall EVER eating one that good. The outside was fried and crispy, and the cheese on the inside was rich, creamy, a little tangy (yum) and I probably could have had more than just one.
Ambience? Great. It was a cold and Thursday night and the place was full, warm and buzzing. Folks were still walking in when we were leaving. It wasn't too loud, it wasn't too dark and the place had great energy. Our handsome European server was attentive and the host (Giancarlo?) was happy give our favourite Event Planner a small tour of the private dining room that, although is in the restaurant's basement, was bright, warm and perfect for large dinners and small parties. By the way, the restaurant seemsnon-descript from the outside....but it's surprisingly big on the inside.
While my dinner of choice may have been salty to me this first time around, I plan to go back and try another.
What an awesome addition to Dundas West in the Junction. I'll see you all there again soon.
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