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| - **2.5 stars
Alright, I'm going to be totally honest and say it was the service and atmosphere that really made the experience...
Dined here for the first time for a friend's birthday along with 10 other people on a Tuesday night. I was surprised to see the restaurant was packed from 7pm right up until closing time. This place is very cozy (in a good way) and great ambiance with the table top candles and dim lighting. I would say a smart casual outfit would do here, by night.
I do love Italian food. But because it is quite mainstream in Toronto, I have been blessed with the privilege to have had dined in quite many other Italian restaurants (good thing) to provide a fair opinion. Thus, I am a little picky (not so good thing). Staying true to the culture, the menu is categorized to separate the antipasti, pasta, risotto, secondi, and pizza... all consisting a wide selection. Of course, I took forever to decide...
Calamari Sofia: $12.50 (2/5 stars)
Meh... standard pricing for the portion. Don't let the description of being served with grilled oyster mushrooms fool you. There were barely any. If you didn't know it was supposed to be there, you would miss it all together... especially in the dim lighting. Although perfectly cooked, it was served slightly on the warm side. Very... bland and uninspiring. Perhaps the grilled cali would've been much better.
Carpaccio La Vecchia: $12.50 (3/5 stars)
I've only had a sample. But it's your standard carpaccio with a touch of lemon, s&p, and truffle. Can't really go wrong.
Zuppa del Giorno: $7.50 (4/5 stars)
It was cream of Spinach that night, and what do you know? This was the star of the night for me (aside from the vino, of course)! Very basic pureed spinach seasoned perfectly!
Linguini Calamarati: $17.50 (3/5 stars)
Judging only by taste, I would probably give this a 2, but it's only $17.50!! Where else will you find a good portion of fresh pasta with all the seafood for this price?! Half a dozen of shrimp, 8 mussels, calamari all tossed in a garlic olive oil with a white kidney beans. But honestly, little too many beans and really- quite BLAND in taste.
Pasta del Giorno: $?? (3/5 stars)
That night featured a potato gnocchi with chicken tossed in a pesto cream sauce. Very good portion and I must say the flavour was much more bold than anything else I've had that night. However, the shredded chicken was very limited.
Service: 5/5 stars
You can hire servers, but you can't hire personality! I believe his name is Alex. Our party was late for our reso, but he was patient the whole time. Very knowledgeable of the food menu as well as the wine. The food all arrived at the same time with the perfect timing in between courses. Quality checks right on time, and wine pouring and water refills were done throughout the night silently. The server assistant was great too! We were greeted goodbyes with just as much enthusiasm as we were first approached. Alex is definitely an asset!
I've learned that this place has been around for 18 years, and the exec chef and sous have not changed. Neither have the recipes. I guess this explains the traditional dishes and flavours. Unfortunately, this is not a restaurant i would necessarily revisit. I would have to say it's not the best restaurant if you want something inspiring, unique, and bold flavoured, there are many other places for that. But If you're not too picky like I am, and seek a nice restaurant with very homely flavours at a fair price, this is the place! Remember to make resos!
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