An Unforgettable Evening at Zafferano Ristorante…read more Last night, we had the pleasure of celebrating two of our family members at Zafferano Ristorante. Although we're not from Toronto and had never been to this restaurant before, our friends had booked a large section of the venue for over 30 guests--so we really didn't know what to expect. What followed was nothing short of amazing. We started the evening with some beautifully crafted cocktails. The drinks were delicious, and our waiter was quick to offer creative twists on our usual favourites--setting the tone for the night ahead. When it came time to sit down for dinner, the experience only got better. They kept bringing out plate after plate until we could barely move! The food was phenomenal: every dish was full of flavour, perfectly served at the right temperature, and visually stunning. A special shoutout to our waiter, Alex. He was outstanding--attentive without being intrusive, always ensuring our glasses were full and that every new course arrived with perfect timing. It was an incredible night and the perfect way to kick off our vacation. We left with full stomachs, happy hearts, and memories we'll talk about for a long time.

Had the pleasure of dining at Zafferano last night. Upscale Italian restaurant with attentive…read moreservice. The meal kicked off with some nice warm, bread that was crusty on the outside and moist on the inside. We shared a few appetizers including Burratina, Gnocco Frito, and Margharita Pizza. The pizza had a nice mildly spicy sauce which made for a very delicious pizza. The Gnocco was fried pizza dough balls with garlic, Parmesan and a drizzle of honey. It normally comes with Prosciutto but we ordered it without to make it vegetarian. The mix of flavours was really unique and delicious. The Burrata was good but the other two appetizers stood out more. For entrees, we had the Spaghetti Genovese and the Stuffed Gnocchi. Both were excellent. Highly recommend this place.

A lively tratorria with positive energy…read more One of the better wood oven pizzas I've had in Toronto. Not overly doughy with a crisp base, ample crust and quality ingredients. I had the Quattro Stella, mushrooms, artichoke, prosciutto cotto and olives. My wife, from Rome, went with a white pizza, BORGORICCO. Burrata, zucchini, cherry tomato & mozzarella. It looked amazing, sadly she refused to share but she did rave about it after. Drink wise we kept it simple with a glass of Valpolicella Ripasso and prosecco. For dessert we split a tiramisu. This was more of a sponge cake version, good for what it was. Friendly and knowledgeable service. Prices were fairly standard and acceptable for the quality. Look forward to returning to try some of the other items on their inviting menu. Who am I kidding I'm sure I'll end up having the pizza again, it was that good.

My partner and I cane here for my birthday dinner. We shared the foccacia, bolognese, and mushroom…read moregnocchi. The foccacia was fresh and tasty but a bit too hard for me. What stood out for us was the delicious gnocchi- it was so chewy and the cream sauce wasn't too heavy. The bolognese was also good. Service was pleasant and the server checked in frequently but I think it could have been warmer. The restaurant feels quite upscale with a dark ambience.

A local friend brought us to Farro Ristorante for lunch one weekend, and we really enjoyed our…read moreexperience there! The restaurant usually closes for special celebrations/events during the day on weekends, so we were very grateful that they could accommodate us this one-time :) The service was A+, very friendly and welcoming host and servers. I absolutely loved the soup of the day: Minestrone. It was so hearty, delicious and filled with so much ingredients. The beet salad with arugula and feta cheese was delicious. The Genoa pizza was nice and thin, and loaded with pesto, pine nuts, chicken, mushrooms and cheeses. I would definitely come back to try more items on the menu (I'm eye that risotto our friend was having that day lol). Can't wait to come back!

We came here for our anniversary and it was simply delightful! I ordered the Quattro Pizza, wife…read moregot the lamb shank, and ordered the seafood pasta for the 4 year old (thinking we were set for the week). My pizza was decent, but the wife's lamb shank was extremely tender and rich. Couldn't really evaluate the seafood pasta....but it seemed pretty good as our kid killed the entire order. The tiramisu was really really good, but what really was impressive was the ambiance and the service. Staff was so friendly and very very attentive....though quite possibly just taken back by our kid's appetite.

I love their decor and the fact that their whole kitchen was right there so you can see the staff…read morecook. I had really high expectations for this place but it was just mid. Their service was amazing and they did try to accommodate even though their menu clearly states "any modifications to dishes are strongly discouraged". I get it, but if there are ingredients that my pallet doesn't agree with, changes will be requested. That said, I had linguine allo scoglio without the mussels and I wasn't wowed. It was very average. We also ordered the rigatoni bolognese and it was also very average. It was a nice to try.

TLDR: I will be dreaming about the carpaccio for many years to come…read more Longer version: Great atmostphere with solid service and fully reasonable prices. I had the carpaccio and octopus and for me, I would order that carpaccio for just myself next time. I do not want to share. I also had the spaghetti blu mare, which was a totally unique dish if a little odd looking. I enjoyed the soft prawns and the hint of lime was also a delight.

I'm loving the atmosphere in here. Casual Fine Dining, I think they call it. We need more…read morerestaurants like this.... that serve more than just Italian Food. OsteriaCT is in the heart of downtown, just a few steps away from the Core. It's neighbour, La Bettola De Terroni (also own by Terroni et al.) is a bar/loungey feel, with a very similar daily menu and the added bonus of pizzas. Thursday night at OsteriaCT was bustling. The menu has variety and well priced (except some tricky math...), except a bit confusing (as was the bill later). It says (per person): 5 Antipasti ($15) 5 Antipasti + Primo ($23) 5 Antipasti + Secondi ($28) 5 Antipasti + Primo + Secondi ($35) In the menu, you will see: - the Antipasti for the day. There are no prices. You get all or you get none. - Primos (Pastas) for ($15, except one for $12) - Secondis (Main Dishes, meats and such) for ($15) There are also specials for $22/$28 on the wall, that include the 5 Antipasti If you break this all down, essentially your best deal is the last Full combo, getting the Antipasti + a Beet Salad for free. If you're getting Primo, you're paying an extra $8 (instead of $15) If you're getting Secondi, you're paying and extra $9 If you're getting both, you're paying an extra $5 At first I was annoyed by the math in all this, and we decided to be cheap and order only 3 combos for the table, and share the Antipastis. I take this back after they came, because they were quite yummy. I might even say better than my Primo. Well worth the extra $8. And you won't want to share. I also feared the portions will be tiny, especially since I"ve been to other restaurants and they take the Primo part of it seriously. I was pleasantly surprised when it was somewhere in between, and because it was pasta, quite filling. I would recommend getting a Secondi, only if you're planning on sharing with one or two other people. You want room for dessert! Our server was okay. She wasn't super friendly, and I felt she was a little cold and condescending, but it wasn't anything either way. She spoke fast, explaining to us how the menu worked, and when taking our order, assumed everyone will get getting the Antipasti. I got the Orecchiette with Rapini, Anchovies, Chilli + Garlic. Since on the menu they had a Spelt Orecchiette for another dish, I asked if I can substitute. I was given a blunt "No" and an annoyed look. I gave an equally annoyed look back when I realized that these dishes are either premixed (unlikely) or made in huge batches (more likely, but why not just do another pasta? I'd pay extra). It was an instant minus-one-star moment for me. My pasta was yummy, but some of the pieces slightly too al dente. My boyfriend's Gnocchi in Lamb Ragu was over powered in Cheese flavour, less of the Lamb. Good, but disappointing. Maybe it was the Bread Gnocchi instead of the potato. My cousin ordered the full deal and we got to try the Mung Fish... or wait, was it Munk Fish? (probably) Sitting on top of fennel and olives, and hidden under a pile of shave onion that looks like bonito flakes, were 2 small pieces. Flavourful for sure, but a small ratio between fish and the rest.. For dessert we shared the decadent flourless chocolate cake $9) covered with zabaione (which I learnt is egg yolk+sugar). It's made "especially for you", says the menu - as opposed to everything else.... The olive oil sponge cake was something different ($8) with white chocolate butter cream. We found the butter cream a bit too artificial tasting, but the cake itself was moist and sweet. Perhaps I haven't had Italian food in a long time, and although it used to be my favourite, I've come to realize that ingredients are really basic, but methods and techniques are something to appreciate. The pastas shouldn't cost more than $15 a person, and that's what they do here. With no wine, and dessert it came to about $30-35 per person including taxes and tip. ---- Overall, 4 stars for food taste, prices and quality. Minus one star for the bumps along the way. I recommend the place for groups or a casual meal after work. note: they change their menu everyday, however, I'm looking at it now at the menu dated for March 17th and it does look really similar to last night (March 24th)with a few exceptions. I'm just saying.

I pass by this place every now and then and it is always packed, not surprising as Terroni seems to…read morehave a handle on Italian food establishments all over the city and the location is quite central. Reservation was via open table though it will show up under Le Bettola Osteria. For starters they don't have the prix fix menu anymore. Never mind they have combined the menu of both spots so one can order things from both sides. I was a bit early so went through it again as had to rethink what to order. After a bit of contemplating we settled on ordering Burrata cheese pizza as an app to share I ordered a halibut for the main. My friend ordered a pesto pasta. We were given some good bread to start with a nice olive oil for dipping. Good start. The Burrata pizza is served with cold topping and was good. Then the wait started even though we were checked on regularly there was no sign of the main courses. Halibut though cooked well was nothing special. Not much seasoning which is fine but the sides could have elevated this dish a bit. I did taste the pasta and being my jaded self when it comes to pasta dishes didn't care for it much. For what one pays here I would say I expect better. 2.5 stars.

Now I only tried the spinach pasta but damn, it was so good I just had to rave to you about it!…read morePlenty of ingredients, great flavour of dressing without being too salty or oily, and a good portion size. The service was also excellent and speedy.

Came here for a weekday dinner with some friends. Luckily we had a reservation as it was quite…read morebusy. We ordered calamari to share and I got the Avellino pasta as my main. The calamari was very good but I wasn't a fan of the pasta. It didn't have much flavour and there was too much olive oil sitting at the bottom of the plate. However I think my friends enjoyed their dishes better.

Located near Hwy 7 and Pine Valley on Whitmore, The Hot Pepper or Peperoncino definitely brings the…read moreheat when it comes to home cooked Italian eats - Mamma Mia!! Everything fresh and made to order, how could you ever go wrong, especially with a giant wood burning pizza oven in the back. I was trying to be healthy last week when I paid them a visit, I really was. I went in there saying to myself "Ok, Kris, you're gonna get a soup, a salad and a protein and then you are leaving... leaving! Don't you dare look at the pizza or pasta. You'll hate yourself later you know you will!!!" ....but then my other side, let's call him Fat Evil Kris, goaded me and said "Hey, a soup is fine, but CAM'AN, you can have a little pizza, who would know, I won't tell. And besides look at that little Italian lady making the dough with her bare hands - do you want to hurt her feelings? Go on, have a pizza, you know you wannnnt it" That damn Fat Evil Kris, always gets the better of me - bastard. I had my straccitella (egg drop) soup, yeah it was massive, and delicious and so hot that I burned my mouth, SO WHAT. It was amazing and I ate every bite - ya wanna fight about it? And then, Yeah, I had a pizza. Not a slice, or a small. I whole GODDAMN Calabrese pizza, with gorgonzola cheese, roasted red peppers and soprasatta (think long slice of hot salami)! And THEN I doused the whole thing in their home made red hot spicy peppers in OIL! It burned, I ate it all, SO WHAT? You wanna fight about it!?!?!? OK so maybe I've got a little Hot Pepper in me, since a visit here seemed to bring about an internal battle between good and evil (evil winning) and a little bit of attitude to boot, but it was just so good! My ONLY gripe (and likely made worse by how hungry I was) was the speed of service. Three tables and myself dining at lunch and my lunch took nearly 90 minutes from order to bill payment. No problem for a Friday/Saturday night but no bueno for a workday at lunch. Overall, a good meal, and amazing lunch specials if you're looking for a good deal on a ton of food! Eatcrest Out! You wanna fight about it?!?!?!?!?!

Came here for lunch today and tried the lunch special for $14.95. The lunch menu wasn't given to us…read moreuntil we asked for it, but it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't busy for lunch, and I believe the owner was serving us. To be completely honest, the star of this restaurant was the Mozzarella sticks starter. It was AMAZING. The perfect amount of crunch that I didn't expect to enjoy. I believe it is actually listed as Mozzarella and Anchovies on the menu, but my friend and I just asked for the Mozzarella. Still amazing. The lunch menu came with a mixed or ceaser salad. I ordered the mixed salad, and it came mixed with the dressing for you. Definitely appreciated and tasted great. We didn't even finish a quarter of our pasta because we were so stuffed from the mozzarella sticks and salad! We packed it up, but this place is definitely worth a visit. For two people, the lunch menu and mozerella sticks came up to just over $45 after taxes.

Paese has stayed on my to try list for a while. I finally get to have dinner here while searching…read morefor restaurants with tables available on spot. There were only a few groups of customers when we arrive, so it was a quiet and relaxed place perfect for chatting. The waitress was friendly as well. The food was with okay but not wowing quality at very reasonable price ($30-$40 per person). For dinner, we ordered Caesar salad and crispy mushroom as appetizers. The salad has very light dressing. The crispy mushroom is flavourful and served with a creamy and spicy sauce. For mains, we tried both the Rigatoni salsiccia and chicken breast pasta. The sausage in Rigatoni salsiccia tastes a bit old and the sauce is spicy. The chicken breast pasta is not bad and is again with lighter flavour. Overall, this is a restaurant I'd consider when I'm looking for simple food and a place good for chatting or spacing out.

Going to work used to involve going south on Bathurst or Dufferin. If I chose to take Bathurst,…read morePaese would be a restaurant that I would pass by. Paese would stick out because going down Bathurst from Vaughan to Allen Rd, there's just no fancy restaurants along the way. For that reason, I've always been curious about Paese. Through coincidence, I had to drop off something to a relative in the area with my older one, which presented me the opportunity to give Paese a try during Summerlicious week. While the value is there purely because of Summerlicious, the quality of food and service is not in sync with the normal prices charged. I'm not saying the service was not polite, but it was definitely not professional enough for a higher end restaurant. I'll share some examples as I go along. The prix fixe courses started with a salmon tartar and my son's deep fried oyster mushroom. Deep fried mushroom is probably not something I would order out, unless it came as a piece from a tempura dish at a Japanese restaurant. I do have to say the mushroom was the best dish out of everything we tried during the evening. The batter was light and although the seasoning was simple, it did its job. Sadly, i couldn't say the same about the vegan lime aioli which tasted like tartar sauce. It just did not pair well with the mushroom. Salmon tartare was disappointing as the taste of capers dominated the whole thing. The whole thing was too sour for my personal taste. Before our starters were done, the server ushered in the main dishes. Why would they do such a thing without asking the patrons? And when the server saw my son's unfinished plate of mushroom, he asked if he can take it away (half of the mushrooms were still there). Wouldn't it make more sense to ask if we are still working on it or whether we preferred it packed away? A critical error that was made was when my son ordered his steak. The server didn't even bother to ask how he would like the steak done. Is it because he's a kid, he doesn't get a choice? Disappointingly the steak came out well done. The salsa verde which we enjoyed salvaged the steak, but I could also tell that they used a significantly inferior piece of meat. The salmon con miele was ok, but it is leaning closer to the overcooked side of the spectrum. There was nothing special about the dish at all. I wouldn't say it would be significantly better than what I can do at home (not that I'm an exceptional cook). Dessert was decent. Nothing jumped off the page. Sticky toffee pudding has never been my cup of tea. So all I can say is, it's too sweet for my liking. The coconut pie is ok. The coconut flavours were mainly engineered from the shredded coconut. All in all, an unmemorable dinner that I definitely wouldn't pay full prices for.