BUCA BUCA BUCA!

 I am just beyond excited to post about BUCA Restaurant in Toronto! I have been DYING to go here and my I was finally dazzled by all that BUCA has to offer!

A new addition to Toronto's restaurant scene, and voted one of EnRoute's top 10 new restaurants in Canada, BUCA has taken Toronto by storm - booked solid! I luckily squeezed in last Thursday with over a week's notice for a reservation! Someone must be doing something right!

BUCA is just off King St. (at Portland Ave) down a little alleyway in a historic building's old boiler room. The space is incredibly cool, fitting right into the King St. vibe! Old wooden tables, a glass wine cellar, open concept kitchen, brick walls and hanging lumieres give the space a beautiful rustic feel. We were seated right in front of the fabulous wine cellar and our server was just excellent. The speed of the service was impeccable, and a relaxing 2 hour dinner just somehow flew by!

Before we even opened the menu for the food we saw the "date stamp," it has each day in order to incorporate the daily specials into the menu! Very cool. The menu is edgy Italian. The usual meats and cheeses to start, very simple fresh salads, an array of pastas, meat and fish and then some great "bianca" (white) & "al pomodoro" (red sauce) pizzas (which have little silver scissors to cut it up)!

To start, charcuterie of course! Three meats, three cheeses. Some of the best pairings I have had. Each meat and cheese is paired with an accompaniment, and the detail that went into each of those pairings is truly incredible. The taleggio cheese was the star of the show for me!

Another must have to start - the "nodini" - warm bread knots with olive oil, garlic, rosemary and sea salt. I could have popped those little knots all night! 

To balance out the heavy meats and cheeses, the ever refreshing "arance e ravanelli" - naval and blood orange salad with heirloom radish, red onion, 30-year vinegar, olive oil and basil. This salad was a perfect combination of sweet, sour, and texture. A little crunch from the radish, just lovely!

Before heading to BUCA I had read quite a few reviews just to get a sense of what the best main dishes were and the duck ragu kept popping up everywhere! However the minute I opened the menu my heart was stolen by the "mezze lune" pasta - sugar pumpkin filled pasta with taleggio fonduta, pregiato truffle and toasted pumpkin seeds. Pure bliss. What an incredible winter dish, from the pumpkin to the creamy taleggio sauce, topped with what else? TRUFFLES! By I convinced my date to go for the "bigoli" - hand cranked duck egg pasta with duck ragu, mascarpone and basil. This was a serious meat sauce, for all you general meat sauce lovers out there, this once TAKES the cake! (Also voted best pasta dish in Toronto by Toronto Life!!) Such a light pasta, and the mascarpone cheese is so light as it is that the dish just felt like it was floating on air!

To finish it up dessert of course. There was no way I was skipping dessert after a meal like that. I was so conflicted as to what to get - so I had to ask the waiter to weigh in, and the dessert of choice - panna cotta! Goat yogurt and vanilla panna cotta with red wine poached pear granita and concord grape "mosto cotto" served with an orange and semolina biscotti. What a mouthful in itself! I have to say the biscotti were quite dry but the panna cotta was the most creamy dessert I think I have ever had. It was perfectly smooth, chilled and with a crunch cool flavoured granita on top, the combo was a smash success! (Note: granita is a frozen Italian ice dessert)

The meal finally ended, much to my dismay, I could have stayed there all night. But BUCA fully lives up to the expectation. Rob Gentile has done a wonderful job with the place, with his training from mentor Mark McEwan fairing him well. So for all you Italian lovers wanting real, fresh, simple yet complex Italian food, this is the place for you. A great spot for parties and groups, BUCA should be at the top of your restaurant list! BUON APPETITO!

photo credit: my own and google images

HOMEMADE ITALIAN PIZZAS

Homemade pizzas are so much fun to make! This weekend I made some Italian worthy pizzas with fresh tomato sauce, basil, calabrese salami, cured olives and fresh mozzarella di buffala. I had a friend coming for dinner and really wanted to try something different but fun! I also bought a pizza stone which made the experience so authentic and the pizzas even more delicious!

I like using fresh ingredients, so I decided to make my own tomato sauce. So for the sauce in a pot I put a few tablespoons of olive oil, a quart of cherry tomatoes and two large garlic cloves (very fine), sea salt, pepper and then a bit of basil near the end. I let tomatoes get all blistered and soft and then mashed them around with a fork. Near the end I added about 2 tbsp of tomato paste just to thicken it up a little. It was absolutely wonderful, and the tomatoes and garlic were so fragrant I felt like I was in Italy!

For the pizza dough, I really wanted to make home made dough but I unfortunately was time stricken by the need for a Halloween costume! Reluctantly I used pre-made dough, but next time it’s homemade for me. If you can, homemade dough is just so much better – but in a pinch store bought will do! Make sure the dough has softened, and then roll out using extra flour on the rolling pin and counter. Once you have made your dough into the right shape you can begin the layering process.

First start with your tomato sauce, then layer slices of fresh mozzarella di buffala. Next add desired toppings, olives, calabrese and fresh basil leaves to top it off.

If you are using a pizza stone – put the stone into a cold oven, and let heat up for 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Then place the pizzas on the stone and cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Italian Pizzas

Ingredients:

- 1 ball mozzarella di buffala
- 1 quart cherry tomatoes

- Olive oil

- Salt & pepper

- Basil

- Calabrese salami

- Cured olives

- Pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

photo credit: my own

EATALY (NEW YORK)

Thanks to a friend’s suggestion, I have now found my number one reason for a trip to New York…asap!

Eataly, a little slice on Italy nestled in the Toy building at Fifth Ave. between 23rd and 24th streets in New York is a massive marketplace in the heart of Manhattan giving New Yorkers & visitors a taste of Italy sans the flight. Eataly is the creation of Italian-American restaurateurs Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Matticchio Bastlianich and the founder behind the gourmet food and wine market (Eataly) in Turin, Oscar Farinetti. The 50,000-foot-space is more than just a supermarket with restaurants, it is an energetic marketplace, a place to taste and take home products that inspire the rustic coking of Italy, and a place to learn about the country, the trade and their products. Eataly is the “heartbeat of Italy.”

The complex includes multiple restaurants (an Italian steakhouse, a Neapolitan pizzeria, a gelaterie, a microbrewery and year-round rooftop beer garden etc.) a cooking school, aisles upon aisles of vendors, and the ability to buy the ingredients of a dish you just ate in one of their restaurants. There is a travel agent who will help you arrange a trip to Italy to visit food and wine producers, there is a bookstore, wine store and houseware store where you can buy things such as espresso makers from Bialetti.

This place sounds just fabulous and their manifesto just further highlights the perfectness of this creation! Molto buono!

Learn more at http://www.newyork.eataly.it/

OUR MANIFESTO

1. WE’RE IN LOVE WITH FOOD.
We love high quality in food and drink. We love the stories about it, the people who produce it, the places it comes from.

2. FOOD UNITES US ALL.
Good food brings all of us together, and helps us find a common point of view.
We believe that one of the greatest sources of joy is what happens around a dinner table.

3. OUR PASSION HAS BECOME OUR JOB.
We’ve dedicated our daily lives to promoting a real understanding of high-quality food and drink. How lucky are we that we get to do what we love?

4. THE SECRET TO QUALITY OF LIFE? QUALITY PRODUCTS
By creating and offering the best products, we improve our own lives, and bring added value to yours. Enter a world dedicated to quality: that means quality food, quality drink and ultimately quality time.

5. OUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS EVERYONE.
Whether you’re here to buy a loaf of bread, prepare for a lavish dinner or sit down to enjoy a meal, we want this to be your place. We want you to be comfortable, happy, and enriched by every visit.

6. EAT. SHOP. LEARN.
This is a store with stories. Here, you won’t just discover what you love, you’ll also learn about what you love.

7. WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER
What you choose every day determines what we’ll stock our shelves with over time. When you demand quality products, you support the local farmers, fishermen, butchers, bakers, and cheesemakers who produce them. You create a better environment—for eating and beyond.

8. OUR THREE PROMISES TO YOU
Choice: We offer a diverse selection of quality food and drink
Accessibility: We are dedicated to offering the best products at the lowest possible price points.
Knowledge: We feel that it’s not just important that we know everything about what we sell and serve, but that you also learn about the products we are so passionate about. We share with you the stories of the people and places behind all that we offer. The more you know the mote you enjoy.

9. YOUR TRUST IS EARNED EVERY DAY.
In all ways, we promise to be scrupulously honest. We’ll never encourage you to buy more than you need or more expensive than you can afford.

10. THE END GOAL.
Our goal is to have you as our customer for a lifetime. The easiest means to that end is offering the best food and drink as well as the best environment in which to discover and expand your tastes.

photo credit: http://www.newyork.eataly.it/

GNOCCHI WIH RAPINI, PANCETTA & TOMATOES

The second part of our fabulous LCBO Food&Drink meal was gnocchi with rapini, pancetta and grape tomatoes. This pasta was equally as good as any gnocchi you would find at the Italian restaurants. It's such an impressive dish - perfect for entertaining or a date!

GNOCCHI WITH RAPINI, PANCETTA & TOMATOES

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch rapini (you can pretty much find this in any supermarket now!)
- 2 oz thinly sliced pancetta (mild or spicy Italian bacon would work as well)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (maybe 5 tbsp if you would like it to be a bit more saucy)
- 1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic gloves, minced
- generous pinch of salt
- 1 pkg store-bought potato gnocchi
- grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Trim and discard tough ends from rapini. Add rapini to boiling water and cook until tender - about 5 minutes -- Don't drain water.
- Remove rapini using tongs and place in a sieve. Press the rapini with the back of a large spoon to remove as much water as possible. Cut into thirds.
- Thinly slice pancetta into matchstick-size pieces.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add pancetta and chili flakes.
- Cook just until pancetta starts to crisp, about 3 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium high and add tomatoes, green onions, garlic and salt.
- Cook stirring, until the tomatoes begin to blister and burst - about 3 minutes.
- Add rapini to pan and stir.
- Keep warm while cooking gnocchi.
- If no longer boiling, bring rapini water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook according to package directions.
- Remove about 1/4 cup rapini/gnocchi water before draining and set aside. Then drain gnocchi.
- Add gnocchi to rapini mixture in the pan, stirring all ingredients together.
- If it sticks, stir in some of the reserved rapini/gnocchi water.
- Serve with grated cheese.

Serve 3-4.

BON APPETIT!


photo credit: my own

THE GEOMETRY OF PASTA

Pasta, pasta, pasta!

Pasta is a dish that has become a worldwide sensation - different shapes, different sauces, different methods of preparation. This book, THE GEOMETRY OF PASTA teaches you to match pasta with sauce. It explains how pasta "teams up" with sauce to "maximize taste and texture and to turn you from an average into a great pasta cook." (book)

There are said to be over 300 different shapes of pasta - each with their own history and story to tell. This multitude of shapes have evolved alongside flavours of local ingredients and with the proper pairing can make any dish exquisite. Each shape of pasta is accompanied by a fabulously elegant and crisp black and white drawing.

The book pairs together over 100 authentic recipes by chef Jacob Kenedy and designs by Caz Hildebrand. The pair reveal the secret to the science, history and philosophy from Italy's best known product - fresh and delicious pasta.

'The Geometry of Pasta is exactly what I would expect it to be: stylish, greed-inducing, knowledgeable and witty; an instant classic.' Nigella Lawson

 `The Geometry of Pasta is the most stylish, and delicious, foodie publication of the year.'  GQ Magazine

Buy online here at AMAZON! 

GELATO UNIVERSITY

You actually will not even believe this when I tell you. And how fitting that I just found this considering I just blogged about Gelato.

There is legitimately a place called GELATO UNIVERSITY in Bologna, Italy. A true place for gelato aficionados to come and study the art of making it. Luciano Ferrari is the brains behind this operation, and the institute is founded by Carpigiani gelato equipment. The institute was founded in 2001, and offers more than 300 courses from September to July including an eight week English beginner session. Its $1000 for the courses, but over 3,000 students have attended this year.

At Gelato University you make about 20 different flavours during the week, at one of their 18 gelato making stations. In lectures you learn about the importance of butter-fat-to-sugar ration in order to make a velvety texture. The curriculum consists of six courses, three days each. Ferrari is a gelatiere or a “frozen dessert technologist,” and has even insisted his students taste his creative Parmesan cheese gelato. Not his best however! What an interesting concept for a school. But in this health conscious world, people are interested in learning about healthier options, which gelato definitely is (with less air and less butter-fat). How many students can say that their professor is wearing a navy blue apron and white gloves, and whose core subjects are “lemon-cream, pistachio and chocolate.”

photo credit: theglobeandmail.com & gelato university

GELATO

It is too hot today! 33 degrees and I'm melting! What better way to cool off on these scorching days then with a nice scoop of cold Italian gelato! I loooove gelato!

Gelato is Italy's take on the ever popular ice cream, but with THREE big differences. Firstly, gelato has a significantly less butterfat than ice cream (hooray!). Ice cream generally has somewhere between 20-26% but gelato only has about 10%. (good news for the waistline!) Gelato is also much denser than ice cream as ice cream is produced by mixing cream, milk, sugar and then adding air. Manurfactures add air because it doubles the quantity of their product - therefore more bang for their buck. But not gelato, no air is added to it therefore resulting in a higher quality dessert with a richer and creamier taste. The final difference of Italy's ice cream is that gelato is served at a warmer temperature than ice cream. They are both served below freezing temperature, but gelato is served about 10-15 degrees warmer. Since it is warmer and less frozen, the taste of gelato is further enhanced as it melts in the mouth! Gelato is quite old, and dates back to the frozen desserts served in ancient Rome and Egypt - made using ice and snow!

Gelato is typically flavoured with resh fruits, nutes, or bakery products. I prefer gelato to ice cream for this exact reason. The flavours are so fresh and delicious, I would choose a scoop of mango gelato over ice cream any day!

Luckily, in Toronto, we are fortunate enough to have some fantastic spots for gelato. My two favourites are HOLLYWOOD GELATO and IL GELATIERE. HOLLYWOOD GELATO is a popular Leaside hangout, and a favourite spot of mine since highschool! They offer over 20 flavours, and they are all made in-house, daily using all natural inredients. My favourites there are coconut cream pie, pistachio, mango and lemon. But the Rockey Rocher and Chocolate Peanut Butter are two of their most popular flavours! I like my gelato a bit lighter which is why I choose fruit or nut tastes over chocolate.

IL GELATIERE is my other favourite spot, open annually, so whenever you feel the craving you can pop on over. They also do take home containers, which is great when you need a good gelato for dessert at a dinner party!

So get out there and beat the heat, cool off with a nice scoop of Italy's favourite treat, GELATO!


photo credit: google images

CAPOCACCIA

More Italian! Apparently Italian seems to be my restaurant of choice in Toronto! CAPOCACCIA, a fantastic, trendy local (to me!) Italian restaurant. Sal Mele the owner and his family run the restaurant, and their goal? "Providing patrons with a unique yet authentic Tuscan dining experience in the highest level of quality, service and value." He is spot on, CAPOCACCIA is a great place for a bite. Romantic enough for a date, trendy enough to be out with girlfriends and yummy enough to head to with parents. The tables are built from old barn doors, old Italian posters and pictures frequent the walls, and the romantic lighting gives a lovely ambiance to this gem.

My favourites? Always pasta! I never make it at home because I just think Italian's do it too well, and mine never compares. So when I hit up my favourite Italian joints, pasta is what I seek! These are my two favs:

Angolotti Milanese: angolotti filled with with butternut squash in a spinach, sage and brown butter sauce

Ravioli di Funghi: wild mushroom ravioli in a porcini, cream truffled sauce

In terms of starters, the Mista salad is a great little starter salad, any Caprese di Bufala salad just makes me swoon, and the Carpaccio is equally delicious with red peppers and truffle oil atop it.

Cap has a great Italian wine list, delectable food and a perfect ambiance.

Check it out! You will be very very pleased! Here is a map for its location.

CAPOCACCIA

1366 Yonge St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 3A7
416-921-3141

CAMERINI RISTORANTE

I have been going to Camerini ("Cam" as we say in our family) since we needed a highchair or booster seat to be at the table. Every Sunday for dinner the only place we would go was Camerini. This is the best Italian in the city (Toronto). Camerini is a family run, small and intimate Italian restaurant. The food is delicious and the servers (now our friends) are the nicest! You won't break the bank for a nice dinner out and you will be thoroughly satisfied with any choice on the menu. For the longest time the only thing I would ever order was a ceaser salad to start and linguine Alfredo with raspberry tartufo for dessert. However that plain (but always delicious) meal has now changed into a variety of new dishes. I can't stop trying new things - they are all SO good!

My personal favs at Cam are:
- Antipasti plate to start (great olives and marinated vegetables)
- Penne a la vodka (if you have leftovers, it is great warmed up the next day for lunch!)
- Penne with rapini (very similar to broccoli) and sausage in a garlic oil (FABULOUS!)
- Any of the veal dishes are worth trying (they also come with side vegetables and a side pasta. You will be full for sure by the end of the meal!)
- For dessert, raspberry tartufo is still and will always be my favourite!

If you love Italian you MUST give this place a chance. I promise it will become a new staple in your restaurant favourites!

Camerini Ristorante

709 Mount Pleasant Road

Toronto, Ontario

416 483 6784