Scarpetta

I had heard many great things about Scarpetta - both for the food and the fun atmosphere. I finally had the opportunity to check it out last week, and despite being a little bit skeptical given its location in the uuber 'king-west hotspot' thompson hotel, it was an excellent meal, and a unique patio experience. Very worth checking out.

• Relish: the food lived up to the hype - an Italian menu, with chef Scott Conant not disappointing on the pasta (that according to the waitress is his specialty).  We shared a bison short rib on a corn and vegetable risotto, a delicious handmade pasta with wild boar sausage, rapini and summer beans (broad beans and peas) - it was gorgeously yummy, every bite packed with flavour, and a hint of mint or fennel added a bit of summer to it. That was followed by a sliced duck breast, served with greens and duck sausage, cranberries and a house made couscous. Everything was enjoyable, but the duck and wild boar pasta stole the show hands down! What I really loved was that they happily plated each dish, split into two for us - and the presentation was beautiful. Oh, and I almost forgot the bread. A basket of bread arrived that included 4 different types of bread, one of which was a house-made focaccia style with cheese and salami and spices throughout the dough - delicious when paired with the lemon infused olive oil or the tomato antipasti that accompanied it.
• Quaff: the wine menu was good - focused primarily on Italian whites and reds, with decent pricing (roughly 45 and up, but quite a few options between 45 - 50). We quaffed a bottle of the 2008 Barbera D'Alba, Rocca Giovino. Cassis, some earthy tones and healthy acidity combined to make it a fantastic pairing for the duck and wild boar. Delicious! This place also looks like it knows its cocktails.
• Feel: this is where Scarpetta both won and lost for me, so I'm a bit conflicted. We sat outside, in the most gorgeous patio - a long table that could probably could sit about 60 people at varying heights (chair height, bar stool height, mid-bar height) in groups of 4-6. The table has been enclosed in a funky metal lattice that allows you to feel as though you're in your own little candle-lit room, but also as part of the surroundings; you look across the street to a park from one side, and at a reflecting pool and park by the thompson condo on the other side.  The part I wasn't thrilled about was the feel inside....very 'see and be seen'-esque, and the washrooms were messy and bland (I know washrooms don't need to be fancy, but at a place like this, you at least expect a slight step up from hospital-style soap dispensers)! 

Overall, I would definitely go back for a dinner on the patio, and maybe even inside for a night when I felt like getting a bit done up and making a night of the king-west scene!


web: Scarpetta Toronto