National Post Restaurant Review July 3 2010 *** Enoteca Sociale

Grandma’s Grub

Did I find the only full restaurant on the G20’s big Saturday night?  Skirting the front lines, ducking the Black Bloc tendency, the closed subway, the shutdown patios, I dive into the back seat of a cab and we charge along empty streets to Ossington, then West along Dundas to the heart of Little Portugal.  There opposite a Sleep Country outlet and on the corner of Coolmine street is Enoteca Sociale,  not much to look at but ever so nice  to know.

Enoteca Sociale is the latest gourmet incursion into previously arugula-free territory.  The owners are Chef Rocco Agostino, Max Rimaldi, and Daniel Clarke  who do amazing takeout business with designer pizzas at Pizza Libretto on Ossington.  Enoteca Sociale has the same mojo – Italy seen through Toronto’s fond, rosy glasses, a clean and tidy slow food kind of country. You’d never know that Italy is one of the most aggressively industrializing countries when it comes to food. But what’s wrong with nostalgia?  We’re eating “Nonna’s” cooking, the kind of food it is implied that Italian  grandmothers  made for their happy families while grandpa was out ploughing the fields with a single ox. Nonna’s kitchen has terracotta tile floors, plain wooden tables and chairs, and rather fancier lighting than grandma would have been able to afford. But the food — well it is of the huggable teddy bear variety.

Bobbles of deep fried sweetbreads nesting in arugula $11 are matched with white anchovies and Ontario Mozzarella $9. We clean the palate with a glass of Tuscan red $13 and move on to a few al dente  envelopes of homemade duck liver ravioli in a sage brown butter sauce $13. Modest portion size is to be applauded. Panfried Arctic char and fennel salad  is good $14 but the evening’s  blow out is a rich, dark, juicy oxtail stew with gravy that enobles the humble  mashed potatoes $15.  A side of asparagus with slivers of parmigianno $7 is the health entry, sending antioxidants coursing through our systems.  We bow to the supremacy of the hay-raised cow by eating a generous slice of Rassembleu, a Quebec bleu.$7.  And finally Zeppole! Sicilian donuts stuffed with hazelnut cream $8.  Americano coffee is $2.50 an excellent cup.

We enjoy it all, and we enjoy it all the more because the service – from the hostess to the waiters – is terrific. It’s  efficient and warmhearted. We had called to explain we were going to be late for our reservation. No problem. Still no problem when we were later still although almost all the restaurant’s 56 seats were full. We had a lovely table too overlooking the soon-to-be patio under shade trees.

More comments. First, Enoteca does take reservations but for only half the seats – the rest are for  walk-ins. A great idea, nourishing a neighbourhood cosiness. The doctrine is fresh’n’local, and thus the menu changes daily.  This  means that if you find a favourite dish, you may not find it again when you return. I’m not convinced that diners entirely go along with this: dining out is not usually predicated on adventure but on the simple pleasure of remembered satisfaction. I might NEED that great stew.  I might admire the restaurant’s principles  but in practice, eating is a feelgood business.

Then there’s the  tasting menu  of the day. Five courses for $45, a steal. Most of the food is different from the a la carte menu – we yearned to have a taste of the advertised lamb chops. This I guess is smart marketing.

One last thing. As the evening wore on, the noise level rose. Like so many new restaurants, Enoteca Sociale is scoured clean of any noise-baffling material. The music, the chatter bounces off the shiny floor and the brick walls and eventually stalls conversation. I was very amused to read how Jean-Daniel Lafond, the husband of Governor General Michaelle Jean,  described the importance of the shared meal.  “A table is not simply a place to tantalize the taste buds… it is a place to meet and share conversation, a place where ideas meld as easily as the flavours.”  I wonder how often Lafond has eaten out lately. I agree conversation is as significant a chakra as great food, but ONLY if we can actually hear each other

***Enoteca Sociale  1288 Dundas W.416-534-1200 www.sociale.ca

Mon – Sat. 5:00 pm – 12:00 am.  Wheelchair accessible.  Dinner for Two: food plus tax $95