Well, last night was an experience. We had our last play in our subscription series (there is a group of 5 who goes). The play had received really bad reviews so we weren't looking forward to it (sort of like a root canal procedure). We all decided that we had to do extra things in an effort to counteract the horrible play we were to see (it never entered our minds to NOT go).
Paul and I went into the city early to get a few things at the Distillery District. I realized that this was the first time I have been there when it was not sub zero outside. It was a very different place in the nice weather - patios with happy patrons sipping wine and martinis everywhere, outdoor musicians . . . I could have stayed there. There were many people there with the same idea - far more than the few brave souls we usually see when we show up in the winter.
Unfortunately it was to be a stealth visit for us; I just picked up my coffee I was running low on from Balzacs and went by my favourite chocolate maker (SOMA) to pick up on some chocolates as a treat for the play's intermission. There is nothing like a wonderful rich and decadent chocolate to ease the impact of a terrible storyline.
We met up with the rest of the group at Tutti Matti. Doru from the slowtravel message boards had recommended it to me and all I can say is WOW! Alida, the owner/chef, ran a restaurant in south Tuscany for 6 years before coming to Toronto and opening Tutti Matti. She clearly knows her stuff. It was an amazing dinner. Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera as I feel a little strange snapping pics of my food when I'm out with friends (the picture at the left is form the restaurant's website).
Everything about this meal was wonderful. Alida came over and chatted with us (which I think had an impact on the serving staff who were very attentive). We ordered a bottle of Chianti wine and a bottle of aqua frizzante. Alida told us that they had a few bottles of Casa Emma wines in house (had I know that I would have ordered differently).
The pasta (all made in house) of the day was an asparagus ravioli stuffed with asparagus, goat cheese, and a hint of lemon. Believe it or not Paul and I were planning on making asparagus ravioli today for dinner so I had to order it to get the hang of it. I don't have a recipe so it was good to experience a 'real thing' as we get ready to play around. It was perfectly cooked in a simple butter and sage sauce. Paul ordered faggotini which was a Chickpea flour crepe stuffed with mixed mushrooms, asparagus and chef's mix of cheeses and truffle pate drizzled with truffle honey. They were both amazing!
For our main course we decided to split an order of porchetta. We had only ever tried porchetta on a bun when we were in Italy so this was a treat to try it more 'formally'. We received a huge, thick slice of roast suckling pig. It was covered by a wonderful gravy/sauce which was a mixture of sweet and savoury (like many Tuscan dishes). It had chestnuts, fresh herbs, and I thought I detected a hint of honey. WOW, WOW, WOW! Catherine and Ruth were thrilled with their meals as well.
We don't normally ordered dolce but we had time and everything else had been so good we thought we had to. Unlike a number of restaurants in the Toronto area all of these desserts were made in-house. I ordered a tarte which had a caramel filling topped with baked ricotta and marscapone. Oh my! Paul was equally impressed with his panna cotta. It came on a long plate, the panna cotta in the centre. On either side were two small jugs of caramel and chocolate sauce. He was purring!
The bill for four with wine, taxes, etc was $ 256 which we all agreed was a good bargain; I have eaten for more money and enjoyed the meals less!
The whole experience quickly had the effect of transporting Paul and I back to Tuscany . . . Paul said grazie and once I even let slip with a per favore! It was so amazing to be back in Tuscany, if only in a restaurant in Toronto. Later that night as we were driving home after our evening of food, wine, theatre, and brilliant company Paul looked over and said 'if we're in Toronto next year on my birthday (we will be in Maine this year) I want to go back there for my birthday dinner' (so noted) which is a mark of a fine meal in his book.
Then the evening took a turn for the worse. Good God the play was dreadful. We knew it would be though, the reviews were dismal. The theatre was half empty. lots of people got up and left. We stuck it out though . . . Luckily it was quite short and we had wonderful chocolates to nibble on during the intermission. It had originally been put on in 2004 to rave reviews by a small, 'fringe' theatre group. One can only say that it did not transfer to a larger stage and theatre well.
In the end it made for an enjoyable evening. In a perverse sort of way we enjoyed the play BECAUSE it was so bad, we were expecting it to be bad . . .
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