Gusto 101

Holy macaroni you need to get over to Gusto 101 asap if you haven't already had that pleasure. A few gals and I went for brunch yesterday pre-matinee musical. It usually takes a lot for an italian restaurant to truly impress me (blame my nonna's incredible cooking), but I can honestly say that Gusto 101 blew me away. Don't come here looking for the grand slam breaky - this isn't your mom and pop shop, nor is it a greasy spoon. Chef Daniel Mezzolo has carefully crafted a menu to epitomize an italian brunch, if brunch were in fact, a thing that italians did. Be ready for cornetto (italian croissants), fine cheeses (Taleggio!), and lots of uovo's (eggs). And obviously there's an entire pizza and pasta section if you so desire.

image via toronto life

I really loved how the bold italian flavours were seamlessly incorporated into traditional western breakfast menu items. Adding ricotta and blueberries created a sweet and savoury pancake dish that left us casually grappling for the last bite. At first glance the Eggs in Purgatorino (mine) seemed like an overly-saucey egg dish, but the smoky provolone and salty olives balanced the tomato fresca perfectly - pair that mixture between two pieces of artisan bread and I'm really not sure it can get much better. Aside from superb food, the venue itself is pretty cool - restored from an old auto garage, Gusto has a whopping 90-seater indoor rooftop patio AS WELL as one streetside. yay!

Ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote ($13.95)

Eggs in Camicia - poached eggs on brioche, with spinach, crispy prosciutto, and sliced fontina cheese  ( $12.50)

Eggs in Purgatorino - spicy tomatoes, gaeta olives, smoked provolone, basil, and tuscan bread ($12.95)

Omelette - with prosciutto, prosciutto cotto and smoked mozzarella ($12.50)

Not pictured above - the most delicious Mojito's I have tasted in a very long while. Kudos to the bartender for knowing how to effectively muddle mint. While the menu itself was nowhere near overpriced for the quality and quantity of food (absurdly rare for a king street hot spot), the speciality cocktails were the same price as my meal. I was feeling pretty happy afterwards though, so perhaps they were doubles? Unsure. You tell me.

Happy Monday!

A.C

Miami restaurant numero uno - Quattro

Okay, I know I've been M.I.A for a while, but I swear there is a legitimate reason for my abscence. It's just...I've been extremely distracted by the glorious weather, fantastic shopping, and indescribable dining experiences down in South Beach, Miami. I spent the past week at the oceanfront Shelborne Hotel, right on Collins Ave. in the heart of the Art Deco district. Not only did we have amazing weather (I have the tan lines to prove it) but I ate myself silly at some truly awesome restaurants (I have the belly to prove it). One of these was Quattro Gastronomia Italiana -  authentic Northern Italian cuisine, right on South Beach's stylish Lincoln Road. For those that haven't had an opportunity to visit South Beach yet, Lincoln Road is the go-to spot for quick and tasty dining. Restaurants literally line the entire street, which is pretty overwhelming when deciding where to eat for the night. Quattro is a perfect choice if you're looking for a delectable Italian meal with a relaxed, but sophisticated ambiance.  Identical twin chef's Nicola and Fabrizio make sure that everything on the menu is made fresh daily (with ingredients especially imported from Italy) and, as you can see from what we ordered, they specialize in their unique and flavourful pasta dishes. Following a prosciutto and mozzarella charcuterie board, here's what my family decided on for their mains:

Tri-coloured mushroom ravioli with a porcini truffle sauce

Home-made fontina (a soft Italian cheese made from cow's milk) 

ravioli with white truffle oil

Beef ravioli with a braised beef sauce

Strozzapreti (a thick, elongated pasta) with tomatos, 

spinach and pine nuts

Each of these pasta's tasted completely different, but were all delicious in their own way. The fontina cheese ravioli was my favourite - I'm not usually a big fan of cream, but it was really light and didn't have that "rich" taste you can get from most cream sauces.  Surprisingly, the beef ravioli was also very well done. I thought it would be hard to combine beef into a pasta without making it taste too "meaty", but they do a really great job of making their dishes savoury, without over-doing it. If you're heading down south, I would definitely recommend Quattro for some authentic Italian!

More photos to come from the rest of the trip!

A.C