Buca

BUCA (602 King Street West, Toronto)

I return for another evening at Buca and it was probably the best experience I have had here. I love how the menu is always changing and the food was really impeccable this time around. There were so many excellent menu options it was really hard to make a decision! I can't wait to return and try more.

Daily Stamped Menu

I love Falaghina by this particular producer, although I do prefer the 2009.

Parmigana di Melanzine

Preserved tomato and fried eggplant, layered with bufala ricotta and burrata cheese. This is my FAVOURITE thing at Buca. I order this every time and trust me, you need to order your own. Delicately fried layers of eggplant with a sweet preserved tomato. The layering of the bufala ricotta and burrata cheese creates a wonderful creamy decadence. Heavenly!

Cavatelli Pomodoro

 Seasonally ripe nova tomatoes with garlic, basic and organic olive oil and finished with cacio di fossa. Simple and classic. Pasta was perfectly al dente and had a wonderful texture. The nova tomatoes are only in season for a few more weeks, so we figured we had to give this a try. It was a light, tangy and sweet tomato sauce with olive oil and basil.

Spaghetti al Nero di Maiale

 Hand cut pork blood pasta with n'duja, soffitto and garlic finsihed with burrata cheese. This was AMAZING.  They mix in the burrata cheese tableside which creates a delectably creamy, garlicky, extra virgin olive oil sauce. The pork blood in the pasta does not have a taste but I am told it is more for the presentation and visual of the dish. The n'duja provided great heat and the sauce and flavours of this dish were incredible. 

Burrata Pizza

Big chunks of burrata cheese spread throughout the pizza. What makes the pizza incredible, other than the vey generous portions of creamy burrata is the sprinkle of nutmeg. It takes the flavour profile of the pizza to another level and gives that savouriness that I love. The tomato sauce again is really wonderful with a touch of sweetness.

New Generation

New Generation (493 Bloor Street West)

New Generation is one of the many sushi restaurants occupying the Annex. They have fresh, cheap sushi and the portion sizes are very generous. Featured below are the red dragon, yam tempura roll and salmon avocado.

Burger's Priest

Burger's Priest (1636 Queen Street East, Toronto)

I finally made it to the Priest! The drive to the beaches is a bit far but it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! The best burger I have ever had .. I would have to say it edges out Stockyards by just a hair. The reason being is that these freshly ground Alberta beef patties are melt - in - your - mouth. The beef just crumbles away, the juices dripping and the flavours are on spot. These are 4oz., but don't be fooled as they are incredibly fatty and surprisingly filling (granted I regretted not getting a second after I left). They are famous for the Option, the Priest but I went with the classic cheeseburger as I have heard numerous times of how greasy these burgers can get. The fries were thin and crispy just how I like them. They reminded me of fresh cut McD's fries. Make sure to add your own salt and pepper or can be bland. I will definitely be back very soon.

Hey Meatball!

Hey Meatball (719 College Street, Toronto)

I have been wanting to check out this place for some time now as I love meatball sandwiches. I got their house specialty the "Rodfather" and it really hit the spot. The menu is small featuring four items (including veggie meatballs, which actually sounded quite good).

The Rodfather: Pork and Beef Meatballs with Marinara Sauce and Parmesan. Three flavourful, tender, juicy meatballs dosed with a generous layer of Parmesan and the marinara sauce is light and sweet. The bread is fresh, with a nice crunchy exterior and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. I dosed mine with green chili's which added nice heat. The side salad was surprisingly not an afterthought and had great texture (carrots, apples, red onion, red pepper, cilantro) with a nice vinaigrette. Delicious!

Acadia

Acadia (50C Clinton Street, Toronto)

I LOVE ACADIA! Situated in little Italy, this cozy restaurant puts out some seriously good food. Every dish was just incredible, particularly the Anson Shrimp and Grits (to die for!!!). The cocktails were good but the stand out was definitely the New York Sour (I also enjoyed State Lines but forgot to take a photo). It is no wonder this is currently one of the hottest restaurants in the city !

                              

Amuse Bouche: Pickled Vegetables.

Mint Julep

New Your Sour

Dirty Rice Balls (aka Boudin balls): Deep fried morsels of rice and sausage with a sweet red pepper sauce. This was delicious (going to be a common theme in this post). A lovely crunchy exterior with a moist, savoury inside. Perfectly matched with a sweet but acidic red pepper sauce.

Corn bread with Sweet Potato Butter: The corn bread was moist and perfectly fluffy. A perfect texture. The sweet potato was just spot-on. A matchmade in heaven.

Northumberland Strait Scallops - chicken crackling, parmesan crisp, watermelon rind, basil. Perfectly cooked scallops, which paired very well with the salty chicken crackling and parmesan crisp. I did not really pick up the watermelon rind but overall great dish.

Anson Mills Grits & Shrimp - oyster mushroom, pimento cheese, ham hock consomme, parsley. TO DIE FOR and not to be shared. This was the undoubtedly the best dish of the night, hence why we had two orders of this dish (one for dessert). Rich, creamy, full of flavour grits with these perfectly poached sweet shrimps, that literally explode in your mouth. A serious bowl of comfort and undeniably delectable.

Red Grouper - gulf prawn etoufee, Sea Island red peas, andouille sausage, chlorophyll. Really excellent execution. The grouper was perfectly cooked as it was extremely tender and melts in your mouth. The smokey, salty andouille sausage was a perfect match for the grouper and the gulf prawn etoufee + chlorophyll+sea island red peas provided this wonderful sauce to tie it all together. Incredibly delicious.

Nagano Farms Pork Ribs - sorghum salad, sarsaparilla, tobacco leeks, puffed amaranth. Boneless ribs .. so delectable! Extremely tender ribs that were sticky, savoury and sweet. The puffed amaranth provided a nice base and texture. This dish again was another winner.