Over the holidays I had to loosen my belt and gorge myself on quite a few family dinners. With so many family dinners I find it very difficult to choose my favourite one but there is one meal in particular that stands out in my mind and it was my dinner at Eno-Teca Sociale (College and Dovercourt).
Eno-Teca Sociale was one of the most hyped restaurants to open in Toronto and is still one of the most busiest restaurants in Toronto. Eno-Teca Sociale serves rustic italian dishes in a small intimate environment. The restaurant is dimly lit and has small pieces of art work hanging along one side of the restaurant and a beautiful bar and white brick wall along the other. Even though the restaurant is small it is still quite loud from the hustle and bustle from the many restaurant-goers but at the same time it is still audible enough that you can maintain a conversation with your dining companion.
The wait staff at the restaurant were very quick and courteous and was more then happy to explain what ingredients each dish contained or what kind of wine you should have to accompany your meal. The friendly staff really made the experience that much more enjoyable, almost as if I was dinning at a friend's home.
On this night in question my dining companion and I started our evening with a beef capriccio and a grilled radicchio salad.
Beef Carpaccio
Eno-teca Sociale called their beef carpaccio "The Crown Beef Carpaccio", which I can honest say That it is quite the accurate statement. This is probably the best beef carpaccio I've ever had (the king of kings of beef carpaccio). The pieces of beef were soft as a cloud and almost melted in your mouth. The marrow was subtle and added a bit of creaminess to the dish. The sun choke chips were a very welcome addition to the dish that added a nice crunchy texture to keep the dish from getting boring and finally the greens on top added some freshness to the dish that kept it very light. Once you combine all the flavours in a single bite you will definitely experience a kaleidoscope of flavours and textures.
Grilled radicchio
The grilled radicchio salad is not your ordinary salad and could probably stand on its own as an entree. According Eno-teca's menu the salad was described to contain : grilled radicchio, Treviso, pumpkin seeds, apples and burrata. The grilled pieces of radicchio were well seasoned and delicious and could've easily been mistaken as a mushroom because it almost had protein like texture. The pumpkin seeds were candied and added a sweet and crunchy taste that just complemented all the different flavours. The burrata was creamy and was mild flavoured and helped as a vehicle to deliver the flavours on the plate.
Pappadelle with a lamb ragu
For my Entree i ordered the Pappadelle with a lamb ragu. The in house made pasta was cooked to perfection and absorbed all that delicious delicious ragu. According to our server the lamb was braised for a really long in red wine, which really shows because it just shredded apart on my fork and was not dry at all. The ragu tasted fresh and had vibrant tomato flavour that made this dish that much more enjoyable.
Toasted Pasta
My date for the evening order the toasted pasta, which was predictably delicious. The pasta dish was toasted spaghetti with bottarga (was poor man's caviar according to our waitress), chili and garlic. One the pasta first arrived to the table, we could really smell a nice seafood flavour emanating from the plate. The toasted pasta was a little crispy but not hard, which made for a unique texture. The chili and garlic sounded like very strong and pungent flavours but were actually very balanced to provide the right amount of heat and flavour. The bottarga was just like caviar, which was salty (but not overwhelming) and crunchy. The dish as a whole was very luxurious and something i'm going to have to try the next time I visit the restaurant again.
The whole dining experience was very enjoyable and relaxing. The servers were never pushy and tried to rush you off to flip the table but were always warm and inviting. Even after our meal, my side kick and I just decided to sit around a little bit with a glass of wine to enjoy the ambiance. This is a fantastic restaurant that I think everyone should at least visit once.
For more information
Eno-Teca Sociale
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