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Food made with love from Nonna's kitchen

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From the makers of Pizza Libretto comes Enoteca Sociale - and if there's anything I love about these two places, it's about great ingredients, rustic/country-style food, great wine, and a lively, down-to-earth hangout for an incredible meal - just like "Nonna" used to make for Sunday dinners. On your first visit, get the tasting menu for $45 for a nice rounded showcase of the cuisine here. For a la carte, the sweetbreads are incredible, the artichoke fries are great for snacking on, the homemade ravioli will bring you to northern Italy, but the zucchini fritto will make you come back time and time again. A "real Italian wine bar," the wine comes in tastings, glasses, quarts, or bottles and the cheese cave is possibly one of the most diverse in the city. Food is sourced from local purveyors and suppliers when possible with specialty items like pasta, cheeses that come straight from Italy. Make reservations a week in advance but walk-ins are also welcome - just arrive before 6:30 on weekdays before it gets too busy.

I don't know what took me so long...

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Finally, my dear followers and readers, I finally made my way to Enoteca Sociale for dinner. I honestly don't know what took me so long...House Made Pappardelle, Ontario Lamb Ragu, House Smoked Guanciale & Pecorino ($18) - I loved the pappardelle as it was cooked perfectly but I thought there wasn't enough lamb ragu / guanciale / pecorino compared to the amount of pasta. The flavours were wonderful; the fragrant lamb and the smoked, savoury guanciale & pecorino, just that there is not enough of it. I thought the dinner that night was good, decent, and I didn't have any complaints (well except for that fact that I wanted more lamb ragu). But maybe because of the hype surrounding Enoteca Sociale, I think I went into the restaurant with really high expectations and that is why in my mind, the dinner kinda fell short. See Full Post

A taste of Roma

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This is straight up well executed Italian food at its best. Simple, rustic dishes that rely on quality local and specialty ingredients. Their pasta is the best in the city, the goat ragu pappardelle had the perfect bite and texture. Our server, Scott was super friendly and neighbourly giving us great suggestions and full of passion. The dining room is very intimate, down to earth and lively like a good family kitchen. They have one of the best wine selections that celebrate local and Italian wines and a beautiful cheese cave too. The Tiramisu is reason alone to visit on a weekly basis. See Full Post

To-die-for gnocchi

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Full disclosure: I'm a huge, huge fan of Pizzeria Libretto. The establishment can do very little wrong in my books. It took me a while to check out its sister restaurant, Enoteca Sociale. It's notoriously difficult to get a reservation, but now I know it's for good reason. The restaurant is small and intimate and the servers are friendly and helpful, just like they are at Libretto. Their pasta offerings are top notch and taste like they were made in Italy. My favourite thing - the soft, heavenly, buttery gnocchi - on the menu is only available on Thursdays (gnocchi is traditionally served on Thursday nights in Rome, according to the menu). If that wasn't enough to sway you, the mushrooms are flown in that day especially for the dish. An honourable mention goes out to the carbonara. The pasta noodles were al dente, and the creamy sauce was salty and spiked with smoky pancetta. If you're dying to try Enoteca but don't want to wait a month for your reservation, go on a weeknight (preferably Thursday evening) and book a table in advance via their Website.