Trattoria Amano

In nature documentaries, a python swallows a peccary and slithers away too stupefied to do anything but sleep for a month. I feel the same after scarfing huge plates of pasta that most Canadian Italian restaurants serve.

Chef Michael Angeloni at Amano Trattoria ruefully tells me that he too increased the size of his pasta portions from 110 grams to185 grams based on customer requests. My recommendation is still … bring a friend and share.

Pasta traditionally was not intended as a main plate but Angeloni’s Rigatoni alla Bolognese is too good to pass up. And, while he may have succumbed to ‘pasta portion creep’ he still makes this dish the way it was meant to be, with meat, not tomato playing the starring role. One of the best pasta dishes I can recall, the rich umami flavours of the beef brisket mingle with the wonderful texture of the finely chopped meat. There’s also just the right tincture of tomato over lightly salted al dente pasta.

Angeloni is not afraid to depart from familiar Italian dishes albeit surreptitiously. Take the grilled lake fish for example. What the menu does not say is this is dry-aged fish from artisan fishmonger Affinity Fish. Brought up to believe fish that is not wriggling is not fresh the idea is mildly disconcerting for me. But the result is a creamy moist piece of fish with a depth of flavour that even those who don’t appreciate ‘fishiness’ would love.

Not done with my taste for pasta but still concerned about falling asleep, it was with some trepidation I dug into the Burgundy FunGuy (fungi, get it?) Pinza in front of me. It’s a huge mound of mushrooms threatening to start a landslide and depart the pizza-like flatbread. But this is not pizza or ordinary flatbread. This ancient Roman dish is made with a thin, airy, fermented dough with a large water content. The mushrooms are similarly hydrated. Two of us we easily demolished this lovely dish.

Amano has a surprisingly large and interesting wine list with many regional Italian wines by the glass. This is an opportunity to sample unfamiliar wines.

The atmosphere is friendly and casual with interesting touches. The banquettes are huge. The silent TV’s show endless loops of classic spaghetti westerns like The Good,The Bad and the Ugly as well as classic flicks such as the Italian Job. The sound level (praise be) is nicely attenuated and the lighting level is carefully calibrated.  
amanotrattoria.ca

Cottage Cheese Indian Restaurant

Kensington Market is still tumbling down despite hesitant signs of gentrification. Regardless, Cottage Cheese is one of the pioneers that’s its worth the trip if you fancy an innovative Indian food experience.

What’s in a name? Perhaps the restaurant should have been called Paneer (the Hindi translation of cottage cheese). I’m told Paneer is an important source of protein and amino acids in the Indian diet—ingrained in northern Indian cultural heritage, likely from the time of Mogul rule in India. My intellectual ruminations, such as they were, completely evaporate after a couple of delicious Hibiscus Martinis. Rather, my attention turns to the wonderfully crafted dishes emerging from the kitchen of chef Vikash Chhetri. 

Chef tells me he took a circuitous route to Toronto. He grew up in Calcutta, and worked on cruise ships as well as in JW Marriott and Taj hotels. What comes out of Chhetri’s tiny kitchen is astonishing. Not just for the quality and depth of the menu but for its inventiveness. 

Every dish is plated beautifully and incorporates elements sourced locally. Rosemary and sage, for example, are not part of traditional Indian food but as it was plentiful at the market, he incorporated both into his dishes. 

This parallels what is happening in India where chefs are experimenting with new ingredients without abandoning their rich heritage.

Cottage’s summer prix fix patio menu reflects the more extensive dinner menu with a gallimaufry of regional dishes. Starters include Crispy Okra, an earthy Mushroom Galouti and a rich but delicate Rose Petal Paneer. A charcoal Chicken Tikka is served with a basil sauce which, to my taste, was a better foil than the more traditionally used mint. The main menu is surprisingly diverse and every dish I tried had an individual taste profile with a delicate interplay of herbs and spices. Enjoyed with another Hibiscus Martini—divine! 

Don’t be put off by the somewhat ramshackle exterior. Inside Cottage Cheese is cozy chic with indirect lighting and candles creating a warm and inviting vibe. The staff are young and enthusiastic. Reservations recommended. Washrooms and some of the tables are a few steps up so it may not be ideal for the mobility challenged. 
thecottagecheese.ca 

Bourbon and Biodynamic 

This isn’t some new social media craze cocktail. It’s actually socially responsible advocacy by the storied Maker’s Mark bourbon distiller. A few weeks ago they rented the Norman Jewison Cinema in the Hazelton Hotel, Yorkville for a private showing of the documentary Common Ground. They did it not because they thought it might be good for business (although they deserve it) but because they are true adherents to healthy regenerative farming practices and have been for over ten years. They were, like former Prince Charles (now King Charles), ahead of the pack. 

The film is advocacy but no less important for that. As I have learned from chefs and restauranteurs, one’s food is only as good, and flavourful, as the health of the soil and environment in which it is grown. A hydroponic greenhouse grown tomato comes nowhere close to the wonderful acidic aroma and luscious bite of a fresh soil-grown tomato. Ontario field strawberries in season bear no comparison to berries trucked across a continent. And don’t get me started on pesticides, insecticides, and intense use of fertilizers. 

But back to the film. In part narrated by Woody Harrelson the award-winning production is insightful and forward looking. This is a documentary that anyone interested in their food and the environment it which its grown,
or should be grown, must see. Sipping the rich balanced flavours of Maker’s Mark 46 made it all real.
makersmark.com

Tree Island Yogurt

Commercial yoghurt has strayed far from its origins when Neolithic peoples in Mesopotamia thousands of years BCE found their milk had fermented after coming into contact with wild bacteria. 

Today, depending on the brand, there are fillers and artificial sweeteners, preservatives and stabilizers not to mention clever food engineering to reduce fat or boost protein. 

It was therefore a happy surprise to find Tree Island Greek style Yoghurt that was, well—real yoghurt. It even looked different—semi-solid and golden-tinged. And it tasted just like the yoghurt I recall making many years ago.
A little detective work revealed why. The whole, never homogenized,  milk comes from the 200 Ayrshire grass fed cows on a multi-generational family farm in Commox BC. Scott DiGuistini and Merissa Myles of Tree Island transform it into rich flavourful yoghurt that has no equal.   
treeislandyogurt.com