May 2010: Queen's Pasta Cafe

At the table: Nad B, Bibi, Nad R, Vijai, Shara (me)

Queen's Pasta Cafe came highly recommended by some work friends who entertained an out-of-town colleague there last week. A particular favourite of one work friend who has been dining there for the last 20 years! It was wonderful to get together with the gals (minus 2) for the long weekend and indulge in some fabulous pasta creations! This was my pick for May.

The restaurant is located in Toronto on the corner of Bloor Street West & Durie Street with a quaint patio alongside the dining room. Our table was beautiful - right in the front window filled with natural light and we actually felt like we were a part of the outside patio. The rest of the dining room was small and intimate; dim lighting and dark decor contrasted well with the sharp white table covers. A quiet, comfortable place to be romantic, have fun with friends or get together with family. However, when the sun went down, it got a bit too dark. A lit candle or two on the table would have helped. In fact, I think a lit candle on every table would have brought the evening embiance to life.

The service was good - everything we ordered came with perfect timing. I think our waiter could have smiled more - definitely too busy for a sense of humour! But what he lacked in warmth, he made up for in efficiency.

Signature martinis and cocktails were the perfect prelude to a fun, fabulous dinner; Trebbiano chardonnay, appletini, espresso martini, red sangria and Vijai's soco martini - coconut rum, lychee liqueur, creme du cacao & pineapple! The drinks made for a colourful display, and tasted even better!

  

The appetizer portion of the menu was very small - mostly salads, a classic bruschetta and a calamari dish, but the appetizer special scrawled in neon chalk across the menu board caught my eye - large bacon wrapped prawns with arugula vinaigrette salad. This dish was so multi-dimensional in flavour that it was exciting! The saltiness of the bacon brought out the hidden flavours of the tender prawns. The dressing on the arugula was made in-house....the chef's own mild balsamic vinaigrette with a touch of honey (you know I'm gonna try adding some Billy Bee to my Newman's Own now!). We also tried the bruchetta - nice and chunky, but I really love bruschetta when it's loaded with garlic....this one wasn't "stinky" enough!

We liked that the menu wasn't overdone on the entree options; just one page of the menu, every option very different from the next and all extremely tempting!! It helped that we all ordered something different, so we had a pretty good sampling of some of the best sounding dishes.

Baked Farfalle (1 with, 1 without Chicken)

Goat Cheese Bautelli (I may have spelled this wrong; basically round ravioli)

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Special #3: Fettucini with grilled lobster, scallops, shrimp, baby arugula and onion in a spicy tomato sauce

The baked farfalle - a cheese lovers dream! I really liked the bite I had with the chicken. The goat cheese bautelli was mine which came heaping with grilled veggies in a basil pesto olive oil. Was good, but was expecting more of a punch from the goat cheese. The spaghetti & meatballs tasted exactly as expected - so comforting you just want to eat heaping mouthfuls! Special #3 truly was special. I had a small bite of the fettucini with the spicy sauce and it was so good - the perfect amount of heat.

Of course none of us were able to finish any of our dishes. Some of us were lucky to even make it half way through! Pasta - beautiful, comforting.....filling!!! We also wanted to save room for dessert which never happened. It may have been because we were too full, but the dessert menu left something to be desired. What exactly, who knows. Well, that's not true. For some reason, Vijai and I felt that crème brûlée  would be on the menu.....in an Italian restaurant. Yeah, I think we just have a one track mind for crème brûlée! But they did have some Italian classics - tiramisu, Italian ice. I settled for a cappuccino (I don't care if it's a morning drink as I was once scolded by an Italian gentleman) and Nad B went for a liquid dessert - coffee with Bailey's heaping with whipped cream.

I echo my colleagues' appreciation of this restaurant. Eat here, and you'll never go to an Italian chain restaurant again! All the pasta at Queen's Pasta Cafe is fresh and made on-site giving the food a very different feel. The only word I can think of right now is decadent...a richer bite, a better chew and a creamier texture than the hard stuff I buy in the grocery. Yet, I wasn't completely blown away. The creations were imaginative and I would go back to try some of the entrees I passed on. But I don't feel like I've found the most amazing Italian food in the Greater Toronto Area yet. I did go to a restaurant on College Street - aka Toronto's Little Italy- (I can't remember the name - there are so many!!) and had the best risotto of my life....to this day one of the best meals I've ever had in a restaurant.

If you're in the Milton area, there is quite a selection of Italian restaurants along Main Street. A fellow resident says Pasqualino's has the best Italian food he's ever had. Across the street from that is Osso Bucco (the old Post Office), and also a location in Brampton. An acquaintance said La Toscana, also on Main Street in Milton, is the best Italian food he's ever had.

So I think before I return to Queen's Pasta Cafe, I'll try a few of these others first, especially La Toscana for the oysters! It seems like I may not have to travel far for authentic mind-blowing Italian food afterall!

Ciao!

Shuckin' Awesome! - Neptune Oyster, Boston MA

At the table: Steve, Carrie, Sue, Shara (me)

I'm in the uniquely wonderful city of Boston MA this week for a social media conference with 3 of my U.S. colleagues. I'm feeling a bit unfaithful sharing this experience because #1 I'm not with the rest of the "girls who love food", and #2 I'm nowhere near the Greater Toronto Area.

BUT....should you ever find yourself in Boston and in the mood for some oyster shuckin' and the best lobster that I've ever had, this one is for you....

Looking for the authentic - the unique prize of Boston - we sought the advice of the hotel concierge at Seaport. We knew we wanted seafood, no question. But where do we get the best of Boston?

Seaport Concierge Recommendation: Neptune Oyster. They take no reservations, but we were adamantly encouraged to go here and thus compelled!

On the jerky cab ride back to our hotel, we looked up reviews on urbanspoon.com (a la iphone). In less than 10 minutes we were convinced that we were in for a treat and a long wait, but well worth it apparently if you ordered the "lobster roll with hot butter" - let the drooling begin!

We met at the restaurant at 7pm, and were at first shocked at the size of the restaurant itself - if you were even 4th in line, you would be standing outside. The place was tiny!!! There's a bar (packed) and seating for maybe 20 people at a time in very close quarters. We had about an hour to wait, so the maitre'd took one of our cell phone numbers and we were free to wander around Boston's historic north end for an hour instead of having to stand in a doorway for our name to be called. Nice.

So we headed down Salem St. lined with treasures - boutique restaurants, italian bakeries, seafood nooks and spirit crannies! We killed our time at Bacco Ristorante & Bar with drinks and $5 appies! The best appies to ever cost $5:

Prosciutto di parma with warm grilled pears and gorgonzola balsamic vinegar
Reg. $9.95 (ours for $5!)

Crispy calamari with spicy three peppers
Reg. $9.95 (ours for $5!)

I liked the open atmosphere patio vibe with big open windows where we were serenaded by an accordian and violin duo. Tip worthy and talented!! A nice touch.

Then it came - the much anticipated phone call...our table was ready at Neptune Oyster. I wonder if the others felt as giddy as I did! We walked in like Neptune Oyster elite, were promptly seated and greeted by our server.

Drinks - I had a local brew on draft - Harpoon I.P.A. India Pale Ale - their tag "Love Beer, Love Life!" How can you go wrong?! You can't. Loved it.

Then came the oysters. You can order these in a variety of "finishes" to suit your pallet. I'm new at this. I've tried it only once before at a wine & cheese show and I didn't like it. But with oysters being the signature of this restaurant, and my dining companions all being fans (and foodies!), I was willing to try again....

This is worth sharing some detail:

Wellfleet Oysters

Origin: Wellfleet, MA

med-lg, very high salt, sweet butter finish, $2.60/ea

Island Creek Oysters

Origin: Duxbury, MA

med-lg, high salt, juicy, fruity finish, $2.50/ea

Onset Oysters

Origin: Onset, MA

med-lg, high salt, juicy, cream finish, $2.40/ea

Taylor Bay Oysters

Origin: Nasketucket, MA

med, high salt, plump, seaweed finish, $2.50/ea

It was "shuckin' awesome"! I can't wait to try oysters again. My favourite was the Onset, but I really enjoyed all. Lesson: if you've tried something and hated it, try it again (and again, and again).

And then came the piece de resistance. We saw it served to the guys sitting next to us first. They were from Florida, had been to Neptune Oyster before and wouldn't order anything else (except the "chowda" as a starter). Within minutes, they inhaled everything on their plates. You can imagine the excitement building inside me. Can something really be that good?? No sooner had I finished the thought when there it was, right in front of me ....The Lobster Roll.

The menu doesn't tell you much about this item - "toasted roll, available hot with butter or cold with mayo". The real description should be: A heaping pile of perfect, tender lobster on a toasted eggbread-like roll, hot and covered in yummy butter that will make you close your eyes while you savour and lock in the memory as it melts into your taste buds and you let out an audible "mmmmm"!

And the salad (you can order with fries too) was nothing to scoff at - fresh Boston bib lettuce sprinkled with pecans and dressed in a perfect vinaigarette - I don't think I've ever called lettuce "silky" until now. $25 and worth every cent.

Neptune Oyster - one of Boston's culinary jewels to be found no place else, tucked away on Salem Street. Worth the wait - an hour isn't hard to kill in this historic north end of Boston.

Have you had out-of-this-world seafood in the Greater Toronto Area? Tell us where to go!