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!