Friends in food: Michael Sangregorio and Fabio Bondi at the counter of Local Kitchen and Wine Bar (Photo by Mary Luz Mejia)
It takes guts to open a fledgling restaurant on a Parkdale strip during Toronto’s recent civil servant strike and this decidedly un-rosy economic era, but neither of these obstacles stopped lifelong friends Fabio Bondi and Michael Sangregorio from breathing life into a 29-seater they call Local Kitchen and Wine Bar. With Bondi manning the stoves (he trained in Umbria at the much-lauded Il Postale) and Sangregorio working the front of the house, the dynamic duo has done the near-impossible. “We finally did it!” beamed Sangregorio on the second night, as customers started drifting in.
The two left full-time gigs to follow their slow food dreams of opening an intimate space where cured meats hang by the kitchen alongside T-shirts and an apron exclaiming “I Heart Parkdale.” The room resembles a nonna’s eat-in kitchen, only with touches of west-end chic provided by artists Alain Parizeau and Adam Hilborn of neighbouring Parishil Studio. The bar’s feature wall is covered in newspaper headlines of years gone by and is graced by a tomato red vertical sign that reads “LOCAL” (just in case too many handcrafted cocktails render patrons unable to remember where they are).
The partners have made it their promise to use food “grown by local farmers using sustainable methods,” to make Italian-inflected piattini, or “little plates.” This way, says Bondi, “customers can have fun and mix and match flavours. It’s the way we like to eat.” The menu will change with the seasons or whenever there’s new produce on hand. Keep an eye out for Bondi’s house-made charcuterie options—guanciale, sopressata, culatello—all of which use Berkshire pork from Perth, Ontario. House-made pasta like the garganelli with Ontario tomatoes, basil and peperoncino will be a staple, as will stuffed tortellini (right now it’s stuffed with rabbit).
Sangregorio has sourced a largely Ontario-based wine list, including bottles from Daniel Lenko, Norman Hardie and Malivoire vineyards, with a few Italian bottles thrown in for good measure. If you’d rather an artisanal cocktail, there’s the boys’ newest creation, “Penny’s Cousin.” Named after the wild boar’s head that smiles down on the room from her post above the front door, this libation features “bacon washed bourbon,” maple syrup and grapefruit juice.
Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, 1710 Queen St. W. (at Triller Ave.), 416-534-6700, localkitchen.ca.
good to see restaurants OPENING these days…
September 16, 2009 at 8:52 am | by jc…and IT’S AMAZING! Went last night and loved it.
September 16, 2009 at 10:06 am | by yesThis place sounds amazing! Can’t wait to get in.
September 16, 2009 at 11:38 am | by FalconAWESOME new gem! Unique and cozy, with amazing fresh food and great drinks/wine to pair. Will be back.
September 16, 2009 at 3:06 pm | by Sylvie TI heart Parkdale too! I moved my office to this area, 1291 Queen St W, for this EXACT reason. Places like this are what make a community sustainable and visit worthy. I will be sure to start and end my loft tours here for sure!! Good luck to you both.
September 17, 2009 at 11:41 am | by loftsellersLocal Kitchen is the perfect place to share delicious plates with family, friends and loving ones. Thoughtful wines, bold flavours and the homey, friendly, genuine feeling puts you at ease and entices you to stay a while. A must go to and when you do, ask for the pickled eggplant and caponata.
September 17, 2009 at 11:53 pm | by ItalianatheartUnfortunately this restaurant did not quite meet our expectations. First, it was too hot in the room and they stored their wine at “room temperature”. it was served to us at roughly 25 Celsius. It was however, at a reasonable markup.
The food was good – fresh and good quality, but not great. Michael and someone else were taking care of us as a team but the overattention became a little overwhelming. All in all, good intentions abound, but it just didn’t click for us.
September 22, 2009 at 10:54 pm | by VKChecked out Local Kitchen for the first time last week, and I was really impressed. I liked the cozy environment, the staff’s courteous nature, and the style they chose for their decor. Wine selection was great, and the food was delicious. I personally recommend the Rabbit Stuffed Tortelli, incredible! Definitely worth checking out if you’re seeking a unique dining experience!
September 24, 2009 at 1:09 pm | by The DragonDO NOT GO HERE! The worst customer service I’ve ever encountered and I’ve been to many restaurants as my husband is a chef. We were told that our table for 2 would be about an hour and that they would call my husband’s cell when our table was free. Went to a bar down the road to have a drink while we were waiting for the call and after an hour and a half we decided to give them a call to see how much longer it would be. They assured us it would only be another 15 minutes and they would call us and we never received a call! We wasted our whole night at a bar down the street where we ended up getting pub grub because by that point we were starving! A simple call to let us know that they were unable to accommodate our request would have been common courtesy so that we were not waiting all night! I’d sooner go to Union to have good local fare…
February 11, 2010 at 6:21 pm | by MichellePoor Michelle. I guess she wasn’t cool enough to get in.
February 17, 2010 at 12:53 pm | by MatthewThe food seemed of quality however the restaurant has an unusually limited menu. No diet drinks and some of the items seemed quite exotic for me, bone marrow in pasta sauce, pork belly with quail eggs. Portions are not north american sized and you’ll leave hungry.
March 8, 2010 at 12:25 am | by JimmyJimmy perhaps you should have gone to the McDonald’s down the street where you could have ordered a diet coke with your supersized meal.
March 25, 2010 at 8:49 pm | by PKThis was a great place! Smoked gnocchi is delicious, as was the guanciale (spicy pork), the lolla rossa salad and the salumi sampler platter. The service was attentive and patient and getting there at 6:15pm on a Tuesday allowed us to be seated immediately. Wonderful food! Delicious caesars and wines! The Penny’s Cousin however doesn’t taste like bacon, mostly it tastes like bourbon. Highly recommended restaurant and then head down the street to Yummy Stuff for dessert if they’re open- best bacon cupcakes in the city! Try it, you’ll be blown away!
April 21, 2010 at 3:59 pm | by Satisfied CustomerTo Matthew and PK:
November 7, 2010 at 5:01 pm | by JimApparently you are not bright enough to understand that freedom of expression is something that we enjoy and for the most part is meant to be constructive. If you not able to accept criticism – STAY OFF THE COMPUTER – Don’t demean people for their opinions and you will be extended the same courtesy. If opinions were not solicited you might have a valid beef – BUT THEY WERE !!!
dear ‘jim” in my own freedom of expression i tell you,STAY OFF THE COMPUTER TOO. you dont kow what are you talking about.
November 25, 2010 at 8:43 pm | by Melissaatte: Melissa.