(Image: Renée Suen)
(Image: Renée Suen)
11. Buca
At a time when the King West restaurant scene is suffering (Crush under new management, Marc Thuet heading to B.C. to reprise Conviction, Susur busy elsewhere), Buca brings new energy to the strip. The location—up an alley, then down into the basement boiler room of a vintage industrial building—is coolly chic, and the hard decor of steel girders and open brick makes chef Rob Gentile’s artisanal Italian menu seem all the more warm and inviting. There’s no need to be fussy, just pick a bargain-priced bottle of southern Italian red and load up the table with dishes. House-cured salumi and lardo is an obvious choice, especially if Gentile’s salsiccine is part of the collation. Simple dishes are the most pleasing: braised artichoke with mint, salt and good olive oil; and a moist trout fillet stuffed with salty herbs. Fried pig ear and eel are far less challenging than they sound. Communal tables and brittle acoustics contribute to a party vibe that even downtown club-goers find hard to resist.
Buca, 604 King St. W. (at Portland St.), 416-865-1600.
• Read the Toronto Life review of Buca »
Why can’t you put all 6 of these on just one page of your incredibly slow website?
March 11, 2010 at 2:37 am | by the situationSo good to hear from somebody who is still using dial-up. Speed is fine for me. I was a bit surprised by the inclusion of The Roosevelt Room – but I have never been there.
March 11, 2010 at 5:57 am | by outofitI actually prefer these sorts of stories being broken over a bunch of pages. It gives each restaurant their due, and allows me to digest each one like I’m flipping through a magazine.
Happy to see Ceili Cottage in the list. I know there are a lot of Ceili haters in the comments on this site, but I go there often and I’ve never had a bad time. That for me is key to a great restaurant experience.
March 11, 2010 at 8:19 am | by WilliamI think they sell more ads when split
March 11, 2010 at 7:08 pm | by dudeRoosevelt Room is garbage. G-A-R-B-A-G-E.
March 12, 2010 at 9:40 pm | by RidiculousI agree that putting each one on a different page is annoying. I remember one time that Toronto Life had the top 50 of something. I think I got to number 7 and gave up. And no, I don’t have dial up and I’m not on a Commodore 64.
March 16, 2010 at 7:49 am | by mary evaCelli Cottage…you have got to be kidding. Food and ambience is much better at The Roy.
March 16, 2010 at 9:58 am | by JustMyOpinionIs the Wine Bar not considered a new restaurant, or just not very impressive?
March 16, 2010 at 10:47 am | by ScottCaplansky’s is over hyped and many of the other reviews on other boards are spot on.
The place is /very/ inconsistent and when we went the meat was dry and flavourless. If it weren’t for the mustard, you’d be fooled into thinking you were eating cardboard.
March 16, 2010 at 12:49 pm | by eyeontorontothey split it over multiple pages because each click equals a new pageview – pageviews sell ad inventory…
March 17, 2010 at 7:24 am | by GTPleasantly surprised to see ROOSEVELT ROOM on there. FOOD AND our server, an older guy were AMAZING!
March 18, 2010 at 1:01 pm | by eatstoomuchYour site is so slow that I almost gave up. Not a great 21st century experience for a major media organization like yours.
I like your content though.
March 18, 2010 at 2:53 pm | by StephenThis was a painfully slow exercise. I’m on high speed and it was frustrating as all h-e-double hockey stick. Put them one 1 page with lower resolution pictures!
March 18, 2010 at 2:57 pm | by AprilI’m not using dial up and I find it annoying too. Too slow. List them all on page one with a link. Duh.
March 20, 2010 at 3:30 pm | by dulce vanasseWhat’s with all the complaints about the web-site being to slow? I had no troubles!
March 24, 2010 at 3:59 pm | by ummwhatchutalkinbout?