The latest addition to the Terroni empire lives up to its famous name
The place: La Bettola di Terroni is the boisterous new member of the Terroni family. There is plenty of culinary crossover here: it shares a kitchen with Osteria Ciceri e Tria next door and several menu items with Terroni Adelaide. While it’s certainly the most casual of all the Terroni incarnations, it boasts an impressive wine selection and a stylishly rustic interior by Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. with graphics by Small Design, proving “bettola” (Italian for a dive or shabby restaurant) a humble misnomer.
The crowd: A lively full house, with the typical downtown mix of suits, tourists and shoppers.
The deal: More of the rustic Southern Italian cuisine—including several of the famed pizzas—that has kept people lining up at the Queen West Terroni for years. A few items are Bettola-only gems, such as the panini that are served only at lunch.
The dish: Served simply on a board, the zucchini blossoms ($9) are crispy, deep-fried miracles that bloom with warm, melted ricotta and parmigiano. Our second app, polpo alla griglio ($14), is a strikingly beautiful octopus tentacle curled on top of an olive-heavy Sicilian caponata. High points go to our two sandwiches: the panino con piscipata (breaded swordfish with Sicilian pesto served on a thick roll, $12) and the spicy panino salsiccia ($12). In a fun twist on the sack lunch, a serving of fries lightly dusted with salt and parmesan shavings is served in a brown paper bag (requests for ketchup and mayonnaise were dismissed as “un-Italian”). And for dessert, the flavour of an unabashed rosemary panna cotta ($8) with potent red wine–soaked peaches easily compensates for its sloppy presentation.
The time: 75 minutes, with a little chasing after our server.
The cost: $72 for two, including tax and tip.
La Bettola di Terroni, 106 Victoria St. (at Richmond St. E.), 416-955-0258, terroni.ca.
You forgot to mention how terrible this place is. Poor value and bad service.
First, the food is incredibly overpriced: 8 loonie-sized ravioli cost me $17. That’s almost $2.25 per unit. Our meal for two came in around $50 and we were still hungry enough we went somewhere else to get more food.
We went there over lunch for a fast meal, and I think we sat for 20 minutes before the waitress came to take our order. And she never did fill our water glasses. (Also, in a bold move of pretention, our waitress insisted on correcting our pronunciation of each of the dishes…)
Maybe these are just growing pains, but I wouldn’t recommend a visit until they fix these issues.
August 23, 2010 at 9:07 am | by Alexander CIf you’re going to pay $36 per person they better give you ketchup, but as is the case with Terroni, you have to eat the way they want you to.
August 23, 2010 at 9:29 am | by Mariayikes, those are horrible reviews. no thanks!
August 23, 2010 at 10:45 am | by badYes. Our request for balsamic went un-heeded because “we don’t do balsamic” at terroni. The same was true for any form of pepper or hot sauce.
The waitress took about 10 minutes to open our bottle of wine, and while she was very pretty, it took her 3 tries to remember the lunch specials.
My overpriced spaghetti with truffle oil was:
a) Bland
b) used fake, imported chinese truffles
c) was apportioned to a child of 7
Not worth the price of entry.
August 23, 2010 at 12:15 pm | by DoubleBadthank goodness for these reviews! I will save myself from checking out this place until they pick up their slack.
August 23, 2010 at 3:44 pm | by jingoooAs well-informed as DoubleBad is, my personal experience at Terroni’s – albeit not this new one, yet – has been a bit different.
Balsamic vinegar comes on few dishes, and I’ve NEVER eaten at Terroni’s without a dish of hot peppers and oil.
I’ll have to see the service myself, but Terroni’s is a favourite of me and my partner. A few commentators (especially the one’s named Bad) seem unhappy with the chain and went to the new location anyways. I’ll go and it won’t just be to post a negative review.
August 24, 2010 at 6:56 pm | by SuperBadI find it fascinating that “T-Life” has reviewed this restaurant and chosen it as their “Weekly Lunch Pick” only to have every single comment save one (one by the way, who has yet to eat at this new location…)be really, really bad. Bad food, bad service…just plain bad. For a server to neglect to fill or re-fill water glasses but then take the time to correct a customers pronunciation of the names of dishes……”Buh-bye now…” Unreal. Requests for ketchup/mayonnaise were “dismissed”?!?!? Oh…my…God. And yet, as I prefaced this with, I find it fascinating that Mr. Brudz would have you rushing there for lunch today!!!!! Why, Andrew? No really, why?!!?!?!?
August 25, 2010 at 11:32 am | by Don MitchellAlthough I have not eaten at any Terroni, I am amused (even irked?) by people who refuse to ‘learn’ about other customs. In my many meals in Italy I have never been offered oil and balsamic as a bread ‘dip’. Am I unusual? As for catsup: I’m with Terroni (in all its versions). if you want it, go elsewhere. It and fries are not Italian!
August 25, 2010 at 12:42 pm | by Joan GauthierWell, Joan, I am always happy to learn about other cultures…especially other cuisines and we’re blessed to live in a city with such culinary diversity. I’m sorry to say that as a “paying” customer (and Terroni, in any of it’s “guises” is not an inexpensive place to dine…) that one should be able to ask for and receive whatever one wants. You’re not unusual, Joan. I’ve eaten wonderful meals in Italy (predominantly Tuscany for me…) and ate the dishes as they were presented. However, I still feel that someone who is paying can ask for anything…even if you and I (and no doubt the chef…) would be aghast/appalled/horrified; that they should still get it. My biggest complaint with the comments I read was concerning the waitress who neglected to fill/re-fill water glasses but went out of her way to correct the customers pronunciation of menu items. Totally unacceptable. Here’s an analogy Joan. You’re in Holt Renfrew buying a suit (lucky you!!) and choose a pair of shoes to go with it that the sales person hates and refuses to sell them to you no matter how much you love them and want them. You can’t have them because she doesn’t think they’re right with the suit. Can you imagine?!? Anyway, maybe we’ll meet up in Tuscany one day Joan!! Cheers and have a great day………
August 25, 2010 at 2:37 pm | by Don MitchellJoan, I’m confused. You say fries aren’t Italian, yet they seem to be served at this restaurant. Could it be they are the ones not delivering the “authentic” Italian dining experience? Perhaps they should dig deeper and find a less “un-Italian” side dish for their sandwich. Bottom line, if you’re going to put fries on your menu you better have ketchup, or for that matter mayonnaise (then you could learn a bit about the food culture in Belgium!). Mmmmm beer.
August 25, 2010 at 3:22 pm | by mattagascarSo maybe, just maybe Alexander C, and Don Mitchell(just for chiming in) the waitress wasn’t so much snubbing you and your poor Italian pronunciation(you don’t need to be a pro just ask!) but repeating your order back to you, as sometimes things are not so clear as to what your trying to spit out.
Majority would rather be clear on what they are ordering instead of getting something they didn’t want I suspect.
Now think if that same waitress repeated your order back to you saying it the exact same way you knowingly butchered it, would you feel better? I think not, most likely you(Alexander) would be on here saying the waitress didn’t know the food she served(with Don Mitchell picking up the slack of course). About how she was “mocking you” You felt “embarrassed”, yak yak yak.
August 26, 2010 at 1:38 am | by JakubNext time point.
not surprised. ate at their other resto Osteria next door and found the staff very rude. also, the food was way over-priced and everything took forever. not to offer balsamic at an Italian, middle-of-the-road restaurant is ridiculous. there are tons of much better Italian restos in Toronto.
August 26, 2010 at 12:23 pm | by scar007Like Zucca Trattoria.
August 26, 2010 at 2:23 pm | by mattagascarHaven’t eaten there, but thought it worth the time to mention to the folks upset with both Terroni and Toronto Life that you’re doing both a favour by blabbing on here.
TL loves the controversy–it generates comments, which are both more content for their site to be picked up by search engines and cred in prospective advertiser’s eyes.
And nothing makes fans of Terroni’s food experience and commitment to their ideals happier than your detractions. It validates their perspective.
August 26, 2010 at 5:32 pm | by Barry MartinOn this part I’m certain–I’m one of them.
I think this restaurant got too popular too fast…
August 31, 2010 at 12:54 pm | by So it goes