Restaurants › Italian
Mistura
- 265 Davenport Rd. (at Avenue Rd.) • View on map »
- 416-515-0009
- http://www.sopra.ca/
There’s a classic luxury in this room, and even when the restaurant is busy (which is pretty well always), every table seems set in a bubble of calm; wonderfully, it never feels pretentious. The menu showcases classic Italian dishes often made with local ingredients. Seasonal soups are a forte, as in a silken purée of sunchokes garnished with lovely little fried mushrooms. Other first courses lean on the deep-fryer with mixed results: some nights the battered butterflied sardines are as hot, crisp and moist as possible, served with fried lemon slices. It’s a dish that demands immediate transfer from kitchen to diner, and any delay (on busy nights for example) turns the triumph into a soggy, greasy failure. Pastas are crowd favourites, especially chitarra with just-cooked chunks of lobster and a tomato-garlic sauce. It’s very good but lacks a brightness of flavour that would make it really sing. Mains all appeal, from big steaks and chops to artfully assembled fish dishes, and special treats like pancetta-wrapped boneless Cornish hen. A braised half rabbit is tender and moist, and while there is a quantity of white wine sauce accompanying, it doesn’t pack much flavour. Branzino, on the other hand, breaded ever so lightly with chick pea flour and expertly fried, comes garnished with cherry tomatoes roasted into little flavour bombs. Desserts are worth saving room for, especially the most luscious lemon cream served in a tall glass with crisp meringue straws. Almost every night, the man himself, Massimo Capra, appears on the floor shaking hands and welcoming guests. Expert service is warm and professional. Very few affordable wines, but lots for high rollers. Mains $34–$48.
265 Davenport Rd. (at Avenue Rd.) | This location is wheelchair accessible
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