Local Kitchen and Wine Bar
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416-534-6700
w: http://localkitchen.ca/
Two years in, this no-reservation trattoria has proved that it has staying power. It fills up nightly with an eclectic mix of Roncesvalles families and hip Parkdale couples. Comely waitresses in tight-fitting “I Heart Parkdale” T-shirts work the tiny room dexterously. If there’s a wait—and there usually is—they’ll direct you up the street to Local’s companion restaurant, Bar Salumi, until your table is ready. Chef and co-owner Fabio Bondi offers a succinct, seasonally inflected menu that’s rustic and contemporary at the same time. The kitchen, however, doesn’t always execute his ideas with precision. Trout crudo is jazzed up with a spruce tip dressing and tart lingonberries, but the overdressed side salad yields a few limp leaves that could’ve been foraged from the compost. Cuscini, pasta pillows stuffed with braised rabbit and mascarpone, are a delight, with slippery porcini and garlic scapes in a buttery broth. Served on a bed of pan-roasted asparagus, crispy though overcooked spotted char is topped with a piquant, crunchy gremolata of walnuts and garlic scapes. The wine list offers a unique mix of Ontario, B.C. and southern Italian bottles with an impressive selection by the glass. Mains $15–$19.
Profile by Client (Description)
Category Features
Vegetarian: Yes
Price Range: Dinner for $60 - $90
Editor's Star Rating: 1.5
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