No. 50: Impasto

48 DANTE STREET, MONTREAL, QUEBEC
IMPASTOMTL.CA
514-508-6508

LOCATED IN THE HEART OF LITTLE ITALY, IMPASTO IS THE FIRST RESTAURANT FROM STEFANO FAITA, THE SON OF ITALIAN COOKING TEACHER ELENA FAITA.

She became famous when Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cochon fame revealed that she was his mentor. In other words, Stefano Faita comes from the same teaching background as Picard, and his attitude towards food—it has to be flavourful, comforting, fun—is pretty much the same, without the extravagance. Faita, who is also a TV personality and cookbook author, does not do the cooking himself.

That’s left to Michele Forgione, who also heads the kitchen at Gema and Chez Tousignant, the two other addresses owned by this successful team. The best way to enjoy Impasto is either with a group of people sharing dishes or as a twosome at the bar. Either way, half of the pleasure is the warm atmosphere of the place—decorated by Zébulon Perron, who has given it a very contemporary, no-nonsense, granite-and-mirror Italian feeling—and the sense that there is a celebration going on, even on a Tuesday night in the middle of November, or January. What is delicious? The pasta dishes like rye spaghettoni with venison, wild boar and pork ragù, or meat plates such as braised piglet shoulder with rapini and pears. The simple salad combining fresh fennel and citrus or the mozzarella di bufala with roasted grapes and figs are also a joy. The wine list will take you all over Italy, from Sicily to Piedmont, and many alluring bottles are offered by the glass.

HOURS

Lunch
Thursday, Friday
11:30 AM until 2:00 PM

Dinner
Tuesday to Saturday
5:00 PM until 11:00 PM