Toronto loves its pricey steak houses. So, when restaurateur David Minicucci and his business partner chef Rob Rossi started thinking about a third restaurant to follow their highly successful Giulietta and Osteria Giulia, a bisteccheria was the obvious choice. The Old Town setting (long occupied by the O&B bistro, Biff’s) has been made over by renowned Toronto-based international design firm II by IV, and the results are striking — and assertively opulent. Banquettes are upholstered in oxblood leather, and other finishes run from dark-stained wood to marble and lots and lots of gold. The walls are adorned with an exceptional collection of Canadian art. Elaborate Martinis are served tableside from a bespoke cocktail trolley and the food program is equivalently luxe. The five large steaks at the core of the project are exclusively Ontario beef, dry-aged for a minimum of 60-days, and sourced from Ontario’s premier butcher, Cumbrae’s. These are served appropriately simply, but there is inventiveness elsewhere in the menu. First, there are well-executed composed salads (like radicchio, Chioggia beets and walnuts, dressed with balsamic and ricotta salata). Next, a pleasing array of seafood starters spans staples (fritto misto) and spiffy crudos (blood orange–dressed bluefin tuna fanned over foie gras mousse). Diners frustrated by the customary limitations of steak-house fare will be delighted by options like grilled sweetbread, fried tripe and risotto studded with sweet Japanese snow crab and artichokes. Desserts are polished and showy (even bistro staples like profiteroles get dressed up here in gold leaf). The wine list is vast and trophy-laden.
Profiteroles with vanilla gelato.
Seafood.
Cumbrae’s beef.
Cocktail.
Tune Crudo.
Profiteroles with vanilla gelato.
Seafood.
Cumbrae’s beef.
Cocktail.
Tune Crudo.
Superb service and luxurious dishes.” Susanna Cheng
