I really don’t know what took me so long. Enoteca Sociale has been on my “list” for ages now, yet I haven’t set foot in the West End resto until last week. And I am so glad that I finally did.
First of all, I just want to say that hostesses at Enoteca are great! When my friend and I came in without a reservation, there was not a hint of “hollier than thou-ness”, just a friendly smile and a genuine attempt at getting us a table. We were advised that the wait would take around 30 minutes, and that we should grab a drink at the nearby Brockton General, which we did. Not even 30 minutes in, we got a call to let us know that our table is ready. Quick, courteous, perfect!
As we weren’t too hungry when we got in, the tasting menu on the card looked the best – we’d get to try a little bit of everything to gauge what we liked best, all at a price of $45 (split between the two of us). Not bad for antipasto, pasta, main, side, cheese, and dessert, no?
I do believe that the tasting menu gets tweaked once in a while, but whatever we did have that night was pure deliciousness. We started with chef’s choice antipasto, which included rabbit rillette, best-tasting olives ever, and some pickled green beans. All were great, and gone in a flash.
Our pasta dish consisted of a few large pieces of ravioli stuffed with duck pâté – something I’ve never tried in ravioli form. But it was taste bud explosion with every bite! Too bad my friend had to have his carbs that day, otherwise I would’ve definitely hogged well over my half of the plate.
Next, we got a plateful of Beef Tagliata with eggplant, potatoes, and corn. The meat was definitely full of flavor, but I would’ve preferred a bit more eggplant in my dish. For that reason, the ravioli were still the clear winner of the night in my books. For our Contorni, we went with Zucchini in thyme, honey & butter – lightly cooked, crunchy, and very healthy – yum.
Once the plates were licked clean, our waiter brought us some Formaggi e Frutti from Enoteca’s own cheese cave. A little bit of plum, some caramelized pecans, and I’m not exactly sure what kind of cheese we got (chef’s selection once again)…but it was all very good. If only a little too…well, little. But I wouldn’t expect much more from a tasting menu.
To finish off our meal, out came the Ricotta and Peach dessert. Not exactly sure of the name, but it tasted like a typical Neapolitan ricotta-based dessert that I’ve tried once in Switzerland. Delicious whipped ricotta cheese, laced with peach slices and syrup…with granola on top. Screw the granola, I am all about the whipped ricotta – SO. GOOD. Must try to make this at home.
Overall, I am still in a bit of a daze from our Enoteca outing, and have been shouting the restaurant’s name from the rooftops wherever I go…Ok, not exactly from the rooftops, but I am definitely planning a few more outings at this Dundas St. West restaurant. With the inviting staff, delicious food, welcoming ambiance, and apparently one of the best wine lists in the city – there’s no reason for you not to have visited Enoteca Sociale. So if like me, you’ve been procrastinating and delaying your visit, I urge you to finally get off your behind, make a reservation (or not), and RUN to Enoteca Sociale for a yummy meal/hot date/girl’s night out/whatever. It really is as good as they say.
