Restaurants
Mattino
My first thought when contemplating the arrival of Mattino, the new Italian/Mediterranean restaurant occupying the space left vacant by the April demise of Supermarket offshoot Mini-Market on the north west corner of the patio quadruplets at College and Clinton, is undoubtedly 'why'?
As I don't find myself encountering too many CIBPA-manned culinary under-representation protests on College I wanted to see how Mattino would fit into the existing Little Italy eatery shuffle.
Owner Rachel Wang has strategically created an enclave that acknowledges the strengths of surrounding stalwarts by wisely creating it's own niche of tweaked traditional Mediterranean fare with an emphasis on light (but by no means meanly portioned) dishes with a $20 price ceiling.
We start with the polenta fries tossed in shaved reggiano and fresh thyme ($7.95) which are fluffy enough to collapse upon a tentative spearing. The accompanying piquant lemon aioli and stealthily flavorsome tomato basil dip both cause breaks in conversation while they're chased around their respective dishes.
The crispy calamari strips ($10.95) are exactly that, thoroughly though lightly battered without rubberizing the squid. A lemon-dill dip aioli again provides a welcome flourish, though the red pepper puree seems pretty pallid compared to the aforementioned tomato alternative.
My cohort's choice of the $12.95 glass of wine and seared scallop special proves to be the victual peak of the evening. Four meaty, seared to perfection scallops intermingle with whale sized caper berries, charred peppers, chickpeas and pancetta. So tasty are they that despite the easy calculation involved, four fairly courteous people have difficulty deferring to the socially polite sharing called for.
Deciding to sample one of the salads before moving on I opt for the warm forest mushroom salad ($9.95). The warm, caramelized red onion and mushroom compote atop mixed greens melts the generous sprinkling of pecorino to the perfect extent.
My fellow diners opt for entrees of salsa fresca rigatoni ($15.95) and mixed mushroom risotto ($17.95). The rigatoni comes tossed with asparagus, field tomatoes and fresh beans. This dish in particular cements my impression that Mattino is at its best when it comes to dealing in the deceptively simple. The vegetables all retain their distinct textures and flavors without being undercooked or descending into mush.
As a dedicated fungi fiend I personally found the risotto lacking in overall flavor and creaminess. Someone that finds risotto too rich in general would probably enjoy the respite from dairy overload.
The two desserts available, a homemade tiramisu and cafe crema catalana (both $5.95) greatly appeal to the need for an espresso-leaded kick to stave off the usual soporific effect of round three.
Unfortunately, neither really does the trick. The tiramisu is an overly sweet pick up merchant that staggers towards you with chronic marsala breath before passing out at your feet.
The crema catalana is essentially a Catalan take on creme brulee (the waiter elects to describe it this way). Which, while by no means bland, lacks the richness that would usually cause me separation anxiety from my spoon.
Grappa and some crema-laden espresso with mini biscotti end things on good terms.
In all honesty, Mattino probably isn't going to divert anyone from their fallback Italian spot anytime soon. It's clearly geared towards commitment to dinner rather than idling away the evening with 2 drinks or sharing pizza (make that eating pizza, it's conspicuously lacking from the menu).
With that in mind, my overall impression was favorable. The service was swift and friendly without being over-familiar though, admittedly, our table was one out of only four occupied.
What Mattino is rather conducive to is a light, reasonably priced single course that will enable a wander rather than a bloat-induced waddle along College in either the direction of The Big Chill or Dolce Gelato. Your gait after that point is your own business...
Photos by Peter Andrew Lusztyk
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And re: signage- I also agree- really horrible, reminds me of the kind of signs/lettering for a "Dollarama" in suburbia....
1. The description of the polenta fries appears beneath a different photo. Is that garlic bread in the photo above the description of the polenta fries? Photos and description paragraphs should go together (it's confusing and irritating). It took me a few moments to make the connection as I read the description of the polenta fries.
2. The CIBPA link has a typo in it. It looks like an additional set of quotation marks likely made it into the HTML.
Thanks for the review.
You're right that it's nice to have to read the review to really get the point rather than skimming something with words but not content. My attention span was less happy than the rest of my brain was. :) ("You mean I need to read more words? I have to focus??") A challenge (pathetically so), but a good one.
I think I need to go there.
P.S. (Not to Jill but to BlogTO staff) The HTML in the CIBPA link still needs to be fixed. :)
Have a great summer everyone!
Kody G
Our disappointment with our first "dining" experience there arose from an over casual and poorly knowledged staff, along with a weak menu (variety & taste) and overall bad dining experience.
As we went back today with lowered expectations and solely for the purpose of getting a free meal, we were surprised to first of all find out Kody was no longer working there and secondly to be greeted by a totally tamed down & disciplined staff. The whole experience was surreal.
Mattino sucks. I'd be surprised if it made it past the summer.
Feel free to hate on me!
So when asked to return another time for a promised better experience, we thought we'd give it a try. Who doesn't love a happy ending? In we came, down we sat, and out came the food. Unfortunately, there was little improvement. The staff seemed more formal, but hardly amicable. The food was bland and if it weren't for the delightful location, the potent drinks, and the favored company, it would have been a depressing evening. Middle management clearly was not the issue- upper management needs to take a good look at their establishment and deem what they really want it to stand for.