Restaurants
Strada 241
Strada 241 had its soft opening, with minimal fuss and fanfare, a week ago, and is something of an odd man out on its stretch of Spadina. What's even more unexpected is the two men at the helm: Michael and Guy Rubino, whose previous ventures include Ame (on which they partnered with Charles Khabouth).
"Strada, for us, means fun and accessible," Michael tells me. "This is somewhere we feel comfortable." And comfort is clearly important to Michael, who's had children recently, and Guy, who divides his time between the kitchen and putting the finishing touches on a record for his band, Curtain Call. Wondering why Chinatown? "It's changed," Michael explains, "and we don't want to be a King and Bay kind of crowd. Ossington has had so much happen; we're of the opinion that it's coming this way."
The space is beautiful, and builds on the bones of the original space, which was constructed in 1910 and was formerly a "by the hour" hotel, Michael tells me. The wood flooring has been coated and sheened, but its years of scuffs and marks are still in evidence, as is the fire damage on the ceiling in a back corner.
The layout is ingenious, and serves Strada's multi-purpose concept. High ceilings throughout lend an air of haute cuisine, but rustic accents of wood, marble and steel bring it back down to earth.
They open at 7 a.m., and see a rush at their front cafe, which serves traditionally-prepared espresso-based drinks and freshly-baked pastries. There's a long communal table which has already seen its share of lunchtime laptops, a homey brick wall, and a spill of natural light. The middle area consists of the ultra-open kitchen--yes, ultra. There are no doors or walls, and there's even bar seating surrounding the kitchen area. In short, nowhere to hide.
The back area is the designated dining room, but opens at lunch: polished, blonde wood throughout, and high-walled booths lend an air of intimacy. Once their liquor license comes through (projected for next week), this is where the planned menu of simple Italian cocktails such as negronis and bellinis made by Michael himself ($9), Italian and Canadian wines, and European beers will be focused.
It'll come as no surprise that the Rubino brothers have done it again--the food is incredible. What's a bit of a head-scratcher is the simplicity of the dishes, and the focus on Southern Italian cooking which is, in essence, a return to their cultural roots. After years of polished service and costly mains, Strada is a far more relaxed atmosphere than we've come to expect from the Rubino brothers. Where dishes at Rain would take 9 cooks to prepare, Strada sees a line of four, and there are no comically stiff, white chef's suits.
Everything is made in-house--from the pastries, to the bread, to the sauces--and it's a difference you can taste. The price point, as well, is refreshing.
First up is the plate of cured heritage meats ($21). Inspired by something they'd seen abroad, the basket options allows you to slice how much you want and take the leftovers home, or as a pre-sliced option ($12 for 2, or $24 for 4). The meats are seasonal, but there's wild boar sausage, and both spicy and mild soppresatta. The cheese platter ($18 for 2, or $36 for 4) consists of a tough parmigiano reggiano, tallegio (imagine a halfway point between gorgonzola and blue cheese), and truffled pecorino (with black truffles for a touch of earthiness). Fresh bread and a mustard-and-peach chutney round out the plate.
The bagna cauda ($6) falls under their piccolo platti (small plate) menu, and is perfectly sized to share. Chilled pickled vegetables such as cauliflower, radishes, and asparagus are cut to pair with the dip after which the plate is named--a warmed, spicy anchovy vinaigrette that's a nice way to up the heat on the already zesty veggies.
Next up is the Strada caesar ($9). Michael is quick to admit that with Strada, they're not attempting to re-invent Italian cuisine, or even dress it up, and while caesar salads are not especially difficult to make, but Strada's is a stand-out. Charred romaine and raddichio (or grilled on request) is topped with parmesan, crispy guanciale (that's pig cheek in layman's lingo), house croutons, and their housemade dressing. It's the little things: the lingering charred flavour, the slight bite of the dressing, the richness of freshly grated parmesan. No complaints here.
The pasta ($12) is about as rustic as you can get--bucatini with tomatoes, and parmesan. In some ways, this is most reflective of what I think Strada wants to be. It's quality comfort food--no fuss, a bit of heat, and it arrives on a country-kitchen-appropriate red plate.
The Neapolitan-style pizza ($15) is good, from the crust--made with 00 flour--up. Wild boar capicola, Gaeta olives, virgin fior di latte cheese (which means it's the first skimming of the curd, and Guy tells me noone else in Toronto does this), homemade tomato sauce using tomatoes from the Rubino's hometown of Salerno and basil come together in a perfect balance of spice, salt, and richness. "Pizza's pizza," Michael says. "They got it right, and there's no need to put stuff on there that doesn't belong." To that end, the flavors are kept simple and fresh-tasting for each of their 9 pizzas.
The desserts are the domain of Robert Gonsalves (formerly of Ame). I try the budino ($7), which is a truly masterful blend of vanilla-poached apricots, saffron custard and olive oil which arrives in a mason jar (as so many things do these days), and is the perfect representation of Italian desserts, which to me, are never too sweet. Even their gelato is made in-house, drawing from traditional Italian recipes. Best of all, you can pop in any time for some of their crunchy peanut caramel corn to go.
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All of the meals look sufficiently complex and/or interesting for their prices...EXCEPT for the bucatini with tomatoes and parmesan. I'm sorry, but for $12, I expect a bit more magic. For that price, I could buy the necessary ingredients at the grocery store and make the dish myself several times over.
This is not supposed to be a negative comment. The restaurant looks AMAZING, the staff are SUPER FRIENDLY (I popped in for coffee the other day, but not food), it livens up the area, and the food looks (and smells!) great. And for almost everything, I think you get serious bang for your buck. I just think they should watch the price on an item or two.
Best of luck to them!!!
This is a comment that patrons often make with regards to any menu's pricing, and it's fallacious for a couple reasons:
(1), the easy one - "Then go do it." Why aren't you just sitting at home eating spaghetti? Because there's a lot more to the experience of going out to have dinner at a restaurant than simply being fed.
(2), the cost of the meal in a restaurant is not only the cost of the ingredients, it is the staff's wages, the building rental, the equipment maintenance, etc etc.
That being said, I'd never go out to eat and order pasta, I think it's idiotic to pay $14 for a *plate* of penne, and that dish in particular does look a little sparse for the price, but Strada 241 ain't McDonald's and customers walking in should realize that.
I guess I'm just surprised since I always saw the Rubinos as trend-setter types, and now it looks like they're just following everyone else in embracing the whole "rustic Italian" thing. I'm sure the food is excellent, but you cannot tell me that they're offering something that you can't already get just about anywhere else in the City nowadays.
What ever happened to being original?
Other than that, this place looks ok I guess. I'd love to see a full menu though...
Does anyone know if the liquor license has come through? May want to go there for dinner on Friday, but hoping for somewhere with cocktails.
The server had no idea there was porchetta in it...had to ask the kitchen...again...disappointing.
Servers, you are the ambassadors of your kitchen...you MUST know EVERYTHING!!!
Start asking questions people!!! Its your job..
sigh...another example of horrendous service in Toronto...
Won't return...
And seriously, give the servers a break - the restaurant just opened. It takes time for staff to get the swing of things at a new restaurant. I'm sure service will be top-notch by the time the grand opening rolls around.
Pathetic!
Thanks for the feedback. Yes we had a few issues during the opening days. They have been resolved! We have a dedicated team of professionals working at the restaurant. Management is committed to top notch quality & service. Hope you will give us a try again. I am sure you will have a positive experience.
Strada 241 Team
We had made a reservation and was 10 min late so I dropped my wife off and parked... My wife was pointed in the direction of where to sit... When I arrived there were no menus or drinks on the table no one had come to serve my wife 10 mins later we were served and my wife expressed her dissatisfaction when asked by the server... Having ordered the cured sausage board there was no knife to cut it except the dinner knives which are pretty much useless so wife has to go ask for a serrated knife... The server explained the sausage to us in the following terms hot, spicy, and sweet... Wow great descriptions...
I kind of expect more since the Rubino brothers have been in this business for sometime and I do understand there are some issues when you first open but it has been a few weeks now... I will give it one more try before I decide not to go anymore which is a shame because the food is good...
Another recommendation: Get rid of those 3 round tables that seat 2 people as you are shoe horned between the other tables and it lacks any kind of ambiance... I kept getting bumped into by servers and guests the whole time I was seated...
My favourite recommendations to date was the fire roasted Asparagus and the Nina pizza. Delicious and unique tastes to both. It's refreshing to see staff so invested and excited what dining selections you might make, it tells me that they care. The desserts are out of this world. The Lemone and the Semifreddo can cap off any meal just right.
The music is spot on, excellent playlist. This is something I always notice at restaurants. Perhaps a little bit loud in the dining room some days, but nothing I can't live with.
My friends were all very happy that I introduced them to this lovely place and have all been back on their own accord since then. Looking forward to my next visit!
So good food, poor service. Won't be in a hurry to head back too soon.
REALLY obnoxious staff and the food was...well it's not worth mentioning.
The white pizza was not so great. Service was ok.
The space is a bit dull and lacks that authentic Italian feel I craved.
It seems Toronto's urban pizzeria trend has no end in sight.
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