Posted by Greg Clow in in the papers, news and media on June 30, 2007 at 5:21 pm

At the risk of completely blowing my Toronto foodie cred, I have to confess that I've never eaten at Splendido. This is partly because I rarely have a spare few hundred bucks kicking around to drop on a single meal, and partly because I'm half-convinced that as wonderful as it may be, it will never be able to live up to my exceedingly high expectations. Based on Amy Pataki's review in today's Toronto Star, perhaps I'm right to feel that way:

(T)he so-called "Mediterranean-eclectic" dishes aren't as accomplished as the restaurant's reputation and prices lead me to believe. Only the consummate service balances out the kitchen's many missteps, the evident eagerness to please a balm for disappointed palates.

All meals begin with a tiered stand of canapes before menus are presented. How civilized. There may be chilled shot glasses of gazpacho, toast with raisin chutney and Ontario ricotta, and a bland take on Mexican black beans.

Then it's a first course of fat white asparagus with hollandaise that should know better, the stiff blob more akin to lemon mayonnaise. The asparagus isn't much better, slimy and floppy from over-poaching. Later in the meal, the kitchen treats slender green asparagus properly, using crisp-tender spears to prop up an overcooked breaded halibut fillet so stringy it makes frozen fish patties seem a paragon.

Also in the Star:

• Gordon Stimmell reviews of mixed assortment of five wines from the latest Vintages release, and this week the reviews are actually on the website for once.
• Marion Kane sings the praises of local organic strawberries, and offers two different shortcake recipes.
• Susan Sampson suggests cooking with ginger, starting with some lemon & ginger cookies.
• In the Homes section, Vicky Sanderson gives the run down on barbecues to fit all budgets, while Debbie Travis focuses on the unique Gizeh grill from the Danish design firm RAIS.
• In the Travel section, Carol Perehudoff explores the many roles that rice plays in the culture of Thailand.

Over in the National Post, Gina Mallet scoops the other papers with the first review of C5, the swank restaurant and lounge in the controversial new Crystal addition at the ROM. This place has gotten a lot of hype over their use of local and organic ingredients, and it looks like the dishes generally live up to the high expectations, although there are a few rough edges:

(Chef Teddy) Corrado has a smart palate: He earns (an) A+ for vanilla-scented Hokkaido scallops, just a breath of vanilla to enrich the sweetly beefy flavour in Hokkaidos -- now the caviar of bivalves. Again the mix is scintillating: citrusy Japanese greens (tatsoi) tossed with sour yuzu foam. Suggestion: Put the foam on top of the greens so diners don't make the mistake I do: I eat foam with a scallop and gag on the bitterness.

Lobster hollandaise with seared black cod and lobster and lentil salad -- rich to the max. Squab leg confit is merchant banker's scoff, silkily invested with seared foie gras. The tempura shrouding the black cod, Collado's take on fish and chips, hasn't got the required helium quality. And there is another problem. The fish is served in a deep soup plate with a wavy rim that makes it hard to get to the food, and the garnishes -- chanterelles, wilted pea tendrils and lychee black bean sauce -- sink to the bottom, their impact lost. This is true as well of the squab.

Also in the Post:

• Michael Vaughan wonders if wine competitions matter as he looks at some Ontario wines for Canada Day, and he also includes a correction/retraction to his claims in last week's column (also mentioned here on Taste T.O.) that the LCBO artificially raises prices on some Vintages products. According to an LCBO rep, no such price gouging takes place.
• Jason Chow tries making that classic summer dessert, Strawberry Shortcake.
• Bonnie Stern suggests some cocktails and appetiser recipes from Vancouver's Opus Hotel for your long weekend party.
• A. Brouwer and A. Wilson investigate the history of that oh-so-Canadian of cocktails, the Bloody Caesar, and hold a tomato-and-clam juice taste test. Which frankly sounds pretty disgusting to me.

In the Globe & Mail, the Cheap Eats review column that is replacing Joanne Kates for the summer features a review by Montreal's Simona Rabinovitch of Les Deux Singes de Montarvie, a cozy looking bistro in her city's Mile End neighbourhood. Also in the Globe:

• Beppi Crosariol explains why brand loyalty isn't always a great idea when it comes to wine.
• Lacy Waverman dishes up an Italian-inspired meal.
• Elaine Louie looks at the style trend that has seen attractive female TV chefs like Nigella Lawson and Giada De Laurentis move away from typical kitchen wear towards form-fitting V-neck and scoop-neck shirts, a look that one fashion expert dubs "updated wench chic". (This wire-service article isn't on the Globe site, but appears in it's original form on the New York Times site).
• In the Globe Toronto section, Peter Cheney compares the rise of two very different local breweries - Steam Whistle and Steelback - and Sasha Chapman chucks the smoked salmon in favour of local smoked trout.