Posted by Greg Clow in in the papers, news and media on August 4, 2007 at 4:08 pm
A few weeks back, I mentioned in this column that I've never eaten at Splendido, and that Amy Pataki's somewhat negative review in the Star that week was certainly no incentive to make me do so any time soon. My wallet breathed a sigh of relief at this, but now, it's starting to get worried, as Gina Mallet's review of Splendido's Canadiana tasting menu in today's National Post has me thinking that they may be worth the splurge after all:
[O]ne of the dinner's peaks: delicate slices of poached lobster with Peaches 'n' Cream Corn Cobb salad, a take on a classic California salad, which is spiked with bacon. Here [chef David] Lee has made a fresh corn coulis combined with Niagara pancetta as a creamy sweet complement to the lobster.
And then he tops himself -- a chunk of beef brisket, a pool of beef consomme and a marrow bone that gushes like an oil well. I've been enjoying the matching wines but now I have my aha moment: Norman Hardie's 2005 Pinot Noir from Prince Edward County, Ontario's new wine country. The wine is a gastronomical animateur --it is so cool, so lucid, so balanced that it pulls together all the tastes and gives this wonderful rich beefy course a character beyond earthiness.
Also in the Post:
- Jon Bricker and Kate Swoger eat meat, meat and more meat at Argentinian restaurant Sky Ranch.
- Michael Vaughan checks out some Riojas and other highlights of today's Spanish-themed Vintages release.
- Philip Alves reports on the latest victim of a failed Restaurant Makeover, The Office Sports Bar & Grill in Etobicoke.
- Bonnie Stern suggests some New Brunswick dishes for the long weekend, including scallops, salmon and blueberry cobbler.
In the Toronto Star, the big news is that veteran food writer Marion Kane is leaving the paper after 18 years, and she checks out with an emotional look back at her time at the Star, as well as recipes for pea soup, stout cake and chicken marsala. She also promises that she'll soon be launching a blog on her website, which is good news for her many fans.
Also in the Star:
- Amy Pataki skips the review this week, and instead offers up news on recent comings and goings in the local restaurant scene, including Cowbell, Cluck, Grunt & Low, Seven Numbers and more.
- Gordon Stimmell chills five slightly sweet whites.
- Susan Sampson confesses that despite being an unrepentant meat eater, she actually (gasp!) likes tofu.
- In the Travel section, Richard Ouzounian is closer to home than usual as he has six meals in Niagara Falls.
The pickings are slim in the Globe & Mail today, with only three food & drink features:
- The summer review series Cheap Eats features Simona Rabinovitch's thoughts on La Sala Rosa, a former Spanish community centre cum indie-rock hangout in Montreal.
- Beppi Crosariol tastes a bunch of Spanish wines from today's Vintages release.
- Sasha Chapman hits the markets looking for corn, and discovers that like many veggies, it just ain't what it used to be.
Splendido's is the best restaurant in Toronto in terms of the total dining experience. Their service, wine paring, and food choices are all supposed to be impeccable. It really is in a class on its own, and not comparable to anything else in the city (Susur's might have better food (which is itself debatable), but they don't have the same service or wine pairings). Keep that in mind when you see Amy Pataki's 3/5. It's 3/5 in its own theoretical plane.