Posted by Natalie Tadic in italian, restaurant review on August 28, 2008 at 8:14 am

Politica Resto Bar
127 Strachan Avenue
416-366-0990
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and wine: $100

The façade of Politica is simple and unassuming, blending into the background so well that driving by at night, it's easy to miss it. It is only when walking through the doors that owner Nick Dominelli’s wish for good food, freshly made to share with friends in a laid back, comfortable atmosphere, comes to life.

Mediterranean was the vision, easily enough accomplished with the menu, modified to the North American style with a solid address and updated decor. Politica sits on the cusp of Liberty Village, a long way from Tuscany, but very much on Toronto’s geographical hot list. The ambiance is quite superb, in cooler tones of chocolate and cream by day, rendering into a sexy elegance by night with candles and red lighting. Fashionably contemporary, yet not disarmingly so, the mood easily swings from romance at table three to casual business at table six.

Still, the feel is all there, especially with Nick tending bar near the front door, doling out his famous mango lychee cocktails ($8) to many a willing patron. Combine that with the rumour of a once-upon-a-time pizza chef from Terroni, and we have a recipe for success.

The praise arrives with the bread, a trio of unconventional varieties usually reserved for the shelves of rustic bakeries: chewy sourdough; crumbly, spiced cornbread; and black olive foccacia, all still warm from the oven. The restaurant rule of thumb is to not fill up on bread, but offerings such as these dictate a second basket.

A bump in the road quickly follows in the form of baby spinach and apple salad with roasted honey walnuts ($10). Less than impressive, the plate of greens is almost entirely parched for dressing, loosely decorated with four candied nuts that taste as if they languished in a bulk bin somewhere. Luckily there is redemption with the roasted pistachio bocconcini salad ($14), lovely fresh baby arugula with paper thin slices of apple, with a splash of champagne vinaigrette and crowned with bocconcini and lightly crisped roasted pistachio. The roma tomato, avocado and buffalo mozzarella salad ($12) is also beautifully and artistically done, even if the balance of the dish is slightly off kilter with more avocado than greens. The cornmeal crusted calamari ($11) is wonderful, the savoury cornmeal coating a welcome addition to an old faithful, and the mango chili baby back ribs ($13) are also quite good, the sticky sweetness of the outside perfectly complementing the done-just-right inside.

The pizza is apparently made via Nonna’s special recipe and for the most part, does the job. Advice: when ordering from this side of the menu, take a walk on the wild side. The classic pomodoro with sauce and buffalo mozzarella ($14) is ‘alright,’ your basic pie done in no exceptional way to help it stand out amongst the pizza throngs, but then the Bianca ($16) is a showstopper. Tinselled up with Danish brie, Anjou pear, walnuts, prosciutto and arugula, it impresses the conversation even more than the taste buds. Politica’s brother ($16) is a gorgeous concoction of spicy Italian sausage, onions, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, goat cheese and basil, and the smoked salmon misto pizza ($16) is also quite spectacular, a unique combination of mascarpone, red onions, capers and smoked salmon.

The pastas aim to please and do the trick, with an extra option of gluten-free pasta for the health conscious, at a small additional charge ($4). A daily special, the gnocchi with grilled vegetables ($17) doesn’t skimp on the greens, and the gnocchi are done in the proper Italian style, that is to say, not too fluffy. Nonna would be proud. Similarly, the penne and goat cheese ($15), complimented by Portobello and leek rosé, is testament to a simple combination done right. The farfalle and grilled chicken asiago ($16) is a delight, the red pepper cream and wild mushrooms proving a savoury combination; similarly, the rigatoni & tenderloin tips ($17) is both pleasing and flavourful, the tender beef a nice, subtle touch to the broccoli and portobello mushrooms in a demi-rose.

Enter the main course, an anomalous mélange of fantastic versus so-so. The oven roasted pistachio and gorgonzola chicken breast ($21) is a tantalizing idea almost realized, but a tad too dried out to deliver. Similarly, the seared yellow fin tuna ($26), though complemented with a snappy strawberry citrus vinaigrette, lacks in originality and strong flavour, the winning half of the plate belonging to the Nicoise salad it’s served with. The surf and turf ($32) is above par both quality and taste wise, as is the risotto of the day ($22), an asparagus parmesan risotto tantalizingly topped with a very fresh, very generous garnish of buffalo mozzarella. However, the grilled lemon garlic salmon ($23) is a touchdown run afoul; salmon is the type of fish that is either a momentous victory or dismal failure, and while Politica hits the nail on the head, the accompanying avocado wild rice is a flavourless, overdone puck of mostly white, not wild, rice.

Dessert showcases the tried and true with vanilla crème brulee ($8) and a rather lovely pistachio cheesecake ($8), not to mention a flourless chocolate torte ($8) that is sinfully delectable in its own right. But the stunner here is the Nutella pizza ($12), a full size dessert crust topped with the chocolate hazelnut spread, mascarpone and fruit, made to order again and again, bedazzled with sparklers for birthdays, to be enjoyed by one and all.

If simple and unassuming was the idea for Politica's appearance, it also showcases nicely with the menu. Indeed, the soul of the place permeates these themes, making Politica an easy, laid back restaurant, reliable enough to visit again and again.