where jess ate

For Mike’s birthday we came to Scarpetta, located in the trendy Thompson hotel on Wellington near Bathurst. After reading some mixed reviews, I was a little apprehensive about coming here to celebrate his birthday. In all honesty, I had tried making a reservation at a few other restaurants (Ici Bistro and Frank’s Kitchen) beforehand but even calling three weeks in advance for a Saturday night reservation wasn’t quite far enough in advance. Luckily, our dinner here confirmed that Scarpetta was a great choice!

Scarpetta is part of Scott Conant’s chain of restaurants, with other locations in Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, New York and Miami. As I mentioned, the Toronto restaurant is located in the Thompson Hotel, so it was no surprise that the restaurant screamed pretentious. Most of the folks inside the restaurant were impeccably dressed with most of the men in suits.

Luckily the service was unpretentious. Our server was very personable and genuine. He really added to our great experience here.

The server started us off with a basket of fresh bread. To my delight, it came with several types of bread – focaccia, ciabatta, stromboli and regular white bread.

The one that stood out to me was the stromboli stuffed with calabrese salami. I love fresh bread and I love meat, so what’s not to love? I also really enjoyed the other varieties, especially when paired with one of the three dips they provided – garlic-infused olive oil, an eggplant dip and mascarpone butter. Mike and I both enjoyed the eggplant dip the most. We ended up fighting over the last bit of dip. Since it was his birthday, I let him win this round.

If you know me, you know that I love variety, so the selection of complimentary bread and dips earned big points for me. The only downside was that I filled up on a little too much bread and was already beginning to feel quite satisfied.

The first starter we ordered was the Crispy Fritto Misto – seafood, vegetables, herbs & lemon ($16). I discovered what Fritto Misto (aka deep-fried seafood) was during my dinner at Malena and since I really enjoyed it there, wanted to give it a try at Scarpetta – especially since it was denoted in their menu  as one of the “Scarpetta Signatures.”

The dish contained calamari, a few shrimp and a generous amount of veggies cut into small matchsticks. Since the veggies were cut into such small pieces, it was quite difficult to eat this gracefully… just sayin’. Anyway, this would be a perfect dish for sharing as it came in a large pile. They were seasoned well and quite addictive. While this was pretty good, Mike and I both preferred this dish at Malena.

We decided to go with two appetizers, so we also ordered the Yellowtail – olio de zenzero & pickled red onion ($18), another one of Scarpetta’s signatures. The price was on the high side for only four pieces but they were oh-so-delicious! The yellowtail was topped with sea salt, micro greens and pickled red onions which resulted in a bite of perfection. After eating a plate full of deep fried goodness, I was glad this was a nice light starter.

Now, onto the mains! I went with the Duck and Foie Gras Ravioli – with a marsala reduction ($23). The dish came with a small plate full of mini ravioli. Sure, the portion wasn’t enormous but it was quite rich and filled me up. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the filling contained a nice foie gras flavour, which wasn’t too overpowering. The marsala reduction, which was drizzled on top of the pasta, was a nice compliment to the ravioli. A solid dish!

Mike decided to go with Scarpetta’s famous Spaghetti – with tomato and basil ($24). When Scarpetta first opened in Toronto, we had read a lot about this famous dish and had to order it on this visit.

The pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente and the subtle, creamy tomato sauce was quite delicious. For a simple spaghetti, this one certainly tops my list. However, if you prefer a pasta with bolder flavours, I’m not sure you’d love this dish. Similar to my ravioli, the portion wasn’t substantial but I thought it was the perfect amount of food given that we had ordered two appetizers and eaten a basket full of bread.

After finishing the mains, we were feeling quite satisfied. However, what’s a birthday without cake? So, we decided on the Amedei Chocolate Cake – burnt orange-caramel gelato & espresso sauce ($12).

After ordering it, the server informed us it was his favourite dessert here, so we had high expectations for this dessert. It had a nice gooey centre and the burnt orange-caramel gelato paired incredibly well with the cake. In fact, I think the gelato was my favourite part. Delish! The cake itself was pretty solid but not one of the best ones I’ve had. Mike really enjoyed it though, which was all that mattered since it was his birthday.

They had written “Happy Birthday” in chocolate on the plate and brought out a candle which was planted on a tiny bite-sized cupcake. A nice touch!

So, what’s the verdict? Mike and I both had a great dinner! Since we didn’t deviate from the “Scarpetta Signatures”, I can’t attest to the rest of the menu but I’m sure you can’t go wrong with their self-proclaimed signatures.

At a glance:
• Prices are on the higher side
• Ordered some of the “Scarpetta Signatures” and enjoyed them all
• Located in the Thompson hotel in the King West area
• Pretentious atmosphere

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4 stars
• Service: 4 stars
• Atmosphere: 3 .5 stars