Scanning the website for the "first ever" Italian Seasons Festival — Primavera Spring, with such wonderful passages as, “In spring, Italian kitchens come alive with colour and fragrance as dishes that reflect the season grace the table,” my first thoughts tend toward those of the “uh-huh” variety.
This is Toronto; after all, the land of foodies, where it seems even the most insignificant date on the calendar is cause to hold a culinary extravaganza of some sort or another. And with Winterlicious just behind us and Summerlicious on the way, one could get to thinking, “don’t we have enough food fests already?” Then again, who am I kidding? Of course you can’t ever have too many gastro-fetes. (I, myself, am gearing up for my annual “Get Rid of all the Bloody Rhubarb” cook-off, after all.)
And flipping through the line-up of twenty-one tratts participating in the event, which starts on the 16th and runs through to the 31st of May, confidence in the validity of the project grows: Scaramouche (1 Benvenuto Place, 416-961-8011); Via Allegro Ristorante (1750 The Queensway, 416-622-6677); Boccaccio (901 Lawrence Avenue West, 416-789-5555) — all established names on the Hogtown scene. And if anyone can create a tasting card showcasing “the simple pleasure of authentic Italian ingredients inspired by the season,” I figure it would be Tutti Matti’s (364 Adelaide West, 416-597-8839) chef/owner Alida Solomon.
Solomon, who spent six years working the stoves in the picturesque fortress city of Montalcino in Italy, has been wowing Torontonians with her solid Tuscan-based cuisine for years now. Long before it was considered de rigueur, the easy going Queen of Italian Cuisine adhered to the make-it-in-house principal of the slow-food movement. All her pasta and breads — basically anything her kitchen can construct — are done on the premises. Telling us about her latest culinary project, wild boar sausages, Solomon’s passion and dedication for her craft virtually crackles in the air directly surrounding her golden hair. “I’ve got it [wild boar meat] in wine right now,” she says. “I’m going to wait until they get purple.” A mention of Toronto’s growing appreciation of the baser gastronomic elements of life, such as charcuterie, elicits an effusive response. “We’ve been doing that stuff since we opened,” she says, “and like, now suddenly people are starting to think maybe that’s the way you’re supposed to eat.”
Working our way through the menu Solomon has prepped for the festival (okay, so gasping with gratified pleasure would be a more accurate depiction of what we did), my wife and I have to agree. This is the way people should eat — always.
An antipasto plate, adorned with a variety of cheese, some delicious Tuscan cured meats (including wild boar), olives, cipollini onions, a brilliantly simple wedge of bruschetta, and the most gorgeously wet chicken liver pate to ever cross my lips, is large enough to be a proper lunch platter. “It’s the sage leaves and vin santo,” Solomon tells us when asked about the distinctive flavour of her pate, which almost has the consistency of baked squash. The Ontario spring theme comes into play nicely with a beautifully done asparagus and ricotta ravioli. Set in a pristine smearing of melted butter, a pair of mondo-sized handkerchief-shaped pasta bundles delight with crisp, lemony spears of asparagus nestled wonderfully amid refreshingly light ricotta. And either of the mains will have you scrambling to buy tickets for the next flight to the old country pronto.
While slow-braised meat may not exactly spark thoughts of spring in most Canadians minds, Solomon’s creations manage to work it. And another aspect of the Italian Seasons Festival, set up in concert with the Italian Trade Commission, is authentic Italian cuisine after all. You don’t get much more traditionally Tuscan than wild boar stew with porcini mushrooms and polenta, that’s for sure. And a pair of fork tender short ribs, served off the bone with a mound of wilted spinach, is phenomenal. Marinated in beer, and cooked for six hours in honey and orange with rosemary, the succulent, candy-sweet result is fantastic.
By the time dessert arrives, we’re almost too stuffed to manage a bite. (Seriously, when Solomon says she likes to, “serve people real food,” she means it. And for $50, this menu is already a steal before the sweet piece de resistance.) But a lushly light Bavarese al Caprino with fresh berries (kind of like if goat cheese cake and semifreddo had a love-child), while rich in flavour, is still airy enough to fit in the belly. And the Crostata di Mascarpone, a golden brown baked cheese and jam tart, is worth loosening your belt for.
Tutti Matti roughly translates into “everybody is crazy.” And I have to admit, after gorging myself on Solomon’s cuisine, some certifiable thoughts have already started to spring into my head. Calculations along the lines of, “hmm, 21 restaurants, 15 days? You could do it couldn’t you? I mean, you only have 20 left to go right?” I’d better get started.
Click here to enter to win dinner for two at Il Sogno Ristorante from the Italian Seasons Festival and EYE WEEKLY.