Italy seen from Toronto

Toronto is a rather unusual city, capable of mixing and blending trends and characteristics that are even diametrically opposite. The hectic life of the metropolis does not suffocate the research fervour and the lively cultural institutions, including the university - in fact it walks arm in arm with them. The futuristic skyline of the skyscrapers (always new and always under construction, in the building sites scattered across the centre and close to lake Ontario) peacefully co-habits with the reassuring presence of silent corners full of trees, perhaps hidden between a series of Victorian houses and a coloured multi-ethnic market.

After all, Toronto’s true dimension is indeed multi-ethnic, with the civil respect of the diversity of groups that still remain tied to their roots and to their ancient traditions, including the gastronomic ones. Italians are the first to demonstrate they have a strong feeling of belonging to the community. So much so that dining in a typical restaurant such as Mario Micucci’s (originally from Basilicata) Trattoria Fieramosca can turn out to be a sweetly melancholic revival of an Italy partly lost. This trattoria is located in a calm, residential street downtown, and the warm atmosphere inside feels as an emanation of the exuberant and authentic cordiality of the patron, who serves guests pizza, prawns, mussels, and tasty Lobster linguine.

Those who move to another area, always in the city centre, can discover another unique aspect: a sort of city underground. Under an area covered with banks and financial institutions, a network of ways spreads, going from underground stations to buildings’ entrances. When it is very cold, it’s not necessary to go outside, as you can find everything here: from shops to supermarkets, from cafes to fast food of all sorts of nationality.

There’s also an interesting restaurant, Joe Alberti and Gary Chivers’s Vertical, over a wide atrium made in Carrara white marble. The white marble can be seen from the windows of the elegant dining room, with dim lights and sober placemats on the tables. The young chef from Marche, Giacomo Pasquini, is skilful and expresses his personal idea of Italian cuisine through the use of modern cooking techniques and of vegetables he sources himself in the woods around Toronto.

Delicate and fresh aromas are therefore a characteristic of his dishes. The intense flavour of the Marinated tuna with puffed rice is toned down by the vegetables, the mint, and a delicious mayonnaise. The strong flavour of the Seared scallops is softened by the cauliflower puree, the peas and the fern sprouts. And then there’s the meeting of fresh broad beans with cheese, in the Agnolotti filled with fontina and parmesan, served with a parmesan and broad bean sauce. As for the dessert, there’s a bright and convincing solution: Cheesecake re-interpreted with fruits of the forests, figs and the surprising use of thyme. Some excellent Italian, Canadian and Californian wines can be tasted.