Cano is one of those cozy Italian restaurants I wish was
part of my neighbourhood. Living in the York Mills and Lawrence Park area, we
have our fair share of great places slinging pasta and pizza, but Cano does
both just a touch better.
Let’s start with the crust on the burratina pizza ($25), which is thin and chewy, everything I look
for in pizza. It’s cooked until a golden crust develops that despite being
covered by a generous layer of tomato sauce, remains crispy and holds up with
one hand. Then the toppings: having the
sauce, cheese, and basil combination, it’s like a margherita but elevated with the dollops of creamy burrata dusted with black Maldon salt. The
tomato sauce is fresh versus tangy and with a liberal drizzle of olive oil,
even the bites with no cheese or basil still tastes magnificent.
Their pasta is also solid. The rigatoni annata ($20) a substantial mound of perfectly done pasta
in a vodka rose sauce swirled with shallots, pecorino and pancetta. It’s similar
to a carbonara but the creaminess
tempered with a bit of the tomato’s acid. In fact, the sauce was so good I
wiped my plate with bits of pizza crust to ensure it didn’t go to waste.
Visit on Tuesday or Wednesday and you’ll also receive half a
dozen oysters free with any bottle of wine. It’s appeared to be a deal that
most tables participated in, including us, where six freshly shucked St. Simon
oysters arrived lacking none of the traditional cocktail sauce, onion mignonette,
and fresh horseradish fixings. And a bottle of wine on a weekday... what can be more Italian?
Every bite was tasty to the finish. Their tiramisu ($10) is
a good rendition of the popular dessert, done traditionally with plenty of
espresso and creamy mascarpone flavours. A bit more of the lady fingers and
lighter sprinkling of the unsweetened cocoa powder would have made it even
better.
Yet, it’s the panna
cotta ($9) that was the hit. The silky vanilla bean base so creamy and luscious
it feels like you’re having tapioca pudding without the tapioca, but there’s just
enough gelatin allowing the dessert to scoop easily into a spoon. Oh, and that
drizzle of salted caramel? What a great finish.
In hindsight, it’s actually a blessing that Cano isn’t
located a short walk down the street. The food is so comforting and delicious
that I don’t think I’d have the willpower to not visit regularly. In that case,
my waistline would definitely suffer from their close proximity.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1108 St. Clair Avenue West
Address: 1108 St. Clair Avenue West
Website: http://www.canorestaurant.com/
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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