It’s the tastiest of all covert missions. Each year, Air Canada sends a critic out on a food crawl in search of the top new dining experiences from coast to coast, and if they are "unforgettable, innovative, and just mind-bogglingly delicious", they get to call themselves one of the 'Top 10 Restaurants in Canada'. One of the top five in 2018 is Chef Rob Rossi's sensational Giulietta on College Street, which is the same location as his meat-centric Bestellen which previously occupied the long, narrow dining room in Little Italy. With the help of design firm Guido Costantino, they redesigned the dark space and found the perfect marriage between elegance and simplicity, just as Rossi has with his menu. Grey Italian wool walls and terrazzo floors frame the interior, while a candlelit amaro cart invites guests in for an aperitif, such as a Giulietta Spritz, made with orange peel scented gin from Quaglia, or the mightly wine list driven by beverage director and sommelier Toni Weber. The wine list is Old World-heavy, with emphasis placed on affordable bottles. “We wanted to make it easy for people to have a bottle on the table and not feel priced out of the list – really embracing that Italian hospitality,” Weber says.
Giulietta’s menu stands in stark contrast to the beefy offerings at Bestellen. “It’s very light on the meat side, on the protein side, and focuses a little more on vegetables and on sharing,” Rossi says. “There’s a lot of small plates. We envisioned it to be like a family-style menu, where everyone’s putting plates everywhere and can just go at it. Obviously the pastas and pizzas are a big part of the menu – you can’t have an Italian restaurant without them.” The menu is inspired and features sweet sausage-wrapped Castelvetrano olives, breaded, deep-fried and dusted with pecorino, are a taste of Ascoli-Piceno's celebrated snack from Italy's Marche region, and the Grilled Moroccan Octopus with cannellini beans and salmorglio is a dish after my own heart.
In fact, incorporating exceptional, seasonal ingredients into his menu is first and foremost for Rossi. He sources his capon for his Saltimbocca di Cappone from Ferme des Voltigeurs in Québec, brings kampot peppercorns for his cacio e pepe from Cambodia, while his octopus served with heritage cannellini beans is shipped in from Morocco three times a week, fives crates at a time. Even the pizza dough has been taken to an ethereal level, made using a combination of special flour and yeast, and left to proof for at least 5 days, the dough becomes lighter than air. With his father having grown up in Molise, Rob goes back to Italy often and is where he feels most at home. The inspiration for many of the dishes at Giulietta come from this place in his heart that drives the culinary direction of what is most certainly, one of the most authentic Italian experiences in Toronto.
The long narrow interior of Giulietta with terrazzo floors, sleek fluorescent lighting,
pale grey wool-upholstered accent walls and soft votive candlelight
Seated at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, we were perfectly positioned to watch the chefs weave their culinary magic and eavesdrop on their banter
A mild soft creamy goat cheese with truffle honey served with crisp thin slices of grilled baguette,
was served as a complimentary amuse-bouche
Bellavista Franciacorta Alma Cuvée Brut from Lombardy, is widely regarded as Italy's finest sparkling wine and made very much in the image of Champagne
An elegant dry and delicious Italian sparkling wine made in the méthod champenoise,
was a delicious way to begin the evening
A family of little handcrafted birds sat perched on the counter as a whimsical touch
With an extensive wine list of sensational Italian wines,
beverage director and sommelier Toni Weber came to help us pick the perfect wine
A rich dark, inky wine with strong tannins, this dense, age worthy Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Reserva from Praesidium comes from a miniscule five-hectare estate that is worked entirely by hand
Bagna Cauda with anchovy and garlic 'condimento’, served with chicory and gem lettuce, Lebanese cucumbers, breakfast radishes, cauliflower and heirloom carrots
Giulietta's outstanding Polpo e Fagioli: the octopus, brought in from Morocco, is poached three hours before being grilled and finished in the wood oven, served with warm cannellini beans and salmorglio
Making pizza for eight years, Giulietta's pizzaiolo hand makes each pizza and cooks them in the wood fired pizza oven just beside him
The wood fired pizza oven is also used to finish off the grilled octopus, and gives it a lovely crispy texture
La Regina pizza made with crushed tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, fresh basil and olive oil
La Capricciosa pizza with tomato, artichokes, black olives, prosciutto cotto, fior di latte and fresh basil
One of the best parts of sitting at Giulietta's kitchen counter was watching the chefs in action,
and seeing how they prepared each dish
Giulietta's popular Cacio e Pepe with housemade Tonnarelli, a traditional long Roman pasta
with kampot pepper from Cambodia and pecorino
Saltimbocca de Cappone in a buttery, sage wine sauce
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with chili, anchovy butter and toasted almonds
This chef was the prince of pasta, cooking each portion of pasta to absolute perfection,
such that my Cacio e Pepe with his Tonnarelli - fatta a mano - was among the best I've ever had
Bistecca alla Fiorentina and a heritage pork chop on the grill
This busy chef was in charge of all the grilled meats, swordfish, octopus and vegetables
The kitchen was bustling all night, with all of the chefs working together in perfect harmony
Rob insisted that we try his Torta della Nonna and I'm so glad we did,
this wildflower-honey and pine-nut tart with whipped vanilla mascarpone was absolutely divine
Delicious flakey pastry with a sweet butter tart style filling topped with pine nuts, was good to the last bite
The bar cart at the front of Giulietta with an array of amaro, digestivi and vino dolce
Don Ciccio & Figli barrel aged Amaro delle Sirene is infused with over 30 roots and herbs
Chef and owner Rob Rossi was wonderfully friendly took the time to chat with us
on and off through the whole evening
Smoky Spanish Style Steak Marinade
Serves 2
Recipe courtesy of chef Rob Rossi
1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 ounce olive oil
½ lemon, juiced
Measure out all of the dry ingredients and place into a medium sized bowl. Using a chef's knife, chop garlic until minced fine, then add to the dry ingredients. Juice the lemon into a bowl. Pick the thyme off the stems, and chop roughly. To finish marinade, drizzle the olive oil into dry ingredients while combining with a whisk. Once the marinade is done, place the meat into a bowl and coat generously with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, before grilling.
Grilled Sweet Peppers
Serves 2
Recipe courtesy of chef Rob Rossi
3 sweet red peppers
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste
Place the sweet peppers onto a hot grill and cook until blistered and soft. Set the peppers aside to cool. Once cool, peel and seed the peppers by removing stem and skins. Place the peppers into a medium sized bowl and combine with sherry vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper, and finish with chopped basil.
Wild Mushroom & Chestnut Sourdough Stuffing
Serves 12-16
Recipe courtesy of Chef Rob Rossi
Turkey:
1 Whole 15 lbs Butterball turkey — prepare and roast as directed
Stuffing:
1 1/4 lb sourdough bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, about 12 cups
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps roughly chopped
1/2 lb oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2lb dried chanterelle mushrooms reconstituted in warm water.
1/2 lb cooked and peeled chestnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 lb slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large Spanish onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 to 5 cups homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Unsalted butter, for the baking dish
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spread the bread cubes in an even layer on a large baking sheet and bake, rotate bread a few times, until light golden brown, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool and then transfer to a large bowl. Combine the mushrooms on a baking sheet, toss with 3 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven, stirring several times, until soft and golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a large high-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook. Stir occasionally until the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan and place it back on the stove over high heat. Add the onion and stir for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Deglaze hot pan with 1 cup of white wine, reduce by half and proceed. Add 3 cups chicken stock and the herbs, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the pre-cooked roasted chestnuts.
Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the bread, then add the stock mixture, the bacon and the eggs; season with salt and pepper and gently stir until combined. The mixture should be very wet; add more stock if needed. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the stuffing and cover with foil. Bake 20 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown, 30 to 40 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.
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