Where: Osteria Dei Ganzi
Cuisine: Italian
Affordability: $15-$20
Recently opened Osteria Dei Ganzi is, we think, the third restaurant that has occupied the historic mansion built in 1891 by famed architect George Horace Gooderham on Jarvis & Welleseley Streets. We had the opportunity to try out a few of the menu items to celebrate one our dear foodie friend leaving Canada to embark on new ventures.
What: Calamari Fritti
– The batter coating the calamari was nice and light, but the inside, the calamari was a chewy with elastic-like strings, perhaps it wasn’t properly prepared. The appetizer came with two dipping sauces: mayonnaise and What we thought was marinara sauce turned out to actually be hot sauce!
What: Croccante
– We decided to order the most interesting sounding appetizer on the menu: Twice cooked crispy duck breast with wild berries, orange sauce served with sprinkled lemon and chocolate risotto. Although the duck breast was slightly dry, our table agreed that the crunchy risotto was the best part, even though we couldn’t taste the chocolate.
– Each of us got a different entree: Mucca Pezzata (grilled steak taliata topped with red wine Chianti cream sauce and drizzled with balsamic vin santao dolce reduction, served with roast potatoes, grilled red pepper, zucchini and asparagus), Ravioloni (Stuffed with ricotta and spinach, fresh tomato and basic sauce, topped with sauteed asparagus), Pappardelle (Large egg noodles with lobster, zucchini, mushrooms, roast garlic, extra virgin olive oil and a splash of dry vermouth) and Homemade gnocchi with pachino tomato, oyster mushrooms, arugula basil and extra virgin olive oil).
– Our least favorite dish was the Ravioloni, because there wasn’t enough sauce, and the cheese filling inside the ravioli eventually tasted dry. The pasta itself was also a bit too thick and chewy, wish the chef could have rolled out the pasta dough a few more times before making the ravioli. We would recommend the pappardelle as there were many chunks of real lobster meat mixed into the pasta, and there was enough sauce to go with the al dante noodles. The roasted potatoes that came with the steak were also very well made, with a brown crispy skin and a soft, fluffy interior.
– Overall, the restaurant was generous with its portion sizes, and if you check in on Foursquare, you can receive 10% off your entire bill! Will we be back? Maybe, if we happen to be in the area!
Foodie, EH? 