Buonanotte
19 Mercer St | 416.599.7246 | buonanotte.com
There’s a lot of buzz about Buonanotte, which opened on Mercer St. earlier this year. Charles Khabouth’s highly anticipated resto-lounge import from Montréal is the most recent addition to his empire of cool, which spans over a dozen entertainment complexes in this city (The Guvernment, Cube and Sound Academy to name just a few, as well as a significant chunk of the King West restaurant scene: Patria, Weslodge and Spice Route).
Anything described as a resto-lounge triggers alarm bells in my mind. Is it a lounge? Is it a restaurant? What’s the difference? Am I going to have to dodge throngs of lustful bodies writhing to pounding beats just to eat my spaghetti?
Now, it’s a Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. so the chance of go-go dancers on the bar is slim…but the place reeks of the possibility. Copper coloured grid ceiling that’s a throwback to the heyday of disco. Deep white leather banquettes around the perimeter. Nearly naked female wait staff.
A friend and I start at the bar and wait for the others in our party to arrive. We order drinks from a sleepy bartender who greets our banter with a stare and monosyllabic responses. Perhaps indifference and aloofness are part of the resto-lounge scene?
Once our party of six is assembled, we’re seated. Our server is engaging and soon everyone is chatting, weighing in on restaurants, food and their favourite meals. I note with some alarm my dining companions are extolling the virtues of…Swiss Chalet. I lunge to intercept the wine list before the Swiss Chalet enthusiasts get their hands on it.
The wine list focuses on Italy and runs the gamut from affordable to high roller. While we’re debating the wine and the menu, our server appears with a complimentary amuse bouche of delicate cucumber slices topped with a soft cheese. With a cry of “Amuse my bouche!” one of my guests samples the appetizer and declares it to be suitably refreshing.
We start with some antipasti: cappesante ($18), seared scallops with white bean purée, smoked pancetta and candied tomato; polpette ($15), meatballs in a tomato sauce; as well as a simple dish of shrimp and calamari, one of the specials that day. The meatballs are tender but bland and the tomato sauce, although an enticing vibrant red, mysteriously lacks flavour. The scallops are good and beautifully plated but the calamari is salty to the point of being inedible.
The six of us share a wood-fired prosciutto e funghi pizza ($19) and it gets rave reviews for its soft doughy centre, smoky scorched edges, fresh herbs and mozzarella. With about 10 different pizzas on the menu, this appears to be Buonanotte’s strength. The salumi board ($27), with a selection of artisanal salumi, bread and parmigiano reggiano is also a hit but isn’t much different than that found in any other rustic Italian eatery in the city.
We move on to the mains. The black cod with sautéed arugula, rapini and red pepper coulis ($33) is perfectly executed, and the luxurious buttery fish is balanced by the nutty arugula and bitterness of the rapini.
The house-made potato gnocchi with bolognese ragu ($21) is good, but the ragu itself lacks flavour and depth. While it’s true that rustic Italian cooking emphasizes simplicity, it also emphasizes flavour — and Buonanotte’s sauces seem to be lacking in that regard.
Forty ounces of T-bone steak arrive, carried on a plank and set down before one my guests, who looks a little daunted. Our server chirps that the steak is already sliced and is perfect for sharing. My guest looks relieved. The kitchen does a good job with this steak — it’s tender and flavourful and seasoned to perfection. We happily share.
I have the risotto of the day, which features saffron. A good risotto requires minute by minute attention to avoid descent into overcooked mushiness. Perhaps it was this fear of mushiness that drove the kitchen to whisk my risotto off the burner too soon — resulting in an unusually firm and chewy texture. This dish, too, suffered from excessive salt.
There is a small dessert selection, with pastries on the one hand and sorbet/gelato on the other. We order one of everything and dive in. There are two standouts among the four or five pastries: the tiramisu, light and fluffy with nicely defined layers and flavours, is exceptional, and the mille feuille with pastry cream is airy and luscious. There is also a semifreddo with a chocolate ganache so rich that one taste is more than enough. The gelato selection is a nice contrast of cool refreshing flavours like pistachio and vanilla and deeply intense ones like raspberry and dark chocolate.
Buonanotte is really more lounge than resto. Diners are left feeling that the restaurant aspect is only a prelude to the real action later in the evening. With bottle service, a great space and some great items on the menu (particularly the pizza), Buonanotte is a good choice for associates looking to hang out en masse or for a firm wanting to host an event geared toward the younger crowd.
Judge Foodie’s verdict:
Highs: excellent pizza, servers are engaging and knowledgeable
Lows: food is inconsistent
Kirsten Thompson is a Toronto-based research lawyer and commercial litigator. Since her call to the bar in 2000, she estimates that her restaurant to courtroom ratio has been approximately 14:1. Thoughts? Comments? Ideas for a review? Email her. Follow Judge Foodie on Twitter: @Judge_Foodie