Apr 21, 2012

Paese Restaurant Review


Paese restaurant is located on King St, in the heart of the theatre district in Toronto... 
As I walked in, there were only 2 other tables seated and it appeared to be very quiet. 

They sat my friend and I in the back we waited a few minutes before anyone brought us a menu. When the menu arrived an older gentleman asked us if we'd had our coffee (which we replied yes) but I did ask if there was a non alcoholic beverage menu. I had asked this because I'm used to seeing the coffee/juice options directly on the brunch menu but this wasn't the case this time. When I asked the waiter looked confused and asked "What do you mean?" And I replied "you know, juices, water...whatever you have". His response was (and I'm not exaggerating) "you want a water menu? I don't buy it..." 
I calmly said, ok, just tap water will be fine, and thanked him. When he returned with my water he said just to let you know, we have [listed juices] and I just said "oh don't worry, ill stick with water, thank you" and he responded "I'm not worried" in such a condescending tone that it was uncomfortable. 

So far I'm not impressed. In fact I'm a little taken aback by the way I've been spoken to. But, I'm still going to wait and see if the food is worth it. 

My order: beet salad, frittata, house made granola, potato hash with short rib. 

My company tried to order eggs just whites, and the kitchen said absolutely not. In fact, the waiters response was "If I do it for you, then ill have to do it for everybody". As I look around, were the ONLY table in the back...ok, there was no arguing. I totally understand that substitutions can't be made when a kitchen is busy but this wasn't the case. 
The waiter tried to make up for the fact that the order couldn't be fulfilled by showing sympathy by saying "I eat the same as you, egg whites only...The Drake [hotel] will do egg whites only if you ask. I go there with my daughter..." To which I replied "great...we'll be going there next time".  He seemed shocked that I would agree to go to a different restaurant that he recommended. 
While waiting for the beet salad the waiter brought a little plate filled with warm toasts and a home made strawberry and rhubarb jam. Very yummy :) 

A short wait later the beet salad came and I was deeply disappointed. there was zero seasoning..no salt, no pepper...nothing. The plate consisted of beets cooked at different doneness. Some cooked, some raw. Some buffala cheese, pomegranate seeds and topped with a pistachio pesto. Sad face.  

I hear a table in ear shot saying they really enjoy their food so I still have high hopes for my frittata and short rib potato hash! 

When all the food came there was some eggs under a small pile of arugala. I moved aside the lettuce to reveal 3 fried eggs with some goat cheese and roasted tomatoes sprinkled with parm cheese. I waited a few moments for the waiter to come back to the table and I told him "I'm sorry, I had ordered the firttata" and he responds "that IS the frittata"...ok, there's no sense in arguing with this man because every interaction I've had with him is an unpleasant one. 

The eggs were fried all together, cooked as if I had ordered 3 sunny side up medium cooked eggs. They still had the clear membrane that flipping them would have diminished.  In my experience, a frittata is a beaten egg dish similar in consistency to a quiche or even omelet in which they incorporate a variety of ingredients including meats, cheeses and vegetables.    

But the potato hash with short ribs was really good. Well cooked potatoes, fried together in a melody of pulled meat, herbs...yum. 

The granola was SO sweet, like painfully sweet..inedible. 

Needless to say, there was a lot of left over food. 

Oh, and for the record, the waiter didn't come by once to ask how the food was. I had to call him over to inform him of my "frittata" misunderstanding, to which he responded AGAIN, for the 3rd time in his condescending manner "I'm not worried" under his breath.

My total bill for everything was $60, until I took another look and noticed there was a glass of unordered wine added to the bill. After the adjustments, it was $46..

Considering the waiter was rude, condescending, the kitchen was unaccommodating for dietary requests when there were only 3 other tables, and the waiter suggested we go to another restaurant to meet our dietary needs, the decor was welcoming and friendly. Since this is an italian restaurant, I would think that for dinner their italian specials are executed better.

Decent prices, not the greatest food, and terrible service. 

Final Verdict:  2/5 (they get 1 each for the jam + hash)


The "Frittata"

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