Restaurant Review: Baldassarre Pasta Fresca
BALDASSARRE PASTA FRESCA
122 Geary Avenue ~ famigliabaldassarre.com Instagram: @famiglia_baldassarre ~ Twitter: @FamBaldassarre Co-Diner: Tim Golem
All you need to tell me is that there's a secret pasta warehouse serving up the best pasta dishes in Toronto and I will obviously be there. Baldassarre has been supplying many of Toronto’s restaurants with traditional fresh pasta of the highest quality since 2010. But you can also go to eat it directly from the source: Leandro Baldassarre's brick warehouse in Davenport. Toronto Life put them at #97 on their The City’s 100 Best Restaurants 2018 list. And blogTO named them as the #1 Best Pasta in Toronto. It almost sounds too easy, but it's not. If you want to try this pasta you're going to have to work for it. (It'll be worth it.) They're only open Tuesday to Friday from 12-2pm. Yep, that's a weekdays-only two hour window. Plus there are only ten seats in the whole restaurant. I got myself all prepared to do this thing on a Tuesday afternoon and rolled up to the manufacturing strip of warehouses around 11:45am. There was already a lineup of around 15 people deep. I added myself to said lineup. One last hoop to keep in mind is that they are an entirely cash-only operation. You've got this. Arrange your life and go eat some pasta! Once the doors opened at noon it took about 20 minutes to get myself through the queue and up to the counter. While the space is certainly factory-esque, it's also quite bright, airy and fresh. There's a shelf full of merchandise for purchase, four marble tables available for dining, and the rest of the room is their factory space full of staff members busily working away and rows of pasta being produced. The menu changes each day and the current offerings are posted chalkboard-style. You can take your eats to-go but if you choose to eat in the restaurant then you will need to wait for an available table. A staff member will take your phone number and call you when a table is free. I did this and the wait to be seated was only about 15 minutes - faster than I expected. Once seated, my name was called as my dishes became ready. The menu is very short. Two different pasta dishes are offered daily. In the small Contorni section (side dishes) there was Fior di Latte (housemade mozzarella balls), Crudo (raw) prosciutto, and a vegetable dish; Cetrioli (field cucumbers). They also offer some Italian sodas to drink and a Dolce (dessert). Taxes are all included which keeps the prices very straight forward. Of the side dishes, I very nearly ordered the Fior di Latte, but at the last second found myself asking for the Crudo 24 month San Daniele D.O.P. ($9.00).
I couldn't say "no" to a gorgeous plate of one of the most prestigious varieties of prosciutto. The D.O.P. stands for "Protected Designation of Origin," a title which is only given to products that depend solely on the area in which the meat is produced. In this case, the meat comes from San Daniele, a small village in Italy's northern region. The taste and texture of this prosciutto was incredible - likely the best that I've ever tasted. A beautiful saltiness permeated the delicate ham and each bite melted in my mouth. I could certainly tell the difference from a cheaper variety, which can sometimes be stringy and chewy. This meat was none of those things, providing a luscious mouthfeel. Sorprendente! It was clear to me that we would be ordering both pastas, and that's exactly what we did. First, Tonnarelli al Cacio e Pepe ($13.00).
One of my favourite pasta dishes, I was very excited to find this one on the menu. This Roman dish is simply made with cheese and pepper and it is certainly an example of how the most perfect things are the most straight forward ones. The tonnarelli used is an egg pasta from Lazio (the region in which Rome is located), quite similar to spaghetti. I have eaten this dish in Rome and I have to say that the version at Baldassarre is pretty close to identical. Their pasta was served perfectly al dente with a little bit of a bite. The liberal application of creamy pecorino and sharp pepper produced a beautiful plate that must be tasted. Next, Perciatelli a la Matriciana ($14.00).
Perciatelli, otherwise known as bucatini, is a thick spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the center. It's one of my favourites! Matriciana sauce is essentially a classic meat sauce based on guanciale, cured pork cheek. I really loved this dish and found myself having moments lost within the sublime simplicity. I would've liked for it to be even saucier, however I did appreciate that the condimento (seasoning) approach allows the pasta itself to be the star of the plate. I should also mention that Baldassarre provides complimentary crusty Italian bread that you are more then welcome to help yourself to. An excellent and necessary item for sopping up every last drop! While eating at Baldassarre is a bit of an ordeal, I do think that it was worthwhile. I found the prices very reasonable for the level of food quality. They sell their pasta and sauces as well, so you can keep the delicious eats going at home. If you're worried about all of the waiting involved, just show up extra early and be the first person in line. Plus, isn't it kinda fun to go on a food adventure?
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