Restaurant Review: Buca
BUCA OSTERIA & ENOTECA
604 King Street West ~ buca.ca/king Instagram: @bucatoronto ~ Twitter: @bucatoronto Co-Diner: Tim Golem
One of the most celebrated names in Italian food in Toronto is Buca. With two locations in the city, Chef Rob Gentile's original restaurant opened in 2009 in the Fashion District. You don't have to look far to find the accolades. Canada's 100 Best Restaurants listed them at #3 in 2015, #17 in 2016, #16 in 2017, #44 in 2018, and #45 in 2019. Toronto Life has them at #39 on their The City’s 100 Best Restaurants 2018 list. And blogTO calls them the #1 Best Italian Restaurant in the city. What's the difference between the (original) Fashion District location and the one in Yorkville? It's mainly that the Yorkville restaurant focuses more on seafood offerings while the Fashion District upholds the classics that everyone loves. Both locations are excellent and offer the exact same consistency and high level of culinary perfection. The word "buca" in Italian translates to hole. Which makes sense because the restaurant pretty much resides in one. Formerly a boiler room, the space is now an expansive and gorgeous restaurant comprised of towering ceilings, all of the exposed brick that you could imagine, and industrial-cool light fixtures. Where the Yorkville location feels more polished and modern, this one is rustic and mysterious. It actually feels a bit like dining in a wine cellar, among stacked bottles and wine barrels. Finding the entrance on King Street can be a little bit tricky because the signage isn't extremely obvious and you have to enter through the laneway. Then you proceed down the stairs and into the depths of the subterranean feast that awaits you. I visited on a Saturday evening - for my birthday, no less. The room is always full of customers and a reservation is certainly recommended. Met by the friendly and professional staff at the bottom of the stairs, our coats were whisked away and we were seated at our table immediately. The experience felt special right from the very start. In need of a beverage, I found myself looking over the list of seasonal and house cocktails. I also appreciated the addition of virgin cocktails, because there are certainly times when I don't feel like drinking alcohol but still appreciate the opportunity to order something interesting. However, this wasn't one of those times and the seasonal Frutto Divino ($17.00) was calling to me.
The persimmon in this 2oz cocktail caught my attention as it's my favourite seasonal fruit around the holidays. The egg white is the component that sealed my decision. This beverage was expertly mixed and tasted grown-up yet sweet at the same time. I loved the punchy zip from the lime and the fragrant sweetness from the persimmon. The food at Buca is very serious business, although it somehow feels relaxed. The locally sourced, constantly changing menu involves ingredients that are seasonal and source specific. Nose-to-tail cooking is embraced at Buca (which I especially love). The hospitality is also top-notch, with every staff member exuding a welcoming and knowledgeable disposition. I was so ready to eat! One famed menu item that I'd kept hearing about over and over was the Salumi di Buca ($32.00), a platter of incredible artisan cured meats. So of course the feast began with that.
From left to right: Speck: (which comes with the gnocco fritto, see below). Petto d'Oca: Cured goose breast, cinnamon, clove, orange. Salame Toscano: Cured beef sausage, black pepper. Finocchiona: Cured pork sausage, black pepper, fennel. Soppressata: Cured beef sausage, calabrese spices. Salsiccine: Spicy calabrese style pork sausage. We also added the Gnocco Fritto ($10.00), a personal favourite, which was served on the same board.
This whole entire situation was heavenly. Served with an acidic eggplant preserve (which served amazingly to cut through some of the fat), the beautiful presentation of meats ranged from spicy soppressata to a decadent goose breast that tasted like Christmas. Each one was unique, expertly seasoned, and fragrantly herbed. Largely based in seasonal offerings, I want to keep returning to order this so that I can try different meats every time. A beautiful sharing experience. The gnocco fritto, a warm, pillowy fried bread, especially owns my soul. From the perfectly uniform shape of each one, to the steamy aroma as you tear them apart, these are what dreams are made of. Served with buttery, melt-in-your-mouth speck, an intensely flavourful cured ham. I also couldn't resist the Nodini ($8.00).
At this point I was willing to accept that this meal was going to be extremely carb-heavy. I mean, who says "no" to perfect little bread balls? A golden, buttery crust on the outside that gives way to a warm and soft inside. All soaking in a garlicy bath. So things were going well. Next I took my attention to the Paste section because pasta was a required part of this feast. With five different dishes to choose from, I had no trouble selecting the Bigoli ($26.00).
Bigoli is a pasta variety that is long and round like spaghetti, but thicker with a tiny hole that runs through the center. I'm not exactly sure why, but every time that I find this type of pasta on a menu it is always accompanied by a sauce that sounds incredible to me. This has lead me to believe that bigoli is simply my jam when it comes to pasta dishes. Remaining true to form, this bigoli was no different. Duck is by far one of my favourite proteins. My husband and I decided to share this dish and our server deftly divided the pasta into two portions, table-side. Every bite was euphoric. The richness from the duck egg, the savoury and delicious duck meat, plus the creamy mascarpone that melted everything together. I never wanted this to end! Oh, we were not done yet. We had come to play (and win). Next we visited the Pizze section and out of eight different pizzas (both white bianca and red al pomodoro varieties), I could choose no other but the Puttanesca ($22.00), a combination of basically all of my favourite things.
The server who delivered the pizza told us that it was his favourite pizza on the menu and I could clearly see why. Normally I'm not super into pizza. I'll usually avoid ordering it if there's literally anything else to order instead. However in this case, with this perfect topping combination, I simply had to. And I'm so glad that I did because this was easily one of the best pizzas that I have ever eaten. The whole thing was perfection. I mean, yes, all of the toppings were salty, strong flavours that I love. But the crust was really special too. Impossibly light and crisp, yet with a slight chew. There was some heat, it was saucy, and the toppings were beautiful. I could come and eat just this. All to myself. There was another pizza on the menu that absolutely caught my eye; the Pomodoro e Tartufo that involves preserved tomato, burrata cheese, basil, and pregiato truffles. I would love to try this one as well but it does cost $49. At this point I was definitely full. However, since it was my birthday I forced myself to rally and ordered a dessert. They had Panna Cotta ($15.00), which I love.
This was served complete with a birthday candle, which was very sweet. A bit more table-side preparation, our server completed this dish by adding the crumbly topping and pouring the beautiful balsamic vinegar over top. This dessert was thick and creamy, combining tart and sweet flavours. The very of the bottom of the dish featured a delightful layer of cherry liquor. This was a really lovely final taste. Just when I thought that nothing else could possibly happen, someone from the kitchen came to our table with a special gift for me, since it was my birthday after all. It was a special kit to take home that included all of the ingredients to make the pasta dish cacio e pepe! Another of my favourites! We were also each given a petit fours; an amaretti cookie.
There is absolutely nothing negative to say about the wonderful experience that I had at Buca. The service was lovely and the food was incredible. I can see why this restaurant consistently rates so highly, even after more than a decade. This was easily the best Italian food that I've tasted in Toronto.
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