Foods from Tosca Ristorante
Comments
2009 Nov 28
We decided to try somewhere new this week. Tosca's close by so we popped in for an early dinner. They have a decent wine list with a good selection of wines by the glass at good prices. The service was unassuming and polite and the restaurant space is fantastic.
We started off with Bruschetta - very tasty and crispy. We were also given bread with bambino olives, banana peppers and olive oil/balsamic vinegar.
I ordered the Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic, Sundried Tomatoes and Chicken. For $18, it was ho-hum. It was a big serving and the pasta was cooked properly... but I expected more flavour and more chicken for the price. Mr. Nanookie was pleased with his chicken parmesan.
Better Italian can be had in this city for sure, especially at the prices Tosca charges for mains. But where Tosca stands apart is the fact that it'd be a great place to meet friends for wine and appies.
We started off with Bruschetta - very tasty and crispy. We were also given bread with bambino olives, banana peppers and olive oil/balsamic vinegar.
I ordered the Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic, Sundried Tomatoes and Chicken. For $18, it was ho-hum. It was a big serving and the pasta was cooked properly... but I expected more flavour and more chicken for the price. Mr. Nanookie was pleased with his chicken parmesan.
Better Italian can be had in this city for sure, especially at the prices Tosca charges for mains. But where Tosca stands apart is the fact that it'd be a great place to meet friends for wine and appies.
2008 Apr 16
I ate here for lunch today - my first time at the L'Esplanade Laurier location. I was very excited to eat a big plate of heavy, cheesy, creamy pasta and I was not disappointed! I ordered the beef cannelloni. It was drowning in cheese - just the way I like it. There was lots of cream sauce and the beef meat filling was creamy and savoury. I devoured the generous plate of 3 cannellonis without coming up for air.
However, the presentation was nothing special and the plates were a bit messy. I enjoyed the food so the presentation didn't matter much to me. I'm going to try to include pictures here, but I'm not sure if I can manage it, as I'm not overly tech-savvy.
After my pasta I shared a piece of tiramisu with my eating companions. It was soggy and a bit disappointing. The cappucino, however, was delicious - frothy, light and mild.
The restaurant itself has very nice, contemportary decor and VERY comfortable chairs. It is, however, a bit loud. Service was fine, but nothing special.
However, the presentation was nothing special and the plates were a bit messy. I enjoyed the food so the presentation didn't matter much to me. I'm going to try to include pictures here, but I'm not sure if I can manage it, as I'm not overly tech-savvy.
After my pasta I shared a piece of tiramisu with my eating companions. It was soggy and a bit disappointing. The cappucino, however, was delicious - frothy, light and mild.
The restaurant itself has very nice, contemportary decor and VERY comfortable chairs. It is, however, a bit loud. Service was fine, but nothing special.
2008 Apr 16
This review is for the location in L'Esplanade Laurier (since I believe there may still be one on McLeod).
Today was my second time to Tosca. The decor is lovely, but as I recalled from the first visit, the food was nothing spectacular.
I ordered a lunch special: ravioli with wild mushrooms in a tomato and cream sauce. The dish was tasty enough but I did have to salt it. The lunch special also came with a soup which was pretty ordinary -- spinach with egg. Frankly, it appeared to be a combo of leftovers (although I know it was not) and the taste was what you'd expect from spinach and egg in a light broth.
The service was minimal as our server did his job but not with any real effort.
Given the choice, I would not choose to dine here for the food -- just the ambience if I returned with a large group.
Today was my second time to Tosca. The decor is lovely, but as I recalled from the first visit, the food was nothing spectacular.
I ordered a lunch special: ravioli with wild mushrooms in a tomato and cream sauce. The dish was tasty enough but I did have to salt it. The lunch special also came with a soup which was pretty ordinary -- spinach with egg. Frankly, it appeared to be a combo of leftovers (although I know it was not) and the taste was what you'd expect from spinach and egg in a light broth.
The service was minimal as our server did his job but not with any real effort.
Given the choice, I would not choose to dine here for the food -- just the ambience if I returned with a large group.
Chantsy
The prices are not very cheap, but well worth the portions, the food and the experience.
I usually know right away that I am going to have a great time when the waiter brings bread and water when you first arrive. In this case we were brought some bread with oil and balsamic dipper, black baby olives and pickled hot peppers (my fave!).
We started munching on this stuff and enjoyed a much needed cocktail. I think that was the pupose of our visit in the first place.
I had the grill calamary (NOT FRIED NOR BATTERED!!), it comes with a spicy tomato paste. DELICIOUS! It's always cooked to perfection, and the texture is not rubbery at all, it just slices perfectly in your mouth.
For my main course I had the Fettuccini domenico, which in hind site was allot to have with the calamary, but it made a nice lunch at work the next day! The fettuccini tasted really fresh, and maybe even home made. I asked them to serve it with rose sauce and they were more than happy to do that for me! They said, anything you want can be made rose!
My friend ordered the mussels, which were good. I am not a huge fan of them, but they were tasty and the portions were very generous!
Although I saved my leftovers, I WAS STUFFED! I hate and love that feeling both at the same time.
The service is really great. They were very patient with us and helpful to make our selection.
I really hope you get to try this one out!
F.Y.I. I was looking into their space for a function last year and noticed that they have a cute little private room available. I know they also book parties there too.
I appologize I did not have my camera with me, so I borrowed some pics from their website :)
Read more reviews on my blog theovalley.blogspot.com