Dining options in Yorkville, Toronto

Penne via Frattina

During my recent trip to Toronto, I had the opportunity to visit a few restaurants in Yorkville, a neighborhood in close proximity to the University of Toronto.  The neighborhood offered a great diversity of ethnic dining options.

My first stop was Sotto Sotto Ristorante, a cozy Italian restaurant where the dining area overlooked the kitchen. Every item on the menu allowed the patron to choose between lunch and dinner portions. I tried the appetizer-sized penne via frattina, penne pasta cooked with wood smoked salmon & asparagus. I never imagined a strongly-flavored fish such as salmon would go well with cheese and pasta, but I was pleasantly surprised by this dish.

My next stop was Pangaea, a Canadian restaurant where I attended a hosted dinner with a catered menu. My three course meal was comprised of wild mushroom soup, rainbow trout with veggies, and a lemon meringue for dessert. The ambience and flavorful food made for a pleasant dining experience.

Goat Korma with Garlic Naan

Finally, I visited The Host, a fine dining Indian chain restaurant located in several locations in Toronto. I tried the goat korma with garlic naan at the Yorkville site. While the goat korma was nothing out of the ordinary, the garlic naan was great example of how to make a seemingly mundane dish memorable through solid execution. This restaurant also had prawn balchao on its menu, a spicy Goan specialty I have not seen on the menu of most Indian restaurants.

Given the reasonable prices and the quality of the dishes, I would gladly return to each of these establishments during my next trip to Toronto.