Pallucci

This past Friday, June 19, my cousin (may as well be my sister), Jessie, graduated high school at Greenwood College School. Before the ceremony, our family, as well as Jessie's friend and her mother, went for lunch at Pallucci, a small restaurant just north of Davisville on the east side of Mount Pleasant @ 523 Mount Pleasant Road.
As with The Keg Mansion, I have passed by Pallucci several times, yet have never even thought to go in for a meal. It's a very narrow, subtle restaurant, mingling with other restaurants and bars along the Mt. Pleasant strip between Davisville and Eglinton. Inside, the decor is very fresh. By fresh, I mean it felt very airy, light and comfortable. There was what looked like a blue, red and steel colour scheme, with many tables lined along a bench, as well as small tables lined against the wall with blue sofa chairs (according to their website, the most popular seating choice).
When we were seated, we were promptly served with plates of sweet potato fries, with a balsamic reduction drizzle on top and a roasted garlic aiolli to dip them in:
As well as plates of the fries without the balsamic reduction drizzle, as it was a bit bitter:
Because there were so many of us (13 people), there was a pre-selected prix fixe menu that we were able to choose from. For the appetizer course, we had the option to choose from grilled calamari with sun dried tomatoes, red onion on a bed of baby arugula tossed with a warm balsamic reduction; mixed organic greens tossed with a light wild berry vinaigrette; or a gazpacho soup. I had the organic greens salad, which was really good.
Saul had the grilled calamari, which created an unmistakable fishy aroma in the air (almost sickening), but I was told it was delicious.
Charlie, being a picky salad eater (i.e.: will only eat caesar salad), ordered a caesar salad, which he (typically) devoured in seconds! But I was quick to get in a photo before he inhaled it.
Then came the main courses. We had the option of choosing from a maple glazed Atlantic salmon served with roasted potato and fresh daily vegetables; linguine a olio with black tiger shrimp, brocolli and chili peppers; veal parmigiano served with roasted potatoes and fresh daily vegetables; or gnocchi with fresh vegetable and tomato sauce. I had the gnocchi, which was totally scrumptious, but totally filling, as gnocchi normally is.
My mom and Charlie had the veal, which looked so delicious! I almost regretted my gnocchi decision - almost.
My Auntie Annie had the salmon, which also looked great and apparently tasted just as great as it looked.
As you can probably tell, I am only reporting on the meals of the people who were sitting around me. At the other end of the table, I'm sure there were different dishes being devoured.

As usual, nobody had room for the desserts: chocolate raspberry tartufo; shortbread lemon tart with blueberry coulis; or biscotti with fresh berries.

Me with Charlie, Jessie and Saul

A great restaurant for a large lunch party or one-on-one quiet dinner. Reservations aren't necessary for lunch (although it was a Friday), but a good idea for dinner or large lunch party.

Party Size: 13
Price Range: $25-$35/person
Visit Again?: Yes
Food: 5/5
Service: 5/5 (Fabulous service! Totally hospitable!)
Atmosphere: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5

StheF

The Keg Steakhouse Mansion

Sorry I've been slow on the blogging front. I've been pretty busy this week.

This past Tuesday, I went for dinner at The Keg Steakhouse Mansion, just north of Wellesley on the east side of Jarvis @ 515 Jarvis Street. After a long day of running errands, we decided to head for a nice, hearty dinner at The Keg.

I have driven by The Keg Mansion too many times to count, but I have never actually been inside. I never really thought of it as a place to drop in for a quick dinner if I was feeling peckish, but more as a tourist trap or somewhere to go for a special occasion. Needless to say, I was wrong. Inside the intimidating doors to the mansion sat an array of people from what seemed like every corner of the city in the main dining room. There were people dressed up sitting at a long table; there was a quiet couple celebrating at a small corner table; there were two thugs clinking beer bottles with one another; there were the obvious tourists, with their white knee socks, khaki shorts and fanny packs (you can't get more stereotypical than that); and then there was us, sitting at a table by the window with a perfect view of the rest of the restaurant (i.e.: perfect for people watching).

We each ordered different appetizers so we could sample a few things (the options all looked so tasty!). One friend ordered the escargots in a creamy garlic sauce. I ordered the fried calamari with an Asian-inspired roast garlic and chili sauce,
and my friend ordered the Atlantic soft-shell crab legs.

Each appetizer was delicious. We haven't had luck lately with escargots. Although they were delicious, they could have used more garlic and the sauce could have been less like a soup. The calamari was well-prepared with an abundance of flavour. The sauce the dish came with had a combination of a sweet and spicy taste. The soft-shell crab, though I only had a small taste, was savory, sweet and tasted absolutely divine with a short dip in the melted-by-way-of-candle butter dish.

For the main course, I had the Filet Mignon, wrapped in smoked applewood bacon, accompanied by roasted garlic mashed potatoes, a grilled tomato with melted cheese and a small pot of buttery garlic dip.
Now, I am normally not a steak eater, or an eater of any red meat for that matter, but I have to say that I was impressed by my filet. It was incredibly tender and The Keg's signature steak spices that the steak marinates in prior to grilling creates a memorable taste. Shobha's steak, on the otherhand, was done a little too well for her liking.

My friend had the New York Striploin, along with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and an assortment of grilled vegetables.
Our server came to clear our plates at the end of our meal and to ask us how we enjoyed our time at The Keg. I informed our server that my steak was a little too well-done than I'm used to, but everything else was great. The next thing we knew, the manager was at our table making sure we were alright, if there was anything we needed, anything she could get for us, "perhaps a dessert?" But as per usual, we were a little full for the dessert menu.

Despite our many "thank you's" and "don't worry's", our server comes to our table with a plate with three dessert samples: carrot cake, chocolate mousse, and cherry cheesecake.

Despite the little steak incident, I have to say that I would return to The Keg Steakhouse Mansion. The appetizers were great, the mains were really good and the desserts, or the small tastes we had of them, were delightful.

Party Size: 3
Price Range: $40-$50/person
Visit Again?: Yes
Food: 4.5/5
Service: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5 (the lighting is a little poor, but the story behind the mansion is great! ask the hostess in the front of the restaurant for some chilling stories!)
OVERALL: 5/5

Be sure to knock three times on the bathroom door to hear a ghost flush the toilet!

StheF