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	Toronto Life
	Exposed yellow brick, starched white tablecloths and a candlelit hearth set the tone for the most polished option on Elm Street’s restaurant row. Tourists snuggle into the intimate banquettes for a romantic night; regulars hold court at the round tables, sipping cult cabs and broody barolos. The wine program goes well beyond the big-ticket reds: each dish is thoughtfully paired. The Chef's take on northern Italian cooking harkens back to the heyday of ’80s Cal-Ital cuisine. Grilled black cod falls into big, moist flakes at the touch of a fork; miso—an inescapable complement to this fish—amps up the umami of crisp roast fingerlings and lip-smacking butter sauce. Pistachio-crusted lamb, cooked perfectly medium, brings five melting ribs, pulled lamb in an intense tomato jus, light ricotta gnocchi, al dente green beans and asparagus. The plate, like the cod dish, is flavourful and beautifully executed. Service walks an unwavering tightrope between friendly and formal. Mains $20–$40. Toronto Life Listing

	What our guests are saying about us...
	“I’ve gone out for dinner here 3 times, each successively better, since about March 2010…On our last trip over, just before Christmas, we had the Lamb Loin and the Osso Bucco. It was perfection on my plate! Wonderful, just wonderful”. ZAGAT user “I’ve never had such amazing gnocchi in the city-this one was sheep’s milk ricotta gnocchi and it came with smoked bacon, mushrooms and Grana Padano cheese. It was so authentic and just amazing. The presentation of gnocchi also always impresses me…this restaurant had a beautiful arrangement but still a generous portion. My friend also enjoyed her baked penne; the presentation of this was quite nice as well. We will be back! Thanks for a great night out in Toronto.” OPEN TABLE user “Glad I took customers and co-workers here---everyone was blown away. A real diamond in the rough”. YELP.CA user “We felt immediately comfortable here, from the way we were greeted and seated, the service was attentive but not at all overbearing. We liked the atmosphere and the sense that the food mattered to the servers. The grilled romaine for a starter was very, very good…The arctic char and roast pork loin were prepared with imagination and care for the accompaniments. The biggest surprise was the basil panna cotta with balsamic-macerated strawberries-a sublime and totally fitting end to all of the other flavours in the meal. Very good selection of wines by the glass”. OPEN TABLE user "Beautiful atmosphere and amazing service, friendly staff very informed on foods and wines to accompany, my date had the Strozzapretti Puttanesca and it was to die for! Ingredients are fresh and cooked to perfection. Speaking of cooked to perfection I enjoyed the Bison Ribeye with the recommended Grayson Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, California Wine and it was a match made in heaven! Bison was flavourful, juicy and tender. As if that wasn't enough great food for Dessert the Chocolate Torte was (I will dare to say) The best dessert I have ever had, accompanied with Banana Ice Cream and Dulce de Leche as well as mixed berries. I believe people who have negative reviews of this place just go out of their way to look for them, even as I try to think of it the only negative I would give is that I live an hour and a half away from Toronto's downtown! And that is not their fault! Thank you oro for an amazing dinning experience, you have a customer FOR LIFE!"-TRIP ADVISOR user

Last Updated: Friday, September 02, 2011