Tried And True

I'm really happy to be a part of such a great group of fantastic writers.
Though I'm not technically a food writer,
I eat out a fair bit, and food is a real passion of mine.
I'm also quite picky.
At least when it comes to what & where I eat it.

I really enjoy cooking, but letting someone else prepare & serve a meal for me, is one of life's greatest pleasures.
Having kids doesn't mean you should be forced to eat at franchise only type restaurants where your waiter writes his/her name in crayon on the kraft paper-tablecloth and every five minutes the staff is begrudgingly forced into singing some really lame rendition of happy birthday for the twelfth time that night.
not that there is anything wrong with franchises..
But I personally much prefer smaller neighbourhood restaurants.
Like for example one of my personal favourites- Terroni.
We've been going for over ten years, mainly to the Queen st location, and occasionally the midtown location at Yonge and St.Clair.
Usually at least once a week and sometimes twice (I love having both lunch and dinner here)
It's one of those places that is relaxed, unpretentious and feels familiar.
Like being at home.
Only with much better pizza, louder music, and great (for the most part) service.
They have a good wine list, but we usually end up sharing a half litre of the house red served in a rustic and often chipped ceramic jug with two sienna style wine glasses.
there's something so authentically Italian about drinking wine this way.
I have my favourites like the funghi assoluti
baked oyster mushrooms with parmigiana, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and parsley on a bed of arugula.
The Carpaccio DiManzo- raw beef tenderloin sliced thin served with truffle oil on a bed of arugula (I'm a big fan of arugula)
The A Fagiolo Salad- tuna and kidney beans with mixed greens, tomato and red onion, fresh lemon and extra virgin olive oil.
The Caprese con Mozzarella Di Buffala- how can anything with buffalo mozzarella be bad?
The Capricciosa Pizza is hard to pass up even though there a ton of other fantastic choices.
tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, artichokes and italian ham. simple and delicious.
we usually finish with a latte Macchiato & biscotti.
one of the few places that actually knows how to make a perfect macchiato.
Although I have my favs, the daily specials rarely disappoint.
I guess you could say that Terroni is child friendly.
Meaning that the staff is always amazingly friendly to Lulu, and she's been going there since she was about three weeks old.
And the place is usually full of families, especially earlier in the evenings.
But there are no crayons, change tables or kids menus here.
They don't even offer smaller portions.
It feels like a bit of a waste to order an individual Margherita pizza for 13 bucks when lulu only eats three bites of it.
same goes for the spaghetti.
the two basic items that most kids might be interested in on the menu.
Unless of course you don't mind sharing with them, but with so many other great pizza  and pasta options it seems a shame to just have plain ol' spaghetti and tomato sauce.
So that would be my only beef.
I'm not asking for some typically boring kids menu, because that's not terroni.
But even if they would just offer half orders of pasta.
other than that I give terroni my golden stamp of approval.
The Three G's.
Great service
Great food
Great vibe

oh and they are opening a new location in L.A.
I hope this doesn't eventually mean...gasp..franchise.??...

Comments

[metro mama]

We'll have to give it a try.

Cakes doesn't like restaurants with paper placemats.

I'm looking forward to your column, Chareen!

[gabriella]

another one to add to my list!!! Glad you started the column!

[lisa b]

LA?? I was worried when they opened at St Clair.
Terroni pizza kept me alive through both my pregnancies.
I hadn't thought about the half orders. They should do that. We are just so greedy we take it home with us.
looking forward to more reviews.

[motherbumper]

ohhhhhhh sounds wonderful - I'm definitely checking this one out. Great review Chareen :)

[NotSoSage]

Oh, the description of the mushroom dish started me salivating.

Welcome to MBT! I'm looking forward to more!

[tracy]

LA - LA?

[Sandra]

Welcome to MBT. Love the name of your column!!!

And this too is one of my fav places ... but LA??

[Suzanne]

Oooooh, I definitely need to make it out to Toronto. Your post is making me drool!

[Ann D]

I think what you said here could start a dining revolution amongst parents. I honestly felt, for many years, that our family had to play it safe and stick to the types of restaurants you describe below. I wonder how many other parents have been afraid to try that funky place on the corner because they don't know if kids are welcome or not. (I know I'm hugely late finding this thread, but I thought I'd post anyway because what you said really resonated with me. Thanks.)

You wrote:
"Having kids doesn't mean you should be forced to eat at franchise only type restaurants where your waiter writes his/her name in crayon on the kraft paper-tablecloth and every five minutes the staff is begrudgingly forced into singing some really lame rendition of happy birthday for the twelfth time that night."