Sabatino’s Restaurant
By Elli Davis, November 30, 2009
Sabatino's Ristorante
- Address: 1144 Eglinton Avenue West
- Contact: (416) 783-5829
Welcome to Sabatino's!
Sabatino's has been a Forest Hill fixture just a stone's throw from the Eglinton West subway for the past 32 years, but when the polished restaurant opens for these two hungry diners, it's a very youthful couple that greets us enthusiastically by the door and ushers us into the restaurant's bright interior. They're at least thirty years younger than the uniformed waiter who waves us to the cloakroom to hang up our coats.
Mirela and Dritan have just purchased Sabatino's a month ago, and though they are adamant against making any changes to the authentic Italian menu, they plan to expand the restaurant's repertoire to add catering for groups of up to 50 persons, a lunch menu, a website, and a feature dinner menu that changes every 3 to 4 days depending on the freshest fish and other ingredients available.
"I was a chef at Aroma [an Italian restaurant that's also been around for decades] for ten years," Dritan explains. He's shy; it's Mirela who stays front of house, greets guests and handles the day to day operations. "When the opportunity came up to buy this place, we thought it was time to do something for ourselves."
Though Sabatino's old world vibe practically screams Italian wedding reception - from the white table linens to the elaborate flower arrangement to the romantic semi-private nook in back - we're assured that it's mostly a business crowd and groups of local Forest Hill residents who come to enjoy the cuisine, aromas, and textures of Italy. Of course: with seating for about 150, it's too small to accommodate a typical Mediterranean reception. The décor runs to framed posters of Italian operas and ornate mirrors, while The Godfather theme plays in the background, followed by a whiskey-voiced rendition of 'That's Amore'.
Please, be seated!
Though Dritan is typically in the back making sure good food comes out of the kitchen smoothly, we had the opportunity to sit down with him, and he was happy to share his thoughts on the restaurant with us. Explaining that Sabatino's has a ready-made, loyal clientele that mostly comes in after 7:00 p.m., he says his wife is the only woman working at the restaurant.
"They're all men," he says. "We have four waiters on the weekends, and they give more attention than is usual."
But it's Mirela who brings some bruschetta to the table - in a twist on the classic, there are two offerings: the typical configuration of chopped fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and spices on perfectly toasted crusty bread, and wedges of the same delightful bread smothered in homemade ragu and topped with a sinful amount of cheese. We're assured that none of the recipes have changed from the previous owners, because the same chefs are in the kitchen.
Bruschetta with its typical configuration of chopped fresh tomatoes, garlic,
olive oil and spices on perfectly toasted crusty bread.
Dritan recommends one of the daily features, grilled arctic char ($34), so we go with that main as well as an order of cannelloni fiorentina ($19.50). My partner wants to start with a Caesar salad ($9.95) but I'd prefer something a little more traditional, so I ask for the pasta e fagioli soup. The menu choices aren't overwhelming in quantity, but they all look good - appetizers like carpaccio, polenta and mussels; pastas with plenty of add-ins; soups, salads, veal, lamb, steaks, and shellfish; all are showcased on the menu.
The wine selection is certainly impressive, overwhelmingly red, with a preponderance of Italian wines that pair well with the food. Bottles run from $37.50 to $195. A single glass is steeply priced at $13.50, but you can get a half-litre of the house wine for $20.
Caesar Salad, adequately prepared.
My soup arrives, a meal in itself and perfect for a cold Toronto night. Thick with beans, vegetables and pasta, it's literally a fork/spoon conundrum - especially when Mirela suggests a drizzle of olive oil and some parmesan cheese. The waiter leaves the bottle of extra virgin on the table in case I'm temped to drink it straight, which I am.
My partner's Caesar is also a large portion, adequately prepared. We're full by the time our entrees arrive. And they, too, are enormous. Perhaps we've been spending too much time in French bistros!
My partner is surprised at the presentation of his arctic char. Though it is steeped in a delicate lemon-dill sauce, the accompanying carrots and broccoli are drenched with plain butter and heaped on the plate with no attention to aesthetics. The firm, flaky fish is delicious, the skin well crisped, but the cabbage potato cake is the real star of the show.
"It's the only thing that tastes like an original," my partner says. "I really like the way they did this." He senses Dritan's hand in the crisp, non-greasy purple latke. "Everything else is just home cooking."
Not only meals and staff, but also
interior furnishing make Sabatino's
a well-established restaurant.
I tended to agree with him. My cannelloni is a large portion of hearty fare indeed, but the spinach and ricotta filling is too crumbly and the tastes aren't complex. The homemade tomato sauce is well spiced and bursting with flavour, but it all seems very... expected. Perhaps to compensate, we are lavished with attention from our waiter, who charms us with Italian words and delivers prompt, efficient service.
Somehow we make room for dessert and another waiter offers the selections - Italian restaurant classics like tartufo ice cream, profiteroles, crème caramel. We decide on berries and are offered a choice of whipped cream or ice cream to accompany them. The berries arrive, with my coffee but without my partner's; the whip turns out to be from a can, atop a large portion of very fresh, tartly sweet mixed berries.
As we leave Sabatino's, night has fallen and street lights illuminate strings of shops and businesses, many of whom are proud to boast 'Forest Hill' in their names. Just a thought: if Sabatino's were to be transplanted anywhere but Forest Hill - say, to the downtown core - it would almost certainly have to up its game to compete with the wood-fired creations pouring out nightly from the most modest Italian restaurants. I asked my partner for his final thoughts and he groaned.
"I'm so full. The food was really good. But I could have made it all myself. They need to either lower the prices or do something more creative."
To make your stay as pleasant as possible.
I'm not so sure Sabatino's needs to change anything. The recipes handed down from previous generations have inspired a loyal clientele willing to lay down big bucks for classic fare. Another visit would be warranted to investigate more of the dishes, but as it stands now, Dritan and Mirela seem to have found a golden formula: a well-established restaurant, staff that knows what they're doing blindfolded, and patrons who have been coming in for years.
- our evaluation: 3 1/2 out of 5 possible stars
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