Southern Comfort

Near the corner of College and Rusholme is a stretch of storefronts, 974 College St has been a restaurant in two previous incarnations: The Pantry - a prepared food store and a tea and crumpets place. Neither one inspired me to stop by more than the one time. Recently an Italian restaurant called Black Skirt opened there. It specializes in Sicilian and Calabrese fares. This restaurant used to be on the Yonge strip and got fairly lukewarm reviews.

Wednesday night, during a giant snowstorm that was more of a mild one, I decided to drop by to check out the food. The restaurant's decor is going for the rustic feel. They had retained the clear display case to sell some prepared dishes as well as cheeses. Dark wooden shelves stock pasta and sauces. Two large communal tables dominate the front while a row of small tables run the length of the open kitchen in the back. A gate is bolted in the back to suggest a backyard and toilet supplies are stored in wooden crates in the washrooms.

The complimentary bread came in a smooshed brown paper bag accompanied by a sicilian dip in a wood pestle and mortar. The olive oil,  basil, tomato, and garlic mix was a tasty start. For an appetizer, I had a pani cunsato. It was panini-like affair, stuffed with salted anchovies, sundried tomatoes, basil and parmigianno cheese. I enjoyed it, though it was a tad light on the filling. For the main, I chose a Domenica penne. The penne came out in a separate dish from the veal, meatballs, and italian sausage topping, though you are encouraged to just pour the toppings onto the pasta. The veal was hit and miss: the first piece was soft and tender, but the second was overcooked and tough. The meatballs were dry and had to be improved by mashing them up to mix with the tomato sauce. The italian sausage was lightly spiced and delicious. The quality wasn't quite as good as Enoteca Sociale but the portion size was satisfyingly full. But the heavy touch on the meat makes me unsure if it's worth it to try the more expensive meat dishes like osso bucco or the rack of lamb.

There was a good list of wine from which I picked an earthy Italian red. I was too full to try the dessert. There was pizza on the menu but the pizza oven wasn't ready yet. The menu also included panini and other italian sandwiches. Overall, not a bad addition to the neighbourhood.