Dine on Dundas

Monday night, I met up with a friend for dinner at Enoteca Sociale. He remarked that he had never been to this area of town, despite growing up here. It's a bit ironic since unlike my recent visit to the Hearn Generating Station, Little Portugal is not some far-flung industrial corner of Toronto. But of course we all tend to frequent the places we know. With gentrification over the last 10 years, it's certainly a hipper stretch than it was when mostly Portuguese men sat around local bars to drink and talk about football.

Enoteca, now a "neighbourhood spot", as it was part of the first wave of trendy arrivals, specialize in a short menu of classic italian dishes. So even on a Monday, it was full and lively. I ordered an Arancini ball ($4), in memory of dearly departed Black Skirt, some chicken liver mousse ($7), and an entrée of Bucatini All'amatriciana ($14). The arancini was a nice balance between the fried rice and tomato sauce. The grilled bread with the mousse was perhaps too much, since the pâté was already rich enough. The pasta was excellent, a perfect balance of toothsomeness, sauce, and little bursts of salty richness from the guanciale. The great meal here reminded me that I've been thinking if I should just stop cooking dinner altogether, especially in the hot summer months. Instead, I could just become a regular at a number of restaurants. The only concern is to keep a balanced diet and minimize the heavy sodium and oil of a typical "restaurant flavoured" dish.