Romagna Mia
106 Front Street East
Toronto, Canada
416-363-8370
www.romagna-mia.com
I took my Dad out for dinner last night to Romagna Mia to celebrate his birthday and Father’s Day. The restaurant is located just a stone’s throw from the St. Lawrence Market at the corner of Front and George Streets.
Chef and proprietor Gabrielle Paganelli moved to Toronto in 1991 from his home town of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. After training in Bologna prior to his move, he was a part of several kitchens in the Toronto area before opening Romagna Mia three years ago. Chef Paganelli focuses on the traditional Northern Italian cuisine of his home at his restaurant.
The dining area is nicely decorated, giving a very homey, comfortable feel to it. There are redwood wine racks at the back of the restaurant housing most of their wine which is a little disappointing, storage-wise. There is also a 200 bottle Vinoteque cooling unit that houses their top wines.
There are approximately two hundred bottles on their wine list (as well as twenty-six by the glass) covering pretty much every region in Italy. In addition to the traditional regions of Piemonte, Toscana, and Veneto, there are also offerings from Emilia-Romagna, Trentino, Fruili, Campania, Abruzzi, Sardinia, Sicilia, Puglia, Lombardia, Marche, Umbria, Calabria, and Sardegna. There are a few bottles of Ontario wine as well as a couple vintages of Dom Perignon (1980 and 1985) to round out the list. Although there is a large volume of wine on the list, there is unfortunately little of quality until you get into the $100+ range per bottle. That said, the markup for these wines of better quality are around triple retail value which is a disappointment. To be fair, there are some wines that around only double retail, and the best example I could find was the 1999 Righetti Amarone for $63CAD ($33 retail). I will not, on the other hand, pay $135 for a 1998 Rocca delle Macie Roccato that is nowhere near ready to drink ($41 retail), $63 for a 2000 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico ($23 retail), or $260 for a 1997 Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato (~ $100 retail).
The stemware that was initially on the table was disappointing, but I saw some Burgundy Riedels out of the corner of my eye and asked for those instead. Our waiter was happy to oblige. Unfortunately when I asked to have the wine decanted, the response was “well, we have a decanter, but it’s not going to do much for your wine since the neck of the spout is about as narrow as the bottle it’s already in.” Needless to say that not much wine was consumed prior to the main course arriving as the young Amarone was a little tight out of the bottle, even for an early drinking wine such as the Righetti.
As for the food, it was alright – definite hits and misses. We decided to split an appetizer and an order of risotto to start so we could try a couple dishes. The Insalata Caldi di Gamberi con Piovra e Farro (warm shrimp salad with octopus, farro, potato, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil tossed with white wine vinegar and olive oil) was a definite miss. It was bland and uninspiring, and the shrimp were nowhere to be found. The octopus was sliced extremely thin, almost like a carpaccio, which was interesting but unfortunately did nothing to save the dish.
The risotto was easily the best dish of the night. Simply incredible. The Risotto con Fagiano e Tartufo in Ciaida di Parmigiano (risotto in a pheasant ragout with black truffle paste in a Parmigiano-Reggiano basket) came served perfectly al dente and creamy. I could have had another two orders of this myself it was that good.
Finally, the lamb entrees were served. Crusted with a black olive tapenade and served with marinated, grilled oyster mushrooms and a red, nutty rice, they were plated rare as opposed to the requested medium-rare. Rare is still fine with me, but the dish would have been better if cooked correctly. The lamb was not bad, but really could have used some greens such as sautéed rapini to add another dimension. It was nowhere near as good as the horseradish-crusted rack of lamb I had last week at Far Niente.
When asked for the best desserts made in the house, the recommendations were Cassata all’Italiana (homemade ice cream with pistachios hazelnuts, chocolate and candied fruit) and Fungo di Cioccolata con Mente e Crèma Inglese (chocolate mousse with chocolate salami, chocolate meringue, crème anglaise, mint coulis, hazelnuts, and fresh berries). The desserts were average at best. I should’ve just ordered the tiramisu. The best part of the final course was the espresso, even though we had to ask several times for a second round of coffee.
That comment leads me into the service for the evening. Although the staff was friendly when they were at our table, they were there so infrequently that it was extremely disappointing. There is absolutely no reason why I should have to pour my own wine at a restaurant. Unfortunately I had to on several occasions on Wednesday or else there would still be wine left on the table as I write this. Our waiter seemed to switch from one to another halfway through the night, and the only time either came to the table was to bring the next course or to take plates away. I can understand not wanting to be intrusive, but there’s a difference between non-intrusive and non-existent. Not once did anyone come by to see how our courses were (during the courses, that is), to see if we needed more bread, refill glasses, anything. If this is the type of service on an evening where the dining area was half empty, I’d hate to be there when they’re filled to capacity.
My Dad and I had a good time, but it had more to do with the company as opposed to the restaurant. I don’t see myself returning anytime soon unless it’s for a plate of that amazing risotto and a glass of wine. For a couple hundred dollars (pre-tip, and could have been much higher if we decided to select a different wine), there are many other places in the city that I would rather dine at. It’s very disappointing to come to this conclusion, especially considering the fact that I had been looking forward to this dinner for a few weeks now.
Edit:
One other thing I wanted to add was in regards to the portions. They were a little small. There's really no reason for either person to leave still hungry after splitting an app and a full order of risotto, an entree, and then dessert. I easily could have had another course or two.