ARDO Restaurant – 243 King St E, Toronto, ON M5A 1J9
Country: Italy
Must-try dish: Pasta con le Sarde
Dinner guests: Chief, Mama Miami, Our Brazilian Friend, Suited Sebastien & The Math Teacher
Seating: Indoor seating only.
The high: Unlike other Italian restaurants in the city, the menu is made up of dishes unique to Sicily.
The low: The prices are higher than you expect. 

There are countless Italian restaurants in Toronto, but what makes ARDO special is that the menu features dishes mostly from Sicily. The owners are an Italian and Canadian duo that met and fell in love in a Sicilian coastal town, then moved to Toronto to start a mini restaurant empire after realizing the city is missing a uniquely Sicilian restaurant. 

What sets Sicilian recipes apart from the rest of the country’s cuisine are the dependance on seafood, local vegetables, and pickled ingredients like olives and capers. Eggplant is a prominent fixture in recipes that could be influenced from the nearby Middle East, and instead of heavy meats and cheeses in the dishes, fish and seafood are highlighted. 

There were several items on the menu that seemed interesting, but we wanted to taste the most Sicilian dishes available, and our server was only too happy to abide by this. Here’s a breakdown of the courses we enjoyed throughout the dinner. 

Spuntini
The Panelle is a classic starter in Sicily – they’re deep-fried fritters made with chickpea flour, and especially perfect for sharing. Skip the bread and go straight to the panelle! 

It was a no-brainer getting an order of the Burrata, and it was gone almost as quickly as it came. This is less Sicilian, and more universally Italian but you can’t ever go wrong with it. The Beef Carpaccio was also a hit, and it was a generous portion if I do say so myself. The thin slices of beef were topped with velvety olive oil that was perfect to dip the panelles into. 

Polpo completed the first course, and whether you’re a lover of octopus or not, we totally recommend ARDO’s dish as it was soft without being chewy and cooked alongside marinated artichoke, which offered a unique spin to the flavoiur profile. 

Pasta
The second course consisted of four delicious pastas in sauces that are traditionally Sicilian. It’s rare to order off the menu, but the Pasta con le Sarde sounded too good to miss out on. Its origins are in Palermo, and the clash of cultures between Italian and Arabic is evident in the ingredients that make up the dish. The raisins, saffron and pine nuts give the dish a Middle Eastern flair, while the sardines, anchovies and fennel are classically Italian. With the strongest flavour of all the pastas, it was difficult not to keep taking more bites. It’s for this reason that it was our must-try dish of the night. If you see it on a menu, do yourself a favour and get yourself a plate. 

Our server recommended the Gnocchi, and it didn’t disappoint. The house-made potato dumplings were fluffy with each bite and dressed in a seasonal sauce made with mushrooms, carrots, green onion, cream and parmesan cheese. It wasn’t too saucy, nor was it too creamy, just the perfect amount for a burst of flavour. 

The Tartufo is a mushroom and truffle based sauce cooked with parmesan cheese and anchovy butter to add just a hint of umami. There were mixed feelings about the anchovy butter so we opted out, but if anything, it would have added a saltiness to the dish and out server tried to reassure us that it was only suttle flavour booster adding in hints of umami, though it was hard to convince some at the table. When it comes to truffles, you can do no wrong. 

A delightful marriage of flavours is blended together in the Gamberi pasta with a penne noodle, shrimp, zucchini pesto, pistachios, and citrus. It’s an excellent summer dish that is fresh and zesty. 

All the noodles are made in house and cooked with sauces that are well balanced that use fresh, seasonal ingredients. What else could you ask for? 

Pizza
Forget a large circle pie, ARDO bakes its pizzas in an oval shape with thin crust and classic Sicilian flavour combinations. The traditional Sicilian dish Pasta alla Norma dish was beautifully turned into a pizza that exuded all the freshed flavours: eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, ricotta, and basil. In whichever form this dish is served, it’s always a winner. 

A Margarita pizza defines whether a place makes good pizzas, and usually we would get one to make our judgment but we were instead tempted by the Capricciosa. It’s a base of tomato sauce topped with fresh mozzarella, artichoke, mushrooms, olives and prosciutto. The Norma was evidently the favourite, but whoever went wrong with prosciutto on pizza? 

The crust was cooked perfectly and the ratio of toppings was well executed, If you’re in the mood for a classic Italian pizza, ARDO is the place for you. 

Dolci
Sicily is the birthplace of the cannoli, and despite knowing this, we opted for two orders of the Panna Cotta to give everyone a little taste. On this particular evening, it was fennel flavoured, which was a turn off for the majority of our gang. It had an earthy, licorice taste that overpowered the dish. Despite some of our more particular dinner companions, it was highly recommended by our server as his favourite dessert and was still loved by several of our less “picky friends”

If nothing else, it was clear that a trip to Sicily is needed for all of us. The food was fresh and flavourful without being too heavy. The interactions with the staff from start to finish were excellent, which is indicative of a happy work culture. We were happy to eat, and even happier to support.  

Eat with you soon, 

Mandrea Bike
(Mat & Andrea)