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North 44 on Yonge Street in Midtown has been a culinary institution in Toronto for 17 years. Its continental menu serves up seasonal dishes, steaks and lovely desserts. The historic, aviation-themed décor was a turn on for me, since I am an airplane buff. However, the décor did not make up for a meal that was mediocre.
The Meal
We started our dinner with glass of Prosecco accompanied by lobster bisque which was plain tasting. (Please note that this restaurant does not have a sommelier. Each dish comes with several different wines that have been carefully recommended). North 44 doesn’t allow you to bring your own wine, as they don’t have the license for that. However they do have a 23 page, impressive, wine list. We followed with golden potato gnocchi with woodland mushrooms, reggiano cream and white wine garnished with sprinkles of black truffles. The sauce was fantastic, but the gnocchi seemed to have been deep-fried, which was strange way to eat these things with such a delicate sauce. We washed this down with a wonderful New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
Our main courses were roasted veal tenderloin with caramelized onion squash ravioli, wilted spinach, natural jus and crisp sage and black sea bass with hearts of palm, tomato confit and saffron sauce. These dishes certainly sounded delicious, but they were bland and lacking in the sauce department. I would not recommend these dishes for the price. We finished with an ample cheese plate and the best chocolate dessert. The “TRIO OF CHOCOLATE” features a miniature chocolate torte with crème fraîche ice cream, chocolate praline mousse in crisp tuile, and a spiced malt hot chocolate shooter. The pastry chef certainly knew what she was doing.
I had a great view of the kitchen and was surprised to see such a young chef staff. Seriously, they looked like they were fresh out of high school or in college. The chef was only 35, and looked like he was 17. He was a young, yet friendly bloke and certainly talented. The wait staff and managers were very friendly. This was some of the best service I have experienced. They even recommended other restaurants to try that were not partners of their restaurant group. I will try North 44 again because they have a selection of great looking steaks, (amazing steaks don’t require or shouldn’t have any sauces), sensational desserts and a great staff. This is an odd turn around for me, since I am usually all about the food first.
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