Situated at 101 Portland St. just off King West, Gusto 101 is definitely my new favorite spot in the area. I was planning where to go out for drinks and dinner before heading for a night out with friends, and stumbled on a tweet about this newly opened restaurant. I decided to search for it on Google street view and this is what I found: an old garage for sale. I did not give up however.
I called to make reservations ahead as it was Sunday night, and Monday was a holiday, but they do not take reservations.
We headed over around 9 pm and the restaurant was completely full, with a 15 minute wait for a table of 4. I heard great things about their Vini di Gusto (Malbec and a Sauvignon Blanc) which are made on site in their basement winery, so I headed over to the bar right away. Unfortunately they sold out of it just a week after their opening, so we opted for a bottle of Megalomaniac’s 2009 Narcissist Riesling which is always a great choice!
The décor is very rustic with gorgeous brick and wood accents contrasted by more modern light fixtures and furniture. My favourite was the open concept kitchen with a huge Tuscan wood-fire grill.
I was eager to try everything on the menu, but we decided to just share 3 different dishes followed by dessert and another bottle of wine.
I had the Moroccan “brick chicken,” which is cooked sous-vide then finished on the grill and served with Swiss chard and garlic smashed potatoes ($17)
. My friends shared the Beef tartare, topped with figs, ricotta, arugula and truffle oil ($14.50 )
and Mozzarelola di Bufala- roasted tomatoes, basil oil, parmigiano crisp, smoked paprika ($15)
which were all amazing dishes!
The portions aren’t very big so don’t count on a big filling dinner, but I personally prefer tapas bars so these portions were perfect for sharing along with some drinks.
The service was fantastic and despite the crowded restaurant and Gusto being open for only 2 weeks, the server was very attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. He recommended we try the dessert trio and I am glad we did!
Desserts come in mini-portions and include mascarpone tiramisu, dark chocolate mousse with caramel, olive oil and sea salt, and wild lemon air, which was my personal favourite: aerated limoncello with fizzy candy, candied celery and a sprinkle of ground coffee ($3 each or $8.50 for a combo of all three).
We also got a little home made biscotti to go with it
There is nothing negative that I could say about Gusto 101, the staff are friendly and attentive, food was amazing, wine selection was great and the atmosphere is very warm and inviting. Will definitely come back to try that malbec!
