Words By Christine Feutl Edited by Laura D’Angelo Photos by Steve Blackburn
TORONTO, ONT – The Good Son Restaurant, nestled in the heart of vibrant West Queen West, recently hosted its tasting event to unveil their new menu. Renowned Chef and owner Vittorio Colacitti and Chef de bar Moses McIntee, worked their magic assembling a list of starters, mains, desserts and beverages, taking us on a delectable culinary journey.
The evening warmed up with a choice of cocktail. I began with the hot Apple Cider featuring a hint of brandy. While some people may not be a fan of hot alcoholic beverages, I opted to also try the Rosemary Tequila with a soft foam topping. A fantastic start to Happy Hour!
Chef Vittorio introduced the first item on the menu with a live demo of his Sea Bream Ceviche creation. He began by adding a blended citrus marinade of orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime juice to fresh minced Sea Bream, stirring gently over ice so as not to bruise the fish. He then expertly tossed in diced fresh red and green jalapeno, cilantro, pomelo and avocado. The dish was served family style in a large Le Creuset casserole garnished elegantly with greens and featured the fried Sea Bream head! A very creative touch!
Steak Tartare followed, presented beautifully on a repurposed long board served with the obligatory double fried frits. This dish was accompanied with grilled sourdough and flawlessly cooked quail eggs.
The second course came with much anticipation – Jerk Shrimp, delicately wrapped in a crisp potato string. While the side bed of shredded mango and pam sugar could bring in an influence of Thai flavour, it was nevertheless delicious!
The main course was an absolute favourite – a mouth watering 36 ounce Rib Eye Steak, aged 40 days, cooked medium rare served and with heirloom squash, grilled scallions and piquillo puree.So delicious that I passed on the greens, and largely portioned so that I could share with another fellow foodie.
On the surf side, the Chef presented us with Organic Salmon. These delectable squares were cooked with skin on, and the accompanying little neck clams, pomme puree, pearl onions and rainbow chard were quickly devoured. I neglected to ask the Chef if the salmon was farmed or wild. Conversation with other guests concluded that ‘organic’ salmon can mean either farmed or wild, but wild is definitely organic.
As promised, Chef Vittorio topped off the evening with a couple of pizzas baked lovingly in the wood-fired oven, which was imported from Mam Forni Italy, adding an authentic old school Italian flavour. The first, thin crusted, and topped with very spicy meat, and the second, a more traditional margarita pizza. The latter being the obvious favorite as the triangles evaporated off the plate!
Apparently the last dessert course, Tarte Tatin had my name on it. Never indecisive, I devoured my favorite dessert with the Green Tea Crème Brulee made with organic matcha, lime and sesame. So flavourful, that you can taste all the individual ingredients. To top it off, dessert ended with a dainty teaspoon of the salted caramel, vanilla gelato. A sinfully delicious cap to a wonderful evening.
Months in the making, Chef Vittorio’s new menu has lived up to his high standards of offering his customers the freshest ingredients in a collection of new culinary dishes just waiting to be devoured.
