Via Cibo

A brand new Italian restaurant that hasn’t even had its grand opening yet opened up on the east side of North York recently.  Via Cibo opened up no more than 3 weeks ago and has already had an article featured in the Toronto Star as to whether their signature sandwich, the Osso Bucco sandwich is worth $3 million dollars. I decided to visit the restaurant myself last night to see what the main attraction was all about. 

Dark Orange and Passion Fruit Juices

When you walk in, you are not given a seat right away.  You are led to the side where you are to place your order with the cashier.  They have a huge menu right behind the cashier where you can choose anything ranging from pastas to sandwiches to wraps.  Since it was new to me and I had no idea what was good, I asked the cashier and a chef standing next to her as to what was good for my friend and I.  They pointed out that for starters the Prosciutto Wrapped for Di Latte was an excellent side especially at $4. For the Entrees, they suggested their signature sandwich however since the Toronto Star had already done an article on it, I decided to go with their signature pasta dish which was the Pasta Al Osso Bucco Ragu.  My friend decided to go with their Portobello and Goat Cheese Wrap.  Since both of us were driving we decided to forgo the alcoholic drinks and went with a couple of fruity Italians juices instead.  My friend ordered a Dark Orange fruit juice while I went with the Passion Fruit fruit juice.

Prosciutto Wrapped for Di Latte

Once you had paid for your order, you were to find your own seating.  They would give you a number and the waitresses were to bring you your food.  The Prosciutto arrived first and there were like four of them in a row.  It was immersed in a pomodoro tomato sauce which really didn’t add too much flavor to it.  The prosciutto was very salty tasting and each wrap had been grilled slightly.  With mozzarella cheese in the middle and a sprinkle of chopped basil on top, this was a very good starter to have.  The pieces were small and easy to digest so that one did not have their appetite ruined.  The only bad part was that when the dish was placed on our table, the waitress realized that the basil was missing and actually had to take it back to have it added.  Otherwise, it was great appetizer to have.

Pasta Al Osso Bucco Ragu

The entrees soon arrived afterwards.  I ordered the Pasta Al Osso Bucco Ragu and when it arrived, it actually came in a pretty big bowl.  There were chopped up pieces of veal, some broccoli, roasted tomatoes and padano cheese all mixed together.  At first glance and at first bite, the pasta looked slightly blanch and was a tiny bit dry to eat.  The taste however was magnificent.   The only recommendation if there was one, was that it would have tasted better had they added just a bit more tomato sauce to it.  It would have added moisture to the pasta and given the pasta just a little bit more flavor to it. My feeling is that the recipe was made for the sandwich and if the ingredients were too wet, it would have made their sandwich quite soggy and moist to eat.  The meat however was very juicy and “loose” and therefore easy to eat.  It was a good dish nonetheless. 

Portobello and Goat Cheese Wrap

My friend’s portobello wrap was equally good.  It was a huge wrap that had been folded twice.  Inside the wrap,one can see that it was packed with pieces of a portobello mushroom, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, goat cheese and roasted garlic.  It gave off a great aroma and the Portobello was very juicy and tasty.  The edition of the garlic and the onions I think was what set this dish apart and gave it that extra kick.  It was a fabulous dish to have especially for any vegetarians out there.

Overall it was a pretty good night over at this new restaurant.  I think once the new staff gets better oriented then things would run more smoothly.  The fruits drinks were pretty good as well.  It was like drinking carbonated fruit juices.  The price for everything here was just a shade under 40 bucks for the both of us, tax and tip included.  There was plenty of free parking up front and the staff was very courteous.  I would definitely go back for a second go around.  Don’t forget their Grand opening which is suppose to be sometime during the final week of July.  Overall I give it a 4 out of 5.

Via Cibo

808 York Mills Road Unit 2

647- 352-7556