Grazie Ristorante

After a long and winded day, we decided to go out for a late dinner out to Grazie Ristorante to have some good Italian food.  When we got there, the Leafs game was playing in the background, the place was packed with patrons and the we were lucky to get a seat right away.  It was like almost 9 at night and the place supposedly closes at 10 yet there were many many people left in the restaurant.

The waiter was a really nice guy that explained everything on the menu for us including the specials of the day.  He remembered everything in fine detail and even answered all of our tough questions that we had with respect to his specials.

Eggplant Lasagna

We were with some friends from out of town for the evening and they decided to go with their special Carne Ai Ferri ($35.00) and a Bosco Pasta ($15.00), my wife went with their Capri Pasta ($15.50) and I went with their Atlantic Salmon ($21.00).  For appetizers we went with their Parma Focaccia ($15.00) and their Eggplant Lasagna ($14.00) which was one of their specials of the day. 

The appetizers arrived almost at the same time.  The waiter apologized as one of the appetizers was about two minutes behind the other but we're not difficult people so it really didn't matter to us at all. 

Parma Focaccia

The eggplant lasagna was an excellent appetizer to have.  I was concerned having a lasagna as a starter as I was concerned that it would be too filling to have knowing that the entrees were going to be quite big.  The dish arrived and we noticed the eggplant immersed in the lasagna sauce.  Truthfully it tasted like normal lasagna minus the cheese however I believe there was still cheese located inside its dish.  It was not heavy at all and the mushiness of the eggplant made it easy to consume.  It was a good appetizer to have as starters. 

Atlantic Salmon

The next appetizer was the parma focaccia which in my mind should have been an entree in itself.  Although the Eggplant Lasagna was a nice and light starter to have, this focaccia was very filling and quite yummy to have.  It was rather large although it was great to split amongst four people.  The proscuitto was fresh and salty but blended well with the olive oil and cheese.  My recommendation is this dish alone could be a stand alone entree dish because after eating this, we were extremely concerned as to whether we could even eat our entrees. 

Carne Ai Ferri

Speaking of which the entrees arrived soon afterwards.  My Atlantic Salmon was made to perfection and truthfully when I finished eating the appetizers this lighter entree was the perfect compliment to have.  The salmon was nice and soft and the salad believe or not was the perfect light dish to have.  The mixture of mangoes, peppers, tomatoes and olives on top of the salmon was extraordinary.  It was a nice blend of sweetness and sourness added to the fish which made the dish an excellent choice to have. 

Capri Pasta

Both pastas were nice to have.  Neither of them felt heavy as and had a tremendous taste to it however I personally would have chosen the seafood Capri pasta only because they use garlic and virgin oil as their sauce rather than a thick creamy sauce .  The extra cheese added really made it a very good pasta to have.  The Bosco Pasta was made with fettucine and mixture of mushrooms and rosemary while the Capri Pasta a linguini mixed with shrimp and clams. 

Bosco Pasta

The 10 ounce steak special looked more like it was closer to 15 ounces as it looked like one slab of meat slapped on top of another.  The request to medium rare was made to perfect and the meat was nice and tender on the inside.  There were also a few pieces of vegetables, carrots and potatoes to go with the steak.  It was great to have however with such appetizers to have, I could tell my friends were struggling to finish it however with great will, he was able to do it. 

The atmosphere was great and the staff did a very good job explaining everything to us.  Adding a Leafs game in the background really got all the patrons excited and united as well.  There was plenty of parking and after a long day of shopping at Vaughan Mills, it was certainly a great place to rest, watch television and spend some time with close friends.  Give it a go and let me know what you think.  Overall, I give it a 4.25 out of 5. 

Grazie Ristorante
9100 Jane Street
905 - 738 -9960