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Guru at the grill

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bamburger
bamburger

THE UPSCALE BURGER joint is nothing new. But besides a well-used concept, Bamburger — which opened mid-May — has much to brag of: a stylish room, a first-rate wait staff and a kitchen of grilling gurus.

Horizontal pine planks along walls, exposed brick and bunches of dried grasses on ledges contribute a down-to-earth feel to the long, thin room that ends at a semi-open kitchen at the back.

Salads serve two purposes: as appetizers and as main course alternatives to burgers. From Caesar to Cobb to Thai tango salad (with lettuces, vegetables, mango and crispy noodles in peanut dressing), there’s something for every palate.

Spinach salad ($8.95) rings in at more than most burgers, but after a few crunchy mouthfuls, the reason becomes clear. A cornucopia of ingredients jostle for space in the shallow bowl, translating into a different taste with each bite.

But why digress on first courses when we’re all here for the burgers? Six variations to choose from: Bamburger, veggie, turkey, pork, chicken breast and bambamburger. Crisp lettuce and tomato plus thin rings of raw purple onion top the patties sandwiched by fresh, moist white or whole wheat buns.


“CHEQUE PLEASE”
BAMBURGER
2112 Yonge St.
416-487-2420
Dinner for two excluding tax,
tip and alcohol:
$30

 

Patrons customize creations by adding extra toppings from four categories (25 in all). Classic toppings such as pickles and hot banana peppers plus international flavours such as tzatziki and sauerkraut compete for attention with gourmet fixings like cranberry-apple sauce.

Expert charbroiling makes magnificent a one-third pound beef Bamburger ($7.95). This is a meaty beast, unspoiled by filler ingredients with less flavour. Two strips of maple bacon contribute sweet and salt, and buttery sliced button mushrooms add earthiness. Cheddar cheese sauce is just so-so, congealing just minutes after arrival.

Pork burger ($7.95) brings an equally delectable patty of lean, ground pork, also charbroiled and therefore moist. The taste, as would be expected, is milder than the beef and pairs well with the likes of provolone and sautéd onions.

Would you like fries with that? Absolutely! Or round out your burger with great (albeit storebought) grease-free onion rings, thin-cut sweet potato fries (perfectly prepared but a small portion), greens or Caesar salad for an extra buck.

We’ve heard rave reviews about Bamana pudding ($2.95), and yet we are still impressed: a deep bowl of cream-heavy custard suspending sweet sautéd banana slices over soft wafer. A phhhhhst of homemade whipped cream tops the retro, comfort food treat.

The service is bang on. Our waitress appeared when needed. Her comments about the menu enhanced our enjoyment, her easy friendliness felt genuine.

Ratings are on a scale of one to five stars

Lining up for grill heaven

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copacabana
copacabana

NOT MUCH HAS changed in decor or format since this address’s last venture as Piatti, an all-you-can-eat Italian spot. CopaCabana’s visual elements remain funky, comfortable and airy, and an identical ordering system using table cards lets the hungry control when and how much they want to eat.

The differences lie in the details and in the execution of service —and of course in trading Italian classics for grilled Brazilian meats.

High ceilings, marble detailing, open bar with eyecatching teal blue backsplash, stunning chestnut-coloured hardwood floors with inlay, mirrors, white padded leather wall panels and relaxing chairs pulled up to wooden tables give the room a modern feel.

A continuous stream of passadores dressed in black carry sharp knives and various spits of sizzling meats from the kitchen (a dining style known as churrascaria de rodizio) offering slabs and slices to every table displaying their Fire It Up! card.

This unlimited approach contrasts with our regular server who, although friendly, is hardly ever available. Meats are CopaCabana’s forte (mostly imported from the U.S.), and if you’re a hard-core carnivore, this place might be for you. As many as 19 different cuts are available for weekend dinner.

Best of the bunch tasted is buttermilk top sirloin, savoury and impossibly tender and just plain wonderful. Other top-notch slabs sampled include boneless beef ribs, picanha Brasil and soysalty rib-eye.

Organic chicken thigh and boneless leg of lamb both disappoint, the first being dry and hard around the edges, the second torched to well past medium. Although we never had the opportunity to sample the likes of turkey wrapped in bacon and suckling pig, among others, our experience hints that the kitchen does best with red meats. Bowls and plates of cold salads, charcuterie and grilled vegetables, such as eggplant, line the all-you-can-eat harvest table.

 

“CHEQUE PLEASE”
COPACABANA
150 Eglinton Ave. E.
416-916-2099
Dinner for two excluding tax,
tip and alcohol:
$75

Dapplers dip into such salads as beet, carrot, cucumber, tomato-onion-feta, tuna and cold pasta.

Potato salad brags of blemish-free bite-sized morsels with skins on, but the starchy mound gets mushy in its deep pool of oily butter. Better is whole mushroom salad with marinated buttons cooked to a T.

Next in line: three pastas posing in pans over hot plates overflow with colourful bow-tie noodles in tomato sauce, fettuccini in cream sauce and tricolour rotini in pesto with green peppers.

Flavours are straightforward and simple and toothsome, but too much inactivity in open air has rendered them cool and sticky.

Interesting breads wrapped under cloth napkins strive to stay fresh. Bowls of salsa cruda, olives and pickles; hot plates of rice and dark refried beans; plus condiments, such as horseradish and Parmesan, round out the offering. 

Ratings are on a scale of one to five stars

A place for friends and food

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vero
vero

ON DAY THREE of its existence, Vero Trattoria on Bayview Avenue is packed by 6:30, and people are still lining up at 9:30 on a Wednesday evening. Even more peek in and keep walking, deterred by the lineup. This in a location that has put the final nail in many a restaurant’s coffin. Why?

Much of the credit must go to owner Joe Bonavota, the directing hand at Bar Italia on College Street. I arrive cranky having been assured that reservations are unnecessary, only to be greeted by a lineup.

However, before I can start whining, a hot piece of aromatic bruschetta is in my mouth. Somehow, throughout the next three hours, Joe manages to keep the line moving, tables turning, and everyone is happy. Even though Vero has just opened, the staff is slick and experienced, and nothing is overlooked.

The room is sleek and simple but punctuated by glittering chandeliers.

Vero is promoted as a home of regional Italian cooking, but other than grilled sardines and stuffed figs, there is little that is novel here. The promised bronzini is, tonight, swordfish. Other than veal dishes and one or two specials, it is all about antipasti, pizza and pasta — fine by me.

As we are choosing, we nosh on warm rosemary focaccia with an artichoke-parmesan spread.

Sarde alla griglia ($9) offers up two grilled sardines, stuffed with fresh herbs, swimming in a sea of lemon. The first mouthful packs a wallop, but by the last bite, I regret having shared it.

Melanzane alla parmigiana ($10) is that old favourite eggplant parmigiana, but oh what a difference a few decades makes. Memories of brick-heavy concoctions fade as we lose ourselves in layers of lightly panfried eggplant topped with a zesty tomato sauce and graced by a blend of grated mozzarella and grano padano cheeses.

 
 

“CHEQUE PLEASE”
VERO TRATTORIA
1580 Bayview Ave.
416-322-8376
Dinner for two excluding tax,
tip and alcohol:
$70

Since my pal is doing the pasta thing, and the pizzas at the neighbouring table would feed a small family, I opt for vitello saltimbocca ($22): veal, prosciutto and sage in veal jus served with gnocchi and vegetables. As soon as the plate is set before me, I remember why I rarely eat scallopini — the paper-thin semi-porous meat is devoid of any taste and entirely dependent upon the sauce that blankets it. Here, the jus just isn’t muscular enough, and the result is bland. On the other hand, those gnocchi are ethereal and a mere half dozen is a tease.

Pappardelle all Bolognese ($15) sees flat egg noodles in a meat ragu. The sauce is plentiful with lean meat and tomatoes but could use a bolder hand with spicing. The wine list offers a treat. Rarely do I find Amarone by the glass, and even though this one is a bit rough, it is rich and luscious on my tongue. A plentiful list of wallet-friendly Italian labels is well-suited to this menu.

The last half hour of dinner highlights what is special about Vero. We begin chatting with Chris and Chris at the next table who insist that we share their second bottle of Chianti. Is this really Toronto?

Only two desserts on offer: tiramisù and praline semifreddo, both at $7. The former is overdone but the latter offers some novelty. Essentially it’s a frozen mousse that is custard based; shortcuts are often taken by using gelato as a base. Tonight, the concoction, layered with praline and topped by meringue, is the perfect foil for the strong tastes of the first two courses.

Vero is the kind of eatery that we all hope will open on our block: casual with high energy, good food with gentle prices, and the kind of place where Chris and Chris will offer you some wine.

Ratings are on a scale of one to five stars

How sweet it is

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countershoomshoom
countershoomshoom

HIGH RESTAURANT TURNOVER may have plagued this address in the past, but Shoom Shoom’s extraordinary service and a bangfor- your-buck modern Middle Eastern menu make this venture viable. The lineup that starts from just inside the door and overflows into the mall’s hallway is a case in point. A very calm and collected hostess juggles the masses. Sunshine permeates the wall of windows along one side, echoed by the brightly lit open kitchen across the room. The decorative theme is neutral — walls, tables, chairs and fabrics a mishmash of light browns, taupes and creams.

Shoom Shoom is the brainchild of the same folks who brought us popular Mashu Mashu in Forest Hill Village. The word shoom translates from Hebrew as “garlic.” And after scanning the lists of homemade soups, hummus, combo plates, hot appetizers, salads and fish and meaty mains, it’s clear that the clove reigns supreme.

Those with a hankering for a taste of this and that should choose four cold items from a list of nine in the combo platter appetizer ($13.99). Soaring above the others is matbouh: slowcooked tomatoes, almost preservelike, with diced green peppers, paprika and garlic. Fantabulous.

Hummus comes in a close second. Dense with tahini and olivey with oil, it’s also seasoned with paprika. Whole wheat and white pitas get put to good use. Tabbouleh has lots to offer in the flavour department: parsley, bulgar, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, coriander and mint. Sadly, too much parsley renders the assembly dry and unscoopable.

An assortment of perfect-forplucking pickled vegetables tides over heavyweight hungers. Garlic shrimp ($7.99) sizzles in its own frying pan on a wooden hot plate. Just five of these beauties swim in the hot tub of real lemon juice, olive oil, butter and garlic, but they’re fresh and delicious.

Nine salads cover such ground as arugula mushroom; Caesar; Greek; fig and walnut; and Middle Eastern with tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers, parsley, red onion in olive oil and lemon juice. A balsamic vinaigrette bulky with basil dresses Shoom Shoom salad, with mixed greens, popping cherry tomatoes, soft pine nuts, excellent roasted red peppers and crumbled, not-tootart goat cheese.
 


“CHEQUE PLEASE”
SHOOM SHOOM
7355 Bayview Ave.
905-731-8200
Dinner for two excluding tax,
tip and alcohol:
$65

The house salad also deserves bragging rights for its fresh mixed greens, romaine, crunchy cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots. A perfect amount of house vinaigrette brings it all together.

Two strapping beef tenderloin shish kebabs ($17.99) are as tender as can be, grilled at high heat to sear in juices. Slivers of raw purple onion and chopped parsley garnish the pair, giving the plate crunch and colour. A slightly ridiculous portion of immaculately cooked white rice fills the rest of the rectangular plate, sprinkled with roasted almond slivers and red sumac spice (fruity, astringent and similar to lemon).

Purple onion slivers also dress up sectioned rack of lamb ($24.99). Each of the five parsleypeppered pieces is tender, prepared rare (as requested) and flavourful. A generous mound of sweet potato fries crave heavier seasoning, but they’re well timed and joyously oil-free.

Our friendly waiter pulled out all the stops, making thoughtful recommendations for wines and courses, taking into consideration plates already selected. A great meal, our only criticism would be that, after asking to take home leftovers, we were brought empty containers and a plastic bag, leaving us to scrape our own plates.

Ratings are on a scale of one to five stars

Nacho, nacho man

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NYCU 200906 TravisSniderWinner
NYCU 200906 TravisSniderWinner

1ST PLACE
COVERS ALL THE BASES

CAM’S PLACE, 2655 Yonge St., 416-488-3976
“I’m a big meat and cheese guy,” explains Snider, after devouring a gooey chipful. So this concoction from Cam’s Place, with its ample portions of succulent beef and shredded Monterey Jack, is easily Snider’s top pick. He finds the lip-licking, garlicky flavour “good…mmm…really good”; the peppers spicy, but not fiery; and the chips light and crisp. The colourful presentation impresses, too: “Nice garnishing,” he says. In all, a sure bet for a post-game snack. Price: $11
 

FIRST RUNNER-UP

Rose & Crown, 2335 Yonge St.
“I’m a pretty messy eater, so I try to keep my hands clean if I can,” says Snider. “Otherwise it’ll end up on my shirt.” This tidy plate’s jalapenos, toasted chips and fresh veggies are a big hit. Price: $9.95
 

BLUE CHIP CONTENDER

Madison Avenue Pub, 14 Madison Ave.
The coloured chips are a new and welcome addition; the fresh, lively salsa earns high marks; and jalapenos are a plus, but overall the dish is just average. Olives aren’t his fave, either. Price: $12.99
 

MUSHROOM MISHAP

Bishop and the Belcher, 175 Bloor St. E.
Beef and chicken — don’t they clash? “Meats don’t clash,” states Snider. Still, double protein and A-plus cheesiness can’t make up for the presence of mushrooms (not a fan). Price: $10.95
 

POST PICKS — 905’S BEST SOLID CONTACT

Britannia Pub & Grill, 7359 Yonge St.
You’ve heard of a chilli dog, right? These nachos are along the same lines. Along with fresh tomato, onions, jalapenos and cheese, the plate also comes with a sizable dollop of chilli. Price: $9.25
 

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