Torito Tapas Bar has long been a favourite restaurant for me to enjoy wonderful Spanish and South American influenced cuisine.
The owner, Veronica Laudes, is a charming and knowledgeable hostess. I considered the original chef, Carlos Hernandez (now on sabbatical), one of the best chefs in Toronto. His sous, Luis Valenzuela, has learned Carlos’ techniques well and has mastered his own.
To begin, we enjoyed the classical tapa of tortilla, a classical Spanish omelet, often served warm or at room temperature. This well rendered combination of thinly-sliced potatoes, onions and egg was slightly spicy and reminiscent of my recent trip to the Basque country of Spain.
A truly delicious, somewhat spicy, chestnut and chorizo soup followed. It incorporated the sweetness of finely diced carrots and a dash of olive oil — altogether a sensational complementary group of flavours and textures.
Pan fried sardines on a bed of beans, chopped radishes and fennel slaw was a follow up dish. 
Next, white sea bass seviche touched with lime was served with sliced red onion, roasted corn kernels and chopped cilantro. A delightful dish.
Our next tapa was roasted quail with a pomegranate glaze, topped with pomegranate seeds and served with a well matched squash puree.
Then, one of my favourites, Chilean tripe stew — perfectly tender tripe with chickpeas topped with shaved parmesan cheese. This was a true stick to one’s ribs dish.
Our next tapa, another favourite of mine, braised beef tongue and cheek came with an intensely beef rich stock reduction and fingerling potatoes. The tongue was meltingly tender and such a good texture pairing with the beef cheeks.
Our final tapa was grilled flat iron steak, served medium rare, topped with a fried egg. It was also covered in chimichurri sauce and accompanied by the restaurant’s own homemade potato chips. Dessert was up next. A Spanish influenced almond cake with local pears compote and a very special taste complement of perfect crème fraiche. The coarsely textured almond cake was well matched to the sweet pear puree compote.
I highly recommend Torito Tapas Bar for it’s food, conviviality, casual ambiance and, oh yes I forgot, also their very good sangria.
276 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2L9, (647) 436-5874
Dr. Josh Josephson is the owner of The Cookbook Store and Josephson Opticians. He is a chevalier of Les Chevalier du Tastevin and the Le Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of L’ordre Mondiale and a member and former president of the International Wine and Food Society, Toronto chapter.
