Following the massive success of opening his restaurant Giulietta in the spring of 2018, chef Rob Rossi (who appeared on season one of Top Chef Canada) has once again partnered with David Minicucci to bring a taste of Northern Italian fare to Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.
Osteria Giulia opened on Oct. 2 at 134 Avenue Rd. Designed by Guido Costantino, Osteria’s interior is hyper minimalist, featuring natural wood and wicker dining chairs, pale hardwood floors, and a modern wood-panelled bar that’s stocked with spirits from around the world.
The Food
“Osteria Giulia is a Northern Italian coastal restaurant that’s very heavily focused on seafood, pastas, vegetables, and risotto,” Rossi says. “We wanted to keep the restaurant very simple, minimalist, and clean, and let the room speak for itself, with the food and the people being the accents. The inspiration for the food was to breathe new life into some classic Italian dishes, but still keep them very simple and honest,” Rossi says. The menu will also rotate different dishes, as ingredients come and go with the seasons.
“I think it’s very important that the menu does change, because much like Giulietta, we like to change the menu at least three to four times a year,” Rossi continued. “Cooking Italian is all about using local ingredients, so we try to do that as much as possible here to create great Italian dishes.”
The anchovy and whipped butter toast is topped with roasted garlic and crispy capers.
The trofie pasta is done with a basil pesto and served with lots of pine nuts and pecorino cheese.
The chicory salad is light and refreshing, but retains a bitter bite, and comes stacked in layers,highlighting ricotta salata, heirloom chicories, lemon vinaigrette, and pistachios.
The grilled calamari brings some heat thanks to a sauce that blends chilli garlic, white wine, parsley, oregano, lemon, and capers.
The Drinks
Over at the bar, which seats eight, bartender Iain Codona has created a cocktail program that aims to highlight the same fresh approach Rossi has taken with the food menu. “It’s definitely in keeping with Rob’s philosophy of taking good ingredients and treating them with respect and preparing them simply with the guest in mind,” Codona said. “There’s a lot going on in our cocktail program, but they’re all plays on classics,” Rossi added. “My favourite is actually the Marsala Cobbler; it’s fresh and classic, with beautiful flavours.”
The Marsala Cobbler ($19), which is a riff on the classic sherry cobbler, mixes Pimento Marsala wine, lemon and almond, Angostura bitters, and Amontillado sherry, topped with a sprig of fresh mint.
The Messicano ($18), Osteria Giulia’s top-seller, is a tequila-based cocktail that blends white tequila, green Chartreuse, mint and basil cordial, a hint of lime juice, and served with refreshing sliced cucumber.
The Dopo L’Avoro ($17) is a dark pink aperitivo that’s a sour take on an Americano cocktail made from shaken egg whites, select bitters, and a mix of Vermouth red and whites, topped with a dried hibiscus flower.
Osteria Giulia also puts a twist on the classic negroni ($19). Still using a mix of London dry gin, sweet vermouth, and campari, Codona adds a branded stamp on a big piece of hand-cut ice, and sprays it with distilled orange oil for a flavour that brings an extra touch of citrus.
You can stop by Osteria Giulia Tuesday to Saturday from 5:30 to 10:30. Walk-ins are limited, so be sure to book a reservation in advance.