Ama


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About the Restaurant

Sebastian Gallucci is no stranger to Torontoโ€™s dining scene โ€” itโ€™s in his blood. His father, Sam Gallucci, opened Torontoโ€™s first Argentinian restaurant, Martin Fierro, on College Street back in the 1970s. Heโ€™s blazed through the streets with his food truck, Che, and Ama is the continuation of his journey to bring โ€œlove and culture from Argentina to Toronto.โ€

โ€œIn Toronto, they donโ€™t really want you to succeed as a food truck,โ€ says Gallucci. โ€œI used to wake up at 6 a.m. every morning just to find a good spot but now I go shopping every morning to get the dayโ€™s ingredients,โ€ he adds.


(IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)

 

Before you mourn the loss of Gallucciโ€™s signature items, the Chori-Pan ($13), a chorizo sandwich topped with chimichurri has found a permanent spot on the menu and is a nod to his Che days.

His signature guacamole (which was crowned best guacamole at 86โ€™d Mondays at the Drake) makes an appearance in his Mar de Plata ceviche ($17), featuring a daily seafood selection, such as rainbow trout atop a corn tostada with cucumber, strawberries and pineapple. And yes, there are empanadas (2 for $10, or 2 for $9 for the vegetarian option).


(IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)

 

For shareable plates, one cannot miss the carne. While in most Spanish-speaking countries carne refers to meat, in Argentina it is synonymous with beef. The 7-ounce entraรฑa ($32, a cut of skirt steak unique to Argentina and flown in via Air Canada) is served with a daily selection of sides such as roasted potatoes, a trio of beets, crispy purple kale and arugula salad.

โ€œIt tastes like butter and is naturally raised,โ€ says Gallucci about Argentine beef. Those who want to splurge can opt for a 10-ounce ribeye for $48 with the same seasonal sides.


(IMAGE: YVONNE TSUI)

 

While there is a short list of Italian wines and beers by the bottle, there is no cocktail list. The barโ€™s creations feed on Gallucciโ€™s style of โ€œchanging things up every dayโ€ and his creations are โ€œpersonalizedโ€ for every customer. Most cocktails ring in at $14 a pop; just pick your poison. If itโ€™s bourbon, you may end up with a Boulevardier-inspired concoction of muddle grapefruit, homemade beet syrup, Campari and Aperol.

Ama is the Spanish word for love and refers to Gallucciโ€™s love of food and his business partner (and best friend of 25 years), Mike Mizziโ€™s love of music. The inspiration for their Queen West spot came when the pair vacationed at Mar del Plata together and chanced upon a space that inspired them with its rustic, warm ambiance and great tunes. There is a DJ (sometimes Mizzi) who spins tunes every night. โ€œWe want to change the way people experience food, drink and music in Toronto. Weโ€™re about creating beautiful food with a great vibe,โ€ says Gallucci.

Together with the help of friends and family, Gallucci and Mizzi renovated the space themselves. The furniture and bar will look familiar, inherited from its predecessor Cadillac Jenkins (the short-lived Caribbean snack bar), but the walls have been given a coat of deep, dark, red paint that makes the room feel like an asada joint and every table gets a love lock which one can affix to the wall at the front of the restaurant. Thereโ€™s also a wooden piano that doubles as a DJ booth as well as accents of candles and birch branches throughout.

For dessert, they serve soft alfanjores cookies made with gooey dulce de leche, a caramel that is said to be to Argentinians what jam is to North Americans.

Published on: Sep 18, 2017