Tutto is exquisite across the board
New Yaletown Italian restaurant puts its own stamp on rich and authentic fare
Eat. Drink. Visit.
The word order pitching Tutto on its website seems a bit backwards when you think about it. But nothing else about Yaletown’s latest dining experience is anything but spot on.
Housed in a stand-alone, four story heritage red brick building built in 1910 at the corner of Homer and Smithe, the 6,000-square-foot space is owned by Pinnacle International developer Michael DeCotiis. Previously vacant, the space has undergone full renovations over the past year, the result being a multi-tiered area with a large 18-seat oval bar, VIP dining rooms, big cosy booths and an open kitchen.
Kitty corner from the Homer St. Cafe & Bar and The Social Corner, the location is well situated, close to the downtown action without being right in the thick of it.
General manager Andrea Vescovi (ex-Ancora) says that the stand-alone location also reflects what he sees as a stand-alone menu that defines
Tutto as “anything but another pizza and pasta joint.”
“We want to explore all of the other regions of Italy that do amazing fare — Venice, Lazio, Sicily — and bring those excellent recipes, that may have been all but forgotten in Vancouver restaurants, back to the table,” said Vescovi. “We wanted to have classics such as veal piccata or a carpaccio on the menu, because when was the last time you saw that on a menu anywhere? Adam and John have worked in Italian restaurants all their lives and they are the perfect team to realize our vision.”
Head chef Adam Shaughnessy (Umberto Menghi’s restaurants) and Chef de Cuisine John Wells (Quattro) have tailored a culinary tour that ranges from Roman style pizza (from $19) and Piedmontese style vitello tonato — thin sliced roasted veal, albacore tuna aioli, capers, radish and crostini, $18 — to a Tuscan style monster Tomahawk steak ($155) weighing in at 38oz from Alberta’s Double Bar Ranch. The concept is all about traditional plate sharing around a
table. Portions are designed with the idea to either stuff one or satisfy a group.
The restaurant’s stated goal on publicity materials is “provare un po’di Tutto (try a little of everything).”
“That was the concept from the beginning and all the guys I hired have been working in Italian restaurants for over 20 years, so they know what they are doing,” said Shaughnessy. “What we’re doing here is all from scratch, all sourced locally whenever possible but still with that kind of Mom and Pop feel, just on a very high level.”
Entering the cavernous space, the first thing you notice is all of the wine cabinets used to define and separate spaces as well as remind you that Tutto is about pleasing your palate in all ways. B.C. Restaurant Hall of Fame member Patrick Corsi, head of operations, met diners with a classic Aperol spritz and was quick to request any and all feedback about the food and drink pairings at dinner. The Casale Del Giglio 2016 Cesanese rosso from Lazio paired with our meat selection still makes me smile.
Actually, everything about the menu sampling soft opening meal puts me in a happy mood. Shaughnessy is rightfully proud of what his staff has brought to the kitchen and what comes to your table.
Of the two pizzas tried, the funghi e tartufo (roasted wild mushroom, truffle, tellagio, $24) was a perfect way to begin. The classic Margherita (san marzano tomatoes, fior di latte and basil) was fine too, but what can beat out multiple mushroom marvels on a pie? With a finer, crispier dough than the classic Neapolitan style favoured by most pizzerias in town, the pizzas are pretty fine appetizers.
But it would be so wrong to miss out on the Antipasiti (starters). Hands down, the calamaro (grilled Humbolt squid, spicy puttanesca, pea shoots, olive tapenade, $16) is one of the finest examples of its kind in the city. Shaughnessy says his dish is a signature he developed a while ago, specifically to showcase the tenderness, depth of flavour and delight that is squid.
The carpaccio di manzo (AAA beef tenderloin, horseradish aioli, capers, arugula and Parmesan shavings, $19.50) came close to besting the calamaro, which is all the more reason to recommend sharing around a selection of starters in your dinner bubble.
For a house made pasta dish, the table was served casarece con salsiccia (pork and fennel sausage ragout, cream, veal jus, Parmesan, $26) which was downright decadent. Incredibly rich for something that looked so light, the short twisted Sicilian pasta was perfectly al dente and each bite boasted big new flavours. It was so good, I literally can’t recall much about the risotto all’Astice (lobster, side stripe prawns, crispy leeks, confit tomatoes) save that it was cooked perfectly.
The Parmesan crusted halibut (black risotto, rainbow chard, lemon tarragon butter, $35) was cooked perfectly. The only observation on the dish is that anyone who doesn’t like a forward tarragon flavour would probably want to avoid it. On the other hand, if you want a big hit of herb with your nutty black risotto and slightly bitter chard, this is right on.
But after sampling the bistecca rib-eye (smoked bone marrow sauce, crispy gnocchi, wild mushrooms, $45), I wanted to negotiate trades for other diner’s servings.
Dessert was a light tiramisu which went down rapidly with others at the table. Open now for dining, Vescovi said that a takeout program is being developed and — perhaps most important — a patio is scheduled to open in the fall.