Keeping menu options open
There’s nothing so reassuring as the sweet symphony of a restaurant in full fervour.
At Ferro, pots and pans are a- pounding, an espresso machine is slurping, and lunchers are lingering over postcard desserts.
It’s all about the healthy din of industry at Ferro, where a legion of lunchers mulch through a massive selection of Mediterranean fare. Even so, finding a quality seat among the 120 or so at the St. Clair Ave. W. establishment shouldn’t be an issue.
Dithering over the expansive lunch menu, on the other hand, can really eat into your lunch hour.
Will it be the Magic Mushrooms ($ 6.95), a carpeting of portobello and oyster mushrooms on crunchy crostini swabbed in a roasted garlic cream sauce? Or the stewed mussels in white wine and butter tomato sauce, known as Cozze ($ 9.95)? Even risotto comes in three varieties: Funghi ($ 13.95), the seafood-slanted Pescatore ($17.95) or the smoked chicken charge of Zucca ($ 15.95).
Don’t even go to the pizza regions of the menu if your boss is expecting you back anytime soon. With 22 options, it’s enough to give a hungry visitor culinary vertigo. As far as panini goes, the Giardiniere ($9.25)is disarmingly different. The bread isn’t crushed or grilled into a shell. Instead, roasted red peppers, eggplant, artichokes and mushrooms poke out from a couple of ridiculously fresh slices of bread. The bread, however, is no match for its ingredients, allowing fingers to pass right through it. A clean finish takes some work, but a tasty lining of goat cheese and olive paste goads you on.
Along the way, the server’s water- filling mania is much appreciated. On a lighter note, the Salmone ($14.95) will make it easier on you when it comes time to stand up. The Atlantic salmon is grilled to a perfect pitch and pink on the inside. Even bolstered by baked goat cheese, pine nuts and mushrooms, the salmon is light enough to hover over a bed of greens. No matter what path you take, there’s just no reasoning with the dessert menu. Caramel Vanilla Tartufo ($ 6)? Not today. Dulce de Leche Cheesecake ($6)? Maybe next time.
Chocolate Mousse ($ 6)? Damn you.
There’s nothing to be ashamed of about surrendering to this mousse. It arrives, pretty as a picture, surrounded by brush strokes of chocolate sauce. But make no mistake, you’re in over your head. This is one sweet slab of stomach filler. Bite by bite, you press on — knowing every ounce left behind is sacrilege. Make it to the end, at least with no help from your lunch partner, and you just may see Ferro from a fresh angle. The restaurant remains in perpetual motion. But you have come to a resounding halt.
769 St. Clair Ave. W. ( west of Bathurst), 416- 654- 9119. Hours: Monday to Saturday 11: 30 a. m. to 11 p. m., Sunday 5: 30 to 11 p. m. ( Hours may vary. Call ahead about late- night dining. Reservations only for parties of eight or more.) Final tab:
$ 33.65 for two, plus tip. Time: From walking in the door to walking out, 55 minutes. The ideal lunch partner:
Someone who always leaves room for dessert. Red flag:
The panini is a hands- on experience – and, at times, hands- in. Email: food@thestar.ca
FERRO BAR AND CAFÉ: