Far From Home
Violino Gastronomia Italia is spread out on two floors of an Edwardian-era home with dark wood banisters and ceiling beams and, yes, carpeted flooring. But despite the layout and touch of kitsch on the mantle, it feels nothing like grandma’s house.
Here, culinary maestros offer meticulously prepared and presented Italian dishes for lunch and dinner. Chef Dustin Shafer likes to keep the menus changing, but regardless of the season, almost everything is house-made, including the involtini San Marco ($14), a meat roll of beef tenderloin scaloppini rolled in – and infused with – scallop mousse. After it’s baked, the mousse becomes a skin on a buttery, tart filling.
Schafer shows equal fastidiousness with a cup of soup ($8), which, at the time, was a Campagnola balancing the varied flavours of potato, leek, smoked cheddar and maple-smoked bacon. Violino’s signature entrees display his creativity further. The tender chicken cutlets in the pollo fior D’ Arancia ($23) are stuffed with fig compote and served on rivulets of orange-infused cream.
On the pasta menu, the tiger-striped agnolotti with lobster, scallops and shrimp ($28) packs a savoury blend of artichokes, goat cheese and spinach.
Clinch the dinner with a three-layer Dolce Vita chocolate cake finished with a cinnamon poached pear ($7). It’s nearly the size of the entree plate. (10133 125 St., 780-757-8701) –Omar Mouallem
Warm Welcomes
Strands of gold lights along the edges of this restored century home’s cream exterior give it an inviting glow. Inside, Bistro India serves dishes based on the cuisine of India’s four southern states. The southern dishes are spicier (and “rice-ier”) than northern Indian fare because of chilies specific to the region.
The server suggested I start with the tender, cinnamon-laced chettinadu lamb chop ($15.95) and the masala dosa ($10.95), a dense potato-filled rice-and-lentil crepe.
The dosa’s flavour changes according to which of the three side sauces it is dipped in last. For dinner, try the palak paneer ($13.95), a nod to Northern India. Creamed almost until it’s spreadable, the spiced spinach is a smooth, subtly spicy complement to the cubes of cheese curd.