Another Meal Manufactured to Satisfaction

I've concluded that holidays or vacations are times to relax is a myth.  They're actually times to do something, see something and/or catch up on something.  This Christmas break, that meant mainly memorizing my lines for "Much Ado About Nothing", seeing some of my friends, family and relatives in Ontario and catching up on some sleep.  Of course, when seeing some friends and relatives, sometimes that also means dining out, at times trying new places.  Already since returning this week to Toronto, I've tried The Stockyards and Fresh, and I'll be trying a couple more places before I fly back home.  For dinner with a friend this evening, we decided to try Fabbrica.

Most Canadian foodies will recognize the name Mark McEwan.  Non-foodies may have also heard of and/or seen him on "The Heat" on Food Network Canada.  For those not familiar with this name, he's a Canadian celebrity chef calling Toronto home with several restaurants under his name including North 44 and ONE Restaurant.  When Shops at Don Mills opened in 2009, Chef McEwan decided to open his first and namesake grocery store.  Across Karl Fraser Rd. at the corner with Lawrence Ave. E. is his newest restaurant, Fabbrica (Italian for, amongst other things, factory or work).  Though having a contemporary decor, its intended presentation of Italian cuisine is meant to be more rustic in nature.

Selezione di Salume - a selection of four Italian cold cuts.

For starters my friend and I decided to share the Selezione di Salume with our server surprising us with the choice of four Italian cold cuts.  Unfortunately I couldn't remember the exact details, but I know the leftmost item was prosciutto (Berkshire?), the upper right was capicollo, and the lower right was Genoa salami.  Unfortunately I forget if the middle one was either finocchiona or cacciatorino, but in any case all four items were wonderful.  Except for one of the two prosciutti, all of the cold cuts apparently are produced locally from Ontario livestock.

Vitello - Veal chop with mushrooms, capers and marsala.

A peak at the mushrooms beneath the veal chop.

Side order of Tagliatelle - braised rabbit, squash and sage.

For my main course I ordered the chop version of Vitello with a side of the Tagliatelle.  Cooked to order (in my case, medium rare), the milk-fed veal chop was placed on a bed of sliced various mushrooms (which included cremini, shimeji and eryngyii/king oyster) and a marsala-based sauce.  I swear there must've been a hint of honey in it as well as I caught wisps of sweetness here and there.  As for the tagliatelle, it was tossed with bits of braised rabbit, chopped squash and sage.  Both dishes were quite enjoyable, and thankfully I ordered the pasta as a side order rather than a full order, though I know that in a traditional Italian dinner there are basically, for lack of better terms, two main courses: a primo, usually a starch-based dish like pasta or risotto, and a secondo, where meat is the focus.  At least I still had enough room in my stomach to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Crema di Ricotta - a layered dessert with ricotta and yogurt crema, brown sugar sponge, spiced crumble, quince puree and topped with a white chocolate vanilla biscotti.

For dessert, my friend and I decided to share again, and we went for the Crema di Ricotta.  Presented in multiple layers, the bottom layer was a quince puree, followed by a ricotta and yogurt crema, then some brown sugar sponge, then more crema, then topped with a spiced crumbled with a white chocolate vanilla biscotti resting on the top of the glass.  Though appearing dense, the dessert tasted and felt light, with an overall sweetness occasionally tinged with some citrus-like tartness.

The dining scene at the still fairly new Shops at Don Mills is made better with the presence of an establishment like Fabbrica.  I would also dare say that, with the planner in me coming into play, and noting that a lot of the places I've tried and blogged have been in downtown area, its presence in Don Mills is also possibly testament that even suburbanites would like to enjoy good food when dining out, and that Fabbrica is attempting to bring satisfaction to the suburbanites closer to their homes.


Name: Fabbrica
Address: 49 Karl Fraser Rd., Toronto, ON
Cuisine: Italian
Price Range: $15-$60
Accessible: Yes