Authentic Tapas in Toronto

[howdydoody]

Way back when there was a place on Carlton called El Cid that was a real spanish tapas joint. There was also a fantastic place beside the current location of Sotto Sotto that had very authentic Paella.

Where is the best tapas in Toronto at this moment?

[syoung]

I found Casa Barcelona to be the best in the GTA. Better than Embrujo Flamenco.

[wordsworth]

Their Tapas are really strange. They aren't even close to anything I got in Spain. They might be Catalonian, but their aren't Spanish.

[callitasicit]

Does anyone know a place where the paella is somewhat close to what you can have in Spain? Any comments would be appreciated.

[paul6519]

I would say right now the best place to have authentic Tapas are at Embrujo Flamenco Tapas Restaurant on the Danforth..Segovia restaurant would be another good restaurant for Spanish cuisine but lite on the Tapas selection.

[wordsworth]

I've never found anyplace in Toronto that serves tapa thet even vaguely resembles the taps that I got in Spain.

[Herb]

Where have you been locally? Maybe that's the problem.

[wordsworth]

I've been to every Spanish restaurant in Toronto. Every single one.

[estufarian]

Perhaps you could give your review of Cambalache then. Not my favourite (a tapas bar that doesn't serve sherry certainly doesn't qualify as 'authentic') - but the tapas certainly resemble those in Spain!

[wordsworth]

I have no modify my post. I ate at every Spanish place in Toronto when I came back from Spain in 2003. I'm not a fanatic, I gave up after that. In general, Spanish food is OK, but they cook very simply with almost no seasonings or spices or sauces, so there isn't a whole lot of flavor in most dishes. Spainards are the first people to tell you that food is not a big deal their like in France or Italty. Spanish food is fine, but its is not one of the things you go running around looking for.

I've never heard of Cambalache. It must hae opened after I came back.

[Edith S]

So, where did you go when you came back to Toronto in 2003?

[syoung]

And they are??? He's not asking whether Toronto tapas are on par with Spain but what is the best tapas in Toronto at the moment. Rather than just criticizing everything which isn't helpful, if you've been to "all of them" please name them (there ain't that many in the GTA) and rank them which would be helpful.

[thebutcher]

Torito in Kensington is my favourite right now.

[idnas]

I just tried Torito last week and it was great. The ceviche was my favorite. Others voted for the Serrano ham, served with some sort of stewed grapes that nicely contrasted the saltiness. The lamb loaf and spinach/chickpea dish were also tasty. Service was excellent, too. One of my pet peeves is an empty water glass, and our server was quick to refill multiple times. She also kept our sangria glasses topped up till we'd polished off the litre. We'll definitely be back.

[idnas]

I went back to Torito tonight with some friends. We'd already had dinner so we just had dessert. (We were too full for dessert last time.) I had the chocolate flan and it was very good. But the star was the almond cake, which was a fairly dense, cookie-like base smothered in fresh strawberries and a dollop of sour cream. Really, really good. It was everyone's favorite and the table next to us ordered one after watching us devour ours.