646937 Sun Aug 23 18:06:24 -0700 2009 21 23 Ontario (including Toronto) 0 4971052 After finding out the reason behind Torito's telephone disconnect was due to a change of number from 647 to 416 (961-7373 ) and not closing down. Our party of five headed downtown yesterday for a late night dinner. The place was packed and extremely noisy! We had a bottle of very interesting Spanish Muscat/Gerwurtz., white and the following entree dishes: - Piquillo peppers stuffed with salted cod and tapenade. - Pan fried sardines with Romano beans, fennel, mint parsley salad. - Merguez, crispy polenta and tomatoes. - Crab croquettes with parsley aioli - Roasted quail, pomegranate glaze squash - Braise beef tongue and cheek - Lamb loaf with currants and dried apricots in almond-saffron sauce - Chilean tripe stew - Roasted rack of lamb For dessert, we all went for the Flan de chocolate. Surprisingly and extremely rare, every one of the afore mentioned dishes was tasty and we did not have a single disappointment! Three 'consensus stand outs' were the Piquillo peppers , the tripe stew and the ever amazing tongue and cheek! This latter dish must have been on their menu 'forever'! We were not surprised because the aroma was simply mesmerizing, the meat folk tender and the sauce was so delicious, we have to order a plate of bread to mop it up. If ever they decide to remove it from their menu, it will surely be Toronto's loss! Finally, an honorary mention to the Chocolate flan. A 'chocolate creme caramel' , this dessert was damnnnnnn good!!! BTW, the original chef, Chef Carlos has left for Latin America. The kitchen is now run by the ex-sous, Chef Luis, who, IMO is doing a fine job, if not better than before! Sun Aug 23 18:06:25 -0700 2009 10810 Charles Yu 1 4971126 I LOVE those peppers. Mmmm... Haven't been in a while, but your post reminds me of how much I enjoy it. They also usually have a good cheese offering for dessert. Sun Aug 23 18:34:10 -0700 2009 4971052 203878 drjolt 1 4971483 Thanks for the review Charles. I have always loved the Tripe Stew and the Beef Tongue and Cheek dishes. And the chocolate flan has always been very good as well. Lovely to know that Chef Luis has done a great job in taking over the kitchen. I am definitely due for a visit-Torito has been a favorite of mine since moving to Toronto. I love the atmosphere, its great for a group. SWS Sun Aug 23 20:50:30 -0700 2009 4971052 50683 Splendid Wine Snob 1 4972937 Thanks for the review Charles. Sounds like a great place. Mon Aug 24 10:44:15 -0700 2009 4971052 201877 BokChoi 2 4973645 I was hoping to see some new dishes. I've been many times in the past and really enjoyed it every time but stopped going because, essentially, the menu never changes. Mon Aug 24 13:53:36 -0700 2009 4972937 118181 EarlyDrive 3 4974076 They do have two specials of the day every day. Mon Aug 24 16:09:57 -0700 2009 4973645 10810 Charles Yu 4 4974420 Sure -- but the remainder of the dishes have been the same for years now. It's the kind of place that we like to go with a few friends, so if you are getting 8 or 10 dishes for a small group (as you did), 6-8 of them are the same as the time before. Mon Aug 24 18:42:35 -0700 2009 4974076 118181 EarlyDrive 5 4974464 You definitely have a good point EarlyDrive. However, its comforting to me that they can consistently execute these dishes, and sometimes I don't feel like taking a gamble on someone trying too hard in the kitchen with failed results. Sometimes I do-and that's when you can really find out who's on top of their game in this city. But for those other nights, I know my dollars won't be wasted. The service has always been fantastic as well. SWS Mon Aug 24 18:58:02 -0700 2009 4974420 50683 Splendid Wine Snob 1 4974667 So glad you gave it a go Charles. I also went again last week, after you started the "number changing" thread - and once again, it was fantastic. I've been twice since Carlos left and I would say that the food has gotten even better with Chef Luis. He is energetic, passionate and has enthusiasm to try new things. That said, as others have noted, the main menu is more or less the same as it's always been (there have been a few changes, like the merguez dish), though the daily specials seem to be a bit more abundant. You missed a few of my favourites, Charles - the shrimp (OMG, I could happily immerse myself in the accompanying sauce), patatas bravas and the steak with egg and chips - put them on your list for next time. I also like the spinach with chick peas. Lovely service, fun energy, great food, warm hospitality and good value - for me, Torito nails it every time. Mon Aug 24 20:17:48 -0700 2009 4971052 10196 peppermint pate 2 4974825 Yes! I do agree with you that the shrimp and patatas bravas were very good, the last time we tried them. However, I found the flat iron steak a bit bland. BTW, there was a reason why we skipped the shrimp. After eaten live west coast spotted prawns from O 'Mei and 'wild' Texas/Gulf of Mexico shrimps from George not too long ago, our palette for prawns was kind of spoiled and discriminating?! Sorry!! Mon Aug 24 21:45:38 -0700 2009 4974667 10810 Charles Yu 3 4975381 Ha - I can hardly fault you for being "shrimped out" after those experiences. For some reason, I thought this was your first visit to Torito. Anyway, when you go back again, please try the steak - in my view, it is the dish that has been the most highly elevated in flavour and texture in the hands of the new chef. It was s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g last week. Tue Aug 25 06:54:55 -0700 2009 4974825 10196 peppermint pate 4 4977686 Recommendation from you?! Will definitely try it out!!!! Many Thanks! Tue Aug 25 17:33:12 -0700 2009 4975381 10810 Charles Yu 5 4979095 I'm searching for one of those little smiley faces with the flushed cheeks... Thanks Charles. I look forward to hearing back once you've tried it. Wed Aug 26 08:20:34 -0700 2009 4977686 10196 peppermint pate 1 4975973 I'm glad you mentioned Torito because I was just there last night and the food was amazing. We had: -serrano ham -bread, cheese and olives -fish ceviche - Piquillo peppers stuffed with salted cod and tapenade. - potatoes bravas with chorizo - Roasted quail, pomegranate glaze squash - Braised beef tongue and cheek -chickpea and spinach stew -almond cake -cheese plate We thoroughly enjoyed every last dish. Unfortunately they were out of the tripe stew but the silver lining in that is that we'll just have to come again soon to give it a try. Tue Aug 25 09:35:31 -0700 2009 4971052 79108 basileater 1 4980026 Thanks for your reminder review. It has been over six months since my last visit and now it has moved up my list - maybe even for this weekend! Wed Aug 26 12:16:15 -0700 2009 4971052 13707 JennaBean 1 5008106 We tried Torito out based on the enthusiasm in this thread and really enjoyed it. Bread,fresh cheese and fiesta Orange, radishes , toasted pepitas (this one was done a little differently due to ingredient shortage but it was still lovely) beets,black lentils,goat cheese and frisse salad w/ red wine vinaigrette Arugula , manchego cheese , roasted almonds salad w/quince vinaigrette Piquillo peppers stuffed w/ salted cod and tapanade sauce Andalusian spinach and chickpeas stew Shrimps al ajillo Chocolate flan One thing though---while no dish was tiny, no dish was significant in what was there--so when all is said and done, a bit on the pricey side. But well worth it. Sat Sep 05 17:59:27 -0700 2009 4971052 174519 Ediblethoughts 2 5009821 I meant to add: The patio in the back is wonderful! One of the prettiest ones I've been in; covered so whimsically with white overlapping sheets---it's like being on a boat. And the service was so friendly and gracious. Sun Sep 06 17:28:27 -0700 2009 5008106 174519 Ediblethoughts 1 5009837 Torito, address not listed in 17 entries: Sun Sep 06 17:34:41 -0700 2009 4971052 56131 jayt90 1 5014420 Charles, while I totally respect your opinions and have never been sorry trying one of your recommendations, I have to say, I found Torito to be no better than average. Maybe it was just bad luck - we went on the Friday before the Labour Day holiday - so maybe the chef wasn't there but the food was just ok. We had the chestnut and chorizo soup, potato tortilla, ceviche, quail w/pomegranate, piquillo peppers, tongue & cheek, smoked trout potato salad, grilled sardines, steak w/egg and chocolate flan. The majority of the food was good - not wow but good. The standouts for me were the tortilla, quail and steak. Still not rave-about-it delicious but solid. I was excited by the tongue and cheek and was terribly disappointed. There was very little flavour. The meat was tender but there was no sauce or spice or anything. It was like it was boiled and then served. Did they forget the sauce? Anyway, we had a decent time but the food was not what I expected from reading this thread. I have to say my experiences at Cava (though I haven't been there in a while) have been far superior. Though the churros I had from the stand at Latin Fest were far superior to the ones I had at Cava. Tue Sep 08 15:20:40 -0700 2009 4971052 262600 chefhound 2 5015064 Holy Cow!! Sounded you ate at a totally different restaurant!! The 'wow factor' of the tongue and cheek dish comes from their uber delicious and aromatic sauce!! My friend from California who just recently ate at a few Michelin star restaurants including FL was so impressed by it that she ordered an extra dish and bread just for the sauce alone! May be they indeed forgot the sauce?! Kind of strange though, considering that dish had been in their menu for years and was even praised by Chatto! Tue Sep 08 19:30:38 -0700 2009 5014420 10810 Charles Yu 3 5016963 It seems like they did forget the sauce. The dish I got had a piece of tongue and a piece of cheek. There were a few tiny carrot bits (brunoise) and a bit of liquid (seemed just like whatever was scooped up when the meat was removed from the pot) but no actual sauce. Too bad. I wish I had know and asked about the sauce. Wed Sep 09 13:01:48 -0700 2009 5015064 262600 chefhound 2 5015333 I also have experienced Torito's inconsistency... Tue Sep 08 21:26:23 -0700 2009 5014420 70173 JonasBrand