The piccolo piano room is a fun concept in the basement meant for family and kids, with a designated small play room with costumes and chalkboard walls. It was quite loud but otherwise an interesting experience. I don't have kids but I went in July for the prix fixe menu.

Marinated Mackerel - Chips, Banana Pepper, Chimichurri

I made a random visit to Bar Buca back in November for a late afternoon brunch (Saturday & Sunday until 4pm). I fell in love immediately - I just love the small space; simple yet cozy, great vibe, high wood tables, and small sharing plates is my favorite type of dining style.  It quickly became one of my favorite spots in the city. 

I shared the Uova Rossa - duck egg yolks, bay scallops, pine nuts, scallions, crisp proscuitto and Italian pancakes (Crispelle)  - crispy pancakes with cream, pistachio, maple syrup, chocolate, candied orange. Love how every dish is so complex and unique; delicate layers of different, distinct flavors and ingredients that work together.

This gem is perfect for dates and for any time of day! The dinner menu is great as well and I can't wait to go back.

Straight-Up Meatball - baseball-sized meatball, nicely seasoned and densely packed, topped with cheese and foccacia at the bottom

Burrata - very strong smell and taste from the cheese itself and truffle cream. Couldn't taste the honey. Crostini very hard & crunchy.

Charity bread - soaked in garlic, yum

Butternut squash ravioli - fully stuffed with squash and cheese, al dente pasta, but wayyy too heavy for my liking with the rich cream sauce.

The croquette was nice and hot, soft, fluffy creamy potato inside with a crisp coating. Could not taste proscuitto though. Good with the pesto sauce.





As per recommendations on Foursquare, I opted for this white pizza. It is a fairly light pizza. Crust is super thin, which I like, but it wasn't served hot enough. Cheese was a bit hard and not melt-y (maybe that's due to the type of cheese) and it could use more walnuts, honey and pear to make the flavors stand out more. My favorite part was the proscuitto - flavorful but not overly salty. 


Inticed by the homemade sausage, this was not what I expected - crumbled finely like minced pork and was not spicy. I like the homemade pasta itself - not too thick or thin and cooked to al dente in a light tomato oil-based sauce. 


This was great, highlight of the night. Not too hard, not too soft - just perfect in between texture with hint of egg and caramel sweetness, topped with a sweet coffee-caramel sauce. We also ordered tiramisu but I liked this more.

Environment: A very large yet cozy, dim-light space. Pretty busy after 6pm.  Italian is usually hit-or-miss for me, but I think this one was an okay choice. 

Overall, with a glass of wine, $100 for three people. Best was potato croquette and creme caramel.

Funghi Salad w arugula, sauteed mushrooms, x-v oil, balsamic, parmagiano

Good salad with strong flavors in all the ingredients - perfect 'cause I love arugula and mushrooms. The mushrooms were a bit salty but flavorful with the balsamic.

tomato sauce, mushrooms, red pepper, onion, garlic, oregano

Compared to the salad, this pizza was a bit plain - can taste the fresh vegetables and the sweetness of the red pepper, but no garlic or oregano flavor. The crust was thin and soft.

I hope I can come back and try the tiramisu if we have another group lunch.

Entree: Mushroom and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza with Arugula and Truffle Oil

The thin crust was really good - soft inside, crisp around the edges. I liked the combination of sea salt, cheese and truffle oil -  very flavorful and fragrant - but may be overwhelming after a while. Quite a large portion.

Dessert: Maple Whiskey Bourbon Panna Cotta

The whiskey/bourbon flavor was definitely present, but I expected the texture to be more smooth and creamy. As much as I like dark chocolate, the shell was a bit too much for me. I didn't eat the caramel sauce either.

Dessert: Sorbet (Raspberry, Mango, Lime)

Fresh and light to end the meal. Sour and tangy raspberry, sweet mango.

Caprese Salad - tried a bit and I don't really like bocconcini cheese, not much flavour. 
 Pizza #5 with proscuitto, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes
- Crust is super thin
- Quite oily and I felt the cheese overpowered the other ingredients; couldn't taste the mushrooms (actually I prefer Dr. Oetker mushroom pizza...)
- Didn't like the big sundried tomatoes - chewy and salty on its own and the flavor didn't seep into the pizza. I like the thin, small slice ones more and thought that's what would be on the pizza.

 Penne A La Vodka with Pancetta and Leeks in Tomato Vodka Cream Sauce
- first time trying and I like that it was served piping hot
- However, couldn't taste the vodka in the sauce and after a while it was too salty for my taste (maybe from the pancetta)
 
Tiramisu
- Decent, I liked the cream
- sponge could've been soaked in more liquor for overall stronger flavor

The menu on the website seemed it had a lot of variety and we'd expected something along the lines of Alice Fazooli's, but it was located in a strip plaza across from Vaughan Mills, much more casual with regular tables (no booths) and really loud - louder than a Chinese restaurant. We had to wait just over an hour for a table - I think it's quite popular amongst the local Italian community. Although the bread was served cold, I did enjoy it with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Total bill came to $110 for 4 pastas, 1 pizza, 1 app, 1 tiramisu and 1 wine - relatively inexpensive for 5 people for Italian food, but I guess that's where the premium would come in for better taste and environment.

Nothing has really wowed me in a long time or maybe I just prefer Asian cuisine at local restaurants...

Most of the French restaurants in Yorkville are closed Sunday, so my family decided to give Ciao Wine Bar a try. The restaurant is huge with two large main floors; main level was further split into ground level with a few banquettes and small tables, with more seating on the upper level. The atmosphere was open and urban with wood tables and ample natural lighting during lunch hour.