Eataly Toronto announced recently that Trattoria Milano, the authentic Italian marketplace’s newest dining destination, would once again open its doors on November 10, 2021.
VineRoutes staff were among a select handful of writers and critics invited to attend a recent preview dinner experience to taste Trattoria Milano’s signature dishes and how they pair with some of the traditional wines and spirits on their beverage menu.
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Inspired by Milan’s iconic culture, design and cuisine, the intimate restaurant on Eataly Toronto’s second floor offers dinner service from Wednesday through Sunday from 12-9 p.m. and extended hours from Friday to Sunday closing at 10 p.m.
Trattoria Milano captures Milan’s unique dichotomy, an avant-garde city recognized as a leading design, fashion and art capital, surrounded by a countryside which has heavily influenced its simple, rustic and rich cuisine.
“At Trattoria Milano, we’ve brought a little piece of Milano to the heart of Toronto,” says Nico Dagnino, Eataly Toronto’s Managing Director. “From the classic dishes we’re serving to the drinks we’re pouring to the art adorning the walls, every small moment gives guests an authentic taste of the iconic Italian city. With all of its traditional offerings, Trattoria Milano invites you to eat, drink and be Milanese.”
Eat like a Milanese
With rich, hearty dishes characteristic of Northern Italy, Milanese cuisine focuses on ingredients sourced from the land and produced in the various regions of the area. Executed by Trattoria Milano’s Chef de Cuisine, Luca Lussoso, the restaurant’s menu features traditional dishes that have made Milano a world-class culinary destination. Prepared using high-quality local and authentic Italian ingredients, highlights include:
- L’Ossobuco (better known in Milan as “Osbus”) served for four on a bed of vibrant saffron risotto, and finished with gremolata.
- Cotoletta alla Milanese, a traditional Milanese dish that dates back to 1134 that is made with a thinly pounded, bone-in veal chop that is breaded and fried.
- Risotto allo Zafferano, made with saffron, a bone marrow broth, and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP.
Risotto alla Milanese traditionally compliments Ossobuco. The creamy risotto is prepared with bone marrow broth and its colour is derived from saffron.
Cotoletta is a traditional Milanese dish consisting of bone-in, thin Veal, Trattoria Milano’s dish specifically milk-fed veal from Montpak Farms.
Drink like a Milanese
One word to describe the Trattoria Milano cocktail program: elegance. Inspired by Milan’s historic bars that became beloved meeting places for generations of artists and intellectuals, Trattoria Milano’s beverage program features a number of offerings that pay tribute to these iconic cultural spaces and features an array of cocktails highlighting ingredients from the Lombardy region. Most famous is perhaps the Negroni, the classic orange-hued beverage that is made with three simple ingredients on ice and has become symbolic of an authentic aperitivo experience.
Tableside cocktail service includes an amari cart, while the bar serves an array of cocktails including Sbagliato Rosa, Cocchi Rosa, and sparkling rosé. Trattoria Milano’s wine list offers guests one of the largest selections of Italian wines in Canada and, just like the food menu, has northern influence highlighting the Barolo, Barbaresco, Franciacorta, Valpolicella and Alto Adige regions.
For those looking for something by the glass, the restaurant offers rotating verticals of nebbiolo, starting with a single vineyard from a world-renowned female producer in Barolo.
Casoncelli, meaning little coffins, is a pasta filled with braised veal and seasoned with amaretti, golden raisins and vegetables.
Pasta may be Italy’s most famous first course, but rice (risotto) is equally key to Italian cuisine, especially in the northern region of Lombardia.
Be Milanese
Completing the experience, the restaurant’s light grey micro-suede walls have been carefully curated to feature pieces that are iconic of Milan’s emergence as a world capital of design. Prints from Enzo Mari’s Nature Series, including La Mela and La Pera, hang alongside his six Simboli Sinsemantici. Vintage pieces, including street maps and tourist brochures from 1970s Milan, as well as mid-century lighting, mirror the trattorias of Milan decades ago.
Eataly Toronto is located at Bay and Bloor Street in Toronto’s Manulife Centre and is now open. For more information visit www.eataly.ca.
