First Look: F’Amelia, a family-oriented northern Italian restaurant in Cabbagetown
By Evan Andrew Mackay
In-house salumi with preserves, pickles and crackers ($18, all images by Evan Andrew Mackay)
Since its opening on Sept. 9, Cabbagetown’s new F’Amelia has been full of eager diners. Owner John Dawson (formerly of Leslieville’s Table 17) and partner Todd Vestby have been getting lots of help from their growing staff to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, Dawson’s wife coined the name of this new, family-oriented, northern Italian restaurant on Amelia Street.
The concept: F’Amelia offers a tradition different from what is commonly found in Toronto’s Italian restaurants. “Not so much spaghetti and meatballs,” Dawson says. Executive chef Maurizio Verga, from Bergamo, northwest of Venice, Italy, says everything at F’Amelia is made fresh in-house. “We don’t even have a freezer,” he says, “except the little one for ice cream and things like that.” Verga studied culinary arts in Italy; he worked there and in London for several years before coming to Toronto, where he spent the last four years as sous chef at Splendido.
With the south-facing patio seating 32, a room for 24 that can be made private by closing its heavy oak doors, a main dining area filled with natural light (with windows opening onto the patio in warm weather) and the contrasting intimacy of the bar area, F’Amelia has 100 seats and four moods. Dawson describes the décor as “rustic, traditional Italian,” with some touches sourced from Stacaro on King Street. With simplicity and the environment in mind, there are no linens on the tables other than napkins.
The hood: Cabbagetown, southeast of Parliament and Wellesley.
The eats: Chef Verga explains how northern Italian cuisine differs from what is more commonly served in Toronto. He cooks with more olive oil than butter, and does more braising; frying is eschewed. The staple of the north is rice rather than pasta, so typical dishes here include risotto, polenta and gnocchi. Verga incorporates truffles, when in season, and cheeses from the Alps in his menu. Daily, there are eight house-made pastas and a choice of 10 pizzas cooked in the wood-burning oven that was imported from Italy. Verga points out that a few items on the menu are vegan, and others can be made so by excluding cheese. F’Amelia serves local produce when available, supporting Riverdale Farm, Marc’s Mushrooms, Vickie’s Veggies, and 100Km Foods.
Grilled calamari with an arugula, roasted peppers, fennel, tomato and olive salad ($16)
The owner’s favourite: Both Verga and Dawson named their favourite to be gnocchi (below), with porcini mushrooms, a white-wine reduction, house-cured pancetta and parsley (appetizer $16, main $21). Dawson says it sells out nightly.
Coming soon: The menu will be changing seasonally and as influenced by customer response. Lunch will be offered on weekends and will be served daily starting this Saturday. The website is up, but it’s still under construction. Dawson is looking at setting up a “tidbit store,” offering such ready-to-go items as F’Amelia sauces, panini sandwiches and vacuum-packed pizzas.
F’Amelia, 12 Amelia St., 416-323-0666
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Reader Comments:
We were there on the weekend, the food is outstanding and the atmosphere was fun. We will be back!