74Big Ragu

Carmine Accogli wears his heart on his sleeve. Every diner who schleps to his funky little resto at Lansdowne and St. Clair receives his eternal gratitude. And good solid Italian cooking. Other mid-range Italian eateries offer a soft baguette and some oil, but not Carmine: He chops sun-dried tomatoes on warm foccaccia. The others in his price point open a few jars and call it house antipasto, but his antipasto plate is a hymn to exuberant plainspoken Italiana, a big plate brimful of nicely roasted and peeled red peppers, carefully chosen cheeses, classy black olives, complex salami, and decent bocconcini with a prosciutto wrapper. Carmine grills squid and drizzles it with reduced balsamic, he steams mussels with white wine, garlic and tomato. His pastas are robust and full of flavour. No fusion here.