|
|
'east end eats out'
October 12 - 28, 2007
is presented by
 |
Restaurant Profile - Gio Rana's Really Really Nice Restaurant
 There are very few who can take a non-descript '50s bank building and turn it into an ironic masterpiece, but Gio Rana is one of them. Not only has he breathed new life into the otherwise bleak corner at Queen and Leslie streets, without breaking the bank, his sense of design-on-the-cheap always seems to work.
As a matter of fact, it is nice, really really nice. Rana's whimsical style is evident in his choice of bargain-store chandeliers, mismatched chairs and picture-less frames. But his past sense of the surreal is trumped by the latest in faux wall finishes: backing left behind after tearing away old wallpaper -- brilliant; the same cheap chic is achieved by the haphazard design left from the glue of ripped-up old linoleum.
Toronto Life Review
 Without a streetside sign, Gio’s feels like an exclusive hot spot—especially on a Saturday night, when diners clamour and cool music pumps from the former bank’s high ceilings. There’s good reason for the buzz: the small Italian dishes are captivating. Antipasti—spicy mixed olives or lithe beef carpaccio—are followed by bantam portions of starches. Of note: succulent lobster and saffron seafood risotto.
Three fingers of tender braised pork, beef and goat cheese are almost lonely on the plate but so scrumptious that not a morsel remains, while roasted duck leg, tender beneath its crisped skin, is a steal at $9.95. For sides, how to choose between roasted peppers with anchovies and pine nuts and a slaw of shredded raw brussels sprouts charged with pancetta and nubbins of asiago? Italian, Australian and Californian wines dominate the list. Superb service.
Gio Rana's Feature Menu Offerings:
|
|
View Larger Map
return to restaurant listings for 'east end eats out' October 12 - 28
|
