Introducing: Stelvio, a northern Italian trattoria on Queen West
Name: Stelvio
Neighbourhood: Queen West
Contact: 354 Queen St. W., 416-205-1001, stelviotoronto.ca
Previously: BQM Burger
Owner: Andrea Copreni (Hotel Sottovento, Italy)
Chef: Massimo Provenzano
The Food: Northern Italian cuisine from Valtellina, an Alps-adjacent valley in the country’s Lombardy region. The menu includes snacks like sciatt, a type of cheese-filled fritter; meat (especially bresaola) and cheese boards; largely gluten-free buckwheat pasta dishes (with very long, Italian names); and polenta. For lunch, there’s a selection of panini.
The Drinks: A few bottled beers (Früli, Erdinger, Stiegl), grappa by the ounce, and, of course, Italian wine. Right now, Copreni is waiting to get approval from the LCBO to import and serve wine from Valtellina vintner Rivetti & Lauro. “There are many rules,” he says. “We want only to drink our wine.”
The Space: Monochromatic and decorated with animal prints designed by Copreni’s tattoo artist friend, Giacomo Frigerio. “It’s Queen Street style,” says Copreni. “We came to Toronto last November for the first time, and we fell in love with Queen Street.” The restaurant’s goat logo (also designed by Frigerio) is representative of Northern Italy. “Like the lion in the savannah, the goat is in the Alps.” The street-facing patio will open later this summer.
