Introducing: Via Vai, downtown’s newest pizzeria (that could double as an art gallery)
Introducing: Via Vai, downtown’s newest pizzeria (that could double as an art gallery)
Name: Via Vai
Neighbourhood: Downtown Core
Contact: 832 Bay St., 416-362-0123, viavai.ca, @viavaiTO
Owner: Joe Friday
Chef: Joe Friday (Luma, Alimento)
The Food: Via vai, Italian for “come and go,” is the philosophy behind this new Italian eatery, where wood-fired Neapolitan pizza shares space on the menu with handmade pasta, sake-massaged octopus and a 42-ounce, Flintstone-style T-bone steak. For larger parties, whole-roasted beasts (think pig, lamb) are available. Some of what appears on and in dishes (including fiddleheads and morels) has been foraged from alongside the Don River by chef Friday himself.
The Drinks: Classic Italian cocktails are part of a growing list of seasonal drinks. The Bicicletta, for example, is a house concoction made with Campari, pinot grigio and a splash of citrus. An extensive (but accessible) wine list focuses on bottles from Italy’s most bountiful regions.
The Place: Previously an art gallery, Via Vai is now an eat-in solarium where diners are on display: 45-foot floor-to-ceiling windows allow light to flood the space at all times (plus, every seat is a window seat). The gallery lives on through colourful, mural-covered walls and paint-splattered panes of glass suspended from the ceiling.
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- One entire wall is adorned with a colourful mural painted by Italian artist Sandro Martino. Four other pieces by the same artist are suspended from the restaurant's ceiling.
- (Image: Jackie Pal)
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- A wine rack 45 feet high showcases the restaurant's growing bottle collection.
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- Shaved fennel and celery are piled high and topped with tuna and crispy chickpeas ($12).
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- Charred octopus is served with potatoes and olives poached in a chili sauce ($11).
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- Creamy ricotta is sandwiched between two crispy pieces of eggplant and served with a basil pesto ($9).
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- Handmade tortellini stuffed with braised beef cheek sits in a bone marrow beef broth with porcini mushrooms, fiddleheads and stewed tomatoes ($16).
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- On the (not-so) secret menu, the tomahawk bistecca weighs in at 42 ounces and comes with foraged mushrooms and fiddleheads ($120).
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- All pizzas are made by pizzaiolo Darcy Sweet, who spins out classics like the Diavola, with flor di latte cheese, soppressata and cremini mushrooms ($14).
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- The Nduja comes topped with the spicy sausage itself, caciocavallo cheese and rapini ($14).
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- The Baciami is a refreshing mix of Amaro Nonino, muddled strawberries and mint ($14).
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- The Bicicletta mixes Campari with pinot grigio and soda ($10).
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The place was not previously an art gallery. Via Vai is the first business to open in the space which was built as part of the Burano Condos, and the art inside represents the building’s Percent for Public Art contribution. The works are frescos and etched glass pieces and you can read how they were created by Italian artist Sandro Martini here: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2012/11/how-create-fresco-sandro-martini-talks-about-his-monumental-work-burano-condominiums
West: 91
East: 6
Note the pizza is not wood fired, it’s a gas fired oven at 650F, which is below the VPN standard.