Local Kitchen to expand eastward with Bar Salumi, an “aperitif bar”
Fabio Bondi and Michael Sangregorio, the guys behind the Parkdale hot spot Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, are slowly taking over the neighbourhood. In a few months, they’ll open Bar Salumi, an aperitif joint, a few doors east of Local. As it stands, their restaurant’s popularity has outgrown its diminutive size; since they don’t take reservations, there are often lines out the door. Bondi says that the new place was conceived as a place to send customers while they wait for a table, since they don’t presently have a lounge.
Aperitif bars are all the rage in Milan right now, Bondi says, but the pre-dinner lounge hasn’t really hit Toronto. (Although we can’t help but note the success of Hoof Café, Dundas West’s carnivorous snack bar conceived to accommodate the Black Hoof’s spillover, which quickly became a hot spot in its own right.) As the name suggests, the menu will consist of small dishes ($5–$12), cheese and meat platters and drinks. “This is just another way to take care of our guests,” Bondi says. “It’s a way of growing while keeping it intimate.”
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