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Food & Drink

What’s on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family

By Caroline Aksich| Photography by Caroline Aksich
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A plate of chitarra alla carbonara at Toronto's Mercatto
Photo by Renée Suen

Name: Cantina Mercatto Contact: 20 Wellington St. E., 416-304-0781, cantinamercatto.ca, @mercatto.to
Neighbourhood: St. Lawrence Owners: Jack and Domenic Scarangella and Steve Christian (La Palma, Constantine) Chefs: Executive chef Doug Neigel and Kevin Mark (Hudson Kitchen, O&B)

The food

“We’re not about sous-vide cooking or gadgets,” says Neigel, of his dishes at the newest member to the Mercatto family. “We’re into fire-and-pan, straightforward cooking.” A handful of the core dishes are shared among all five Mercatto locations (pasta carbonara, diavola and Margherita pizzas), but the majority of each menu is particular to its location. Cantina differentiates itself from the bunch by focusing on cinq-a-sept snacks and an impressive selection of vegetarian plates. On weekends, they serve an Italian-inspired brunch (alongside the more traditional, always popular eggs Benny).

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
An order of stracciatella cheese (from Vaughan’s Quality Cheese) comes with compressed watermelon, olive oil-preserved zucchini, spiced cashew crumble and some vin cotto. $12.

 

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
For this tuna salad, Neigel presses an albacore tuna steak onto a thin slice of sourdough, and then sears the bread-flanked fish carb-side down. The salad component is a mix of pickled fennel, cucumber, pear and celery cress. $16.

 

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
This pizza is topped with San Marzano tomato sauce and house-made merguez sausage made from ground New Zealand lamb shoulder. The pie is finished with fior di latte cheese, oven-roasted yellow tomatoes and fresh oregano. $19.

 

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A plate of chitarra alla carbonara at Toronto's Mercatto
This chitarra alla carbonara is topped with pancetta, pecorino, black pepper and a Conestoga Farms yolk. $17. Photo by Renée Suen

 

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
“Everyone knows us for our pizza, but a lot of people would be surprised to know you can also get dry-aged, prime steak here,” says Neigel about this 18-ounce 40-day dry-aged prime ribeye with shishito peppers and artichokes in a pool of shallot agrodolce. (Not pictured: the side of fries that come with every order.) $55.

 

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
This mascarpone-stuffed lemon roll sits on top of lemon curd. $8.

 

The drinks

The wine list of more than 100 bottles stocks everything from big California reds to lesser-known Lebanese blends and a few natural wines, too. The focus though, is on classic Italian regions, such as Sicily, Tuscany and Piedmont. Beers, however, are a Canadian affair: local craft brews dominates the list of bottles and cans (Burdock, Collective Arts, Godspeed).

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
The kalimotxo was created to appeal to the old-school Italian set. “I wanted something Jack’s [Scarangella, president of Mercatto] father would enjoy drinking,” says Smith about the Nonino’s Cantina. The easy-drinking cup combines Chianti Classico, Amaro Montenegro and Chinotto with a squeeze of lime and basil garnish. $12.

   

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What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
The Wellington Martini swaps out olives for a star anise garnish, and the brine for Luxardo Maraschino. Hayman’s Gin and Dolin’s Blanc carry the alcoholic weight of the sipper, served in this too-cute Nick and Nora glass. $14.

 

The space

The 200-seat room takes up the ground floor of a newly completed 58-storey condo. Alessandro Munge (Studio Munge) designed the first Mercatto on Toronto Street 20 years ago (it closed this past May in preparation for Cantina’s opening). Since then, Studio Munge has designed all of the Mercatto restaurants, including this one. The cavernous, industrial look space is balanced out by stunning hand-painted wallpaper created by textile designer Candice Kaye.

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
Mercatto president Jack Scarangella found all those glass bottles on the top shelf.

 

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family
The five-foot-tall floral arrangements that bookend the kitchen were designed by Grace Zeppilli (GZ Art Co.).

 

What's on the menu at Cantina Mercatto, the newest addition to the Mercatto restaurant family

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Caroline Aksich, a National Magazine Award recipient, is an ex-Montrealer who writes about Toronto’s ever-evolving food scene, real estate and culture for Toronto Life, Fodor’s, Designlines, Canadian Business, Glory Media and Post City. Her work ranges from features on octopus-hunting in the Adriatic to celebrity profiles.

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