What’s on the menu at Garrison Creek, Little Italy’s newest Italian restaurant
Name: Garrison Creek
Contact: 760A College St., 647-748-8500, garrisoncreekto.com
Neighbourhood: Little Italy
Owner: Marianna Peluso Andreacchi
Head chef: Dino Cordileone (Piccola Italia in Montreal)
The food
Italian fare that’s traditional in execution but contemporary Canadian in approach: made-from-scratch pastas and sauces, daily market fish, grilled octopus, slow-braised lamb spring rolls and a Caprese salad that’s actually deep-fried mozzarella stuffed with confit tomatoes. There’s a rotating menu of homemade ravioli that includes fillings such as osso bucco, Atlantic lobster, mascarpone and sweet corn in lobster bisque, or Nordic shrimp and mango in a whipped avocado sauce. A kids’ menu has grilled cheese panini and cotton candy-topped gelato for the little ones.
The drinks
An evolving wine list, bottled and draught beers, non-alcoholic beverages like a frozen lemonade and house cocktails made by mixologist Mana Moghadam (Bar Reyna, Blowfish).
The space
Located above what was once Garrison Creek, the restaurant is divided into multiple dining areas, including a lounge, a front dining room and a rear dining room with full view of the open kitchen. Peluso Andreacchi, who had grown up in the entertainment and hospitality scene, was responsible for the space’s overhaul, creating a sleek, modern interior shrouded in white and black marble finishes, black velvet accents and dark stained flooring. The walls are mostly outfitted with Peluso Andreacchi’s photography and artwork.