Yes, yes – this is still a beauty blog. However you will notice on my instagram feed I really love discovering new and local businesses outside of style and beauty – a lot of the time it involves food! I’m working on a better home for posts like this, but until then they will appear here on Toronto Beauty Reviews.
It should be noted that I LOVE pizza and I was really sad I wasn’t able to attend this media tasting but I send Alysia to go and she did a great job with the Bar Mercurio review.
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Who doesn’t love pizza? And I am not talking your average pizza, I am talking about gourmet, thin crust pizza. This past Tuesday, owner Giusppe Mercurio of Bar Mercurio held a media tasting at his restaurant where shared with us some new culinary delights. Below is the menu of the evening (along with ever-flowing top-ups of sparkling white and red wine):
Tonna Ahi Al Nachos: Ahi tuna, crispy wantons, avocado relish, truffle aioli, cilantro pesto and a spicy Kochujang sauce
Calamari Fritti Picante: Spicy Pepperonata and Pesto
Piccoli Torte Di Grancchio: Triptych of crab cakes – mange fennel sesame spaghetti garnish and saffron aioli
Polpo Ai Ferri:Grilled Octopus chick peas and casava crisps
Gnocchi Gorgonzola: Housemade Gnocchi in a light gorgonzola sauce
Pizza Bianca: buffola mozzarella, prosciutto san daniele, arugula, basil, e.v.o.o.
Pizza Maiale: Tomato, cheese, cured and smoked pork belly, roasted fennel, roasted red pepper
Pizza Rapini: Sauteed Garlic Rapini, roasted tomatoes, buffola mozzarella, e.v.o.o.
Pizza Gamberi: Pomodoro, mozzarella, shrimp and fresh garlic, chilli
Pizza Gorgonzola: Mozzarella, gorgonzola, caramelized onions, walnuts, prosciutto san daniele, pears
Platters of each dish was displayed on a table for all the foodies to take photos and then it was devoured by all. I think this was a great idea instead of a sit down dinner. It also gave Giuseppe the opportunity to mingle and chat with his guests. My favourites of the night were the Gnocchi Gorgonzola and Pizza Gorgonzola. The ironic thing about it, I am not even a fan of gorgonzola but looks like I am now. The Tonna Ahi Al Nachos was quite tasty because of the truffle aioli, the same with the crab cakes and the added touch of saffron. Both these dishes were very flavourful and delicious if you have an acquired taste for truffle and saffron.
My friend Darren and I had the pleasure to have a night cap of Grappa with Giuseppe. We talked about how he already has a set dedicated clientele but of a much older crowd but he would like to diversify the crowd that comes into his restaurant and he realized that he needed to catch up with the times and get more involved in social media. I think he is definitely stepping in the right direction by holding this media tasting.
Another cool direction he took was to hold a Pizza Challenge on until August 9th. All you have to do is email for a reservation and come in and try his pizza. If you don’t like it, it’s free. And as much as you would like free pizza, it won’t happen because the pizza at Bar Mercurio is DE-LICIOUS! For more information, click here.
Bar Mercurio is located at 270 Bloor St W, just west of St. George subway station.
Check out Bar Mercurio on their Website, on Twitter and on Instagram.
And…one last photo of dessert…Tiramisu and Pistachio and Banana ice cream!
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Ack, how jealous am I of Alysia! I’ll have to check out Bar Mercurio myself and take that pizza challenge!
Alysia is a blogger without a blog. She likes to believe she is ready to start blogging again but isn’t quite ready to commit. She loves all things beauty and travel, and can talk about these two passions for hours. For now you can catch her on Twitter and Instagram at @hello_leesh or @beachjunkies.