- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Silver Spoon - CLOSED
Category: Restaurants Canadian (New) Canadian (New) [Edit]
390 Roncesvalles AvenueToronto, ON M6R 2M9
Neighbourhoods: High Park, Roncesvalles
(416) 516-8112
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
5 reviews for Silver Spoon
5 reviews in English
-
Review from susan c.
1/23/2010
Holy schnit! I just had one of the best dishes of the year and I won't be able to have it again for a long time, if ever.
Kat F. and I made the trek out to Roncesvalle before Silver Spoon served their last meal on January 22. We met up with SS regular Martin S. and his lovely lady friend. Martin said, "Get the duck" and even though I've never met him before, I've read enough of his reviews to know that he does not fuck around when it comes to food.
The dish is juniper berry infused crispy duck confit with a lychee and blueberry jus and organic vegetable and potato hash ($24). The duck leg had been rendered so luscious it almost quivered while the fatty skin on top had been seared crisp. I took one bite and declared, "I want to make love to this duck." Okay, in retrospect, I realize that's silly. The duck was dead and I'm not into bestiality or necrophilia. But I stand by my initial impulse; I wanted to give that duck as much pleasure as it gave me.
The vegetables were nothing to sneer at either: purple and yellow baby carrots, little potatoes, and other seasonal vegetables were soaking up the savory jus the way Tila Tequila soaked up her 15-minutes of fame. A glass of '05 McManis zinfandel ($12) was a juicy, bold match for the unctuous duck.
After hearing reports that Silver Spoon has the best flourless chocolate cake in the world, we had to try it. The cake is served warm and blanketed in creme anglaise and chocolate sauce ($8). The chocolate flavor is intense and rich without being overly sweet. Just one spoonful was enough to make me swoon.
Yeah, we had some missteps with the amuse-bouche and vinaigrette that was curiously missing from our Soiled Reputation greens salad but factor in the amazing service, reasonable price point given the high quality of ingredients, and unpretentious neighborhood-bistro vibe, and of course, confit so good it makes you want to *bleep* a duck...well, I'll round up my 4.5-star rating to 5.
I'm sad Silver Spoon has shut its doors for good but I'm glad to have snuck in at the 11th hour. I hope the team lands somewhere else and resurrects that confit dish so that I'm not entirely consumed by duck lust. -
Review from Deanna W.
The call came out early this week: little poland area reviews anyone? Thus our dynamic duo set out in search of a nice place to dine on the Roncevalles strip and the Silver Spoon heeded the call with flair and excellence!
Situated on the tail end of strip, the Silver Spoon is rather unassuming on the outside-you could miss it easily what with the summer construction and it's rather plain exterior. However, once inside and seated the real theatrics begin, on with the show as they say!
To start with, the service is exemplary here. They certainly know how to anticipate desires and meet them with grace and expertise. The wait staff are neither grovelling or arrogant, rather they are well honed pros who know how to please and serve. Questions are addressed with patience and knowledge-Christine and I must have put them through the paces with queries about wine, produce and meat! And the little touches from the amuse bouche, table crumbing and well timed drink service were well appreciated acts.
Now the kitchen certainly didn't shirk away from putting forth a fantastic meal as both our appetizers and mains for the night were well prepared and delicious. We started off with a berkshire pulled pork atop a panko crusted polenta cake. The pork was extremely tender and moist and the crusted polenta melted in your mouth. The other starter a smoked trout served with wild rice pancake and salad was a knockout. This dish had a variety of flavours to enjoy: smokey, sweet and savoury!
For the mains, I decided upon the steak frites- a nicely seasoned cut of beef that was tender like buttah. And the accompanying frites were golden and crispy. Christine's selection of duck confit matched her expectations and more: the skin was almost shatteringly crisp and the sweet pool of sauce paired well with the salt inherrant in a confit. Underneath the duck confit was nature's bounty from the season's produce: purple carrots, radish and green's.
We were over the hill when the decision time for dessert came though we decided to plow through and ordered the stuffed french toast. This was a extraordinary dessert-you had a stuffed brioche full of goat cheese, a carmelized citrus sugar top with a bailey's dulce de leche ice cream on the side. Wowzers, this was yummy and different. As if that wasn't enough of a sweet ending, the kitchen staff left us with Callebaut cookies as a parting gift. How sweet!
It should be noted that Silver Spoon shares the same food philosophy as Union-a previously reviewed restaurant. Both express a commitment to local organic ingredients in a bistro/fine dining environment. Although the Silver Spoon is not located on trendy Ossington or Queen West, I feel that it executes a notch above the Union's and Nota Bene's of the dining scene. In short, it may fly under the radar a bit, but it delivers soundly in terms of flavour and service. Give it a try for a special occasion! -
Review from Christine C.
Etobicoke, ON
Updated - 1/7/2010 11 photos
It is with great sadness that I am reporting that my most beloved Silver Spoon will be closing their doors after 10 years on the beleaguered Roncesvalles. We dined there on new year's eve and they told us then. The construction that was never ending reduced business by over 40% and it was a tough decision on their part.
I'd like to wish Rocco Agostino the best and thank him for his fantastic cooking. I'm not quite sure where I'm gonna find my crispy duck now. :(
Just an FYI....Rocco is also the owner of Pizza Libretto. I'm hopeful that he will open up another spot similar to Silver Spoon. It was a special spot and it'll be missed.
Silver Spoon RIP. We loved you.2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
-
8/31/2009
It was a return visit within a week to Silver Spoon on Roncesvalles for me. Time to find out if my… Read more »
-
-
Review from Martin S.
Toronto, ON
7/9/2009 ROTD 1/11/2010
When I first moved to Toronto I had the great fortune to live above this restaurant for a couple of years. My mother helped me move in and she offered to take me out to dinner before heading out, and we decided to try the restaurant downstairs. From the first taste of the first apps I knew that this was going to be a serious problem for my budget. Over the six or so times I have been to this restaurant since I have had maybe two dishes that haven't been perfect, and several that have been more so (echoing a recent Tstar review that referred to a jump in quality as making the place 'perfecter').
The service is, first of all, beyond impeccable. The waiting staff is exactly the type of informed polite service you see in cinematic representations of classy dining but never seems to quite materialize off-screen. If one wishes to engage them in conversation about the items or ask recommendations (they have an excellent sommelier) they are warm, friendly and knowledgeable, but if you are there, say, on a date and simply wish to eat great food and interact with your significant or hopefully-soon-to-be-significant other, they without fail will fade into the background and quietly perform their duties. This sense of how to act and when, is one definition of perfect service. It is not a constant, but a mutable reaction to the nuances of every dining situation and every server I have ever had here is a paragon of this quality.
The food, as mentioned, is across the board great, although I certainly recommend Duck here, a specialty no matter how it is prepared (a roommate of mine told me in all seriousness that one of the duck dishes here actually made him tear up because it was so good. I haven't quite had that reaction, but honestly, the duck is fucking wonderful). All of the meat dishes are great, the pasta is always very very good, although, as I've said elsewhere, I have yet to have a truly GREAT pasta dish in this city, here is very close to the best. Appetizers are often my favorite part of the meal, and one of the best meals I've had here was one where I just decided to order three seafood apps and no main: fucking fantastic, and something I've done since here and elsewhere, why not!
Last, and far from least: That first night I ate here with my mother, we had finished our meals and she was inquiring as to the deserts:
My Mom: "So, we are thinking about some of these, hmm...flourless chocolate cake, interesting, what is that like here, is it good?"
Waiter: (completely straight faced) "It's the best chocolate cake in the world."
Lesson: trust your waiter. -
Review from Kerri M.
Toronto, ON
5/10/2009
Hands-down my favourite restaurant in the city. It consistently has fantastic food, superb, unintrusive service and a relaxed atmosphere. The quality of the food competes with Toronto's best restaurants, for about half the price. Perfect for a special night of celebration or meeting up with friends.
