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After two glitzy decades on the Main, Buonanotte's supperclub concept took a trip down the 401 late last December. The Toronto expansion came courtesy Ink Entertainment's Charles Khabouth. The same Charles Khabouth behind another Toronto-Montreal transplant, La Société Bistro in the Loews Hôtel Vogue - the restaurant of the recent infamous zero star Lesley Chesterman review.
Under the business terms of Buonanotte's Toronto arrangement, Khabouth licensed the restaurant's name and recipes. The Montreal ownership group is in charge of management. In a report on Buonanotte Toronto last April, Toronto Life wrote, curiously, that, "The food from the original Montreal restaurant has been adapted for Toronto palates, with dishes like potato gnocchi with Bolognese ragu ($21) and Cotoletta alla Milanese, a fried 16-ounce veal chop."
Reviews of the restaurant have been sparse but the popular blogTO gave it a go last week. The mostly positive write-up, by Toto Schillaci, had some campy observations.
Our first dish is the Beef Carpaccio ($22) (...). The delicious raw beef effortlessly melts in our mouth.
You can't even think to call yourself a true Italian eatery unless you have a brick oven and pizza maker who speaks broken English. Check and check.
If you're lucky enough to be a VIP, or at least look like it, the good folks at Buonanotte just might send over a dessert platter that has it all.
The comments below the review are worth a glance as well.
No pastagate for TO. Congratulations on another success.
I've never heard of the Montreal restaurant Buonanotte. From the photo I'd say its more tacky than swanky and looks like Expo '67 all over again. Still it is nice to have one Montreal restaurant that apparently doesn't feel obligated to serve the ubiquitous nearly raw liver (foie gras), or fries with gravy and cheese.
· Buonanotte Toronto Review [blogTO]
· Buonanotte [Official Site]