Sotto In the Village

We Visited Sotto In the Village on a Wednesday night (2÷6÷2013) motivated to try something new as it was a featured restaurant for Winterlicious. However, I neglected to do my homework and have come to the same conclusion that other Unilocaler’s have, that this place has TERRIBLE service.
The food was okay, although I had hoped for more because of this restaurant’s connection to the upscale Sotto Sotto in Yorkville. It was definitely expensive for the food quality, and the absence of any kind of service.
I ordered the swordfish, and although it was well prepared, it was far under seasoned. My partner ordered the lamb shank, and it was mediocre and pedestrian.
I was motivated to write this review more because of the absolutely terrible service, more than anything else. It wasn’t necessarily rude, as much as it was completely absent. There was a palpable indifference to our presence in their dining establishment. Our server, Fabio, barely said two words to us during our short interactions. After another server dropped off our dishes, we were ignored for the remainder of the evening.
IMHO I would not recommend this place to anyone.

Beef Carpaccio… is oddly made with bresaola (instead of sliced fresh beef) hidden under a mountain of dry arugula… it needs to be generously lubricated with the olive oil supplied for bread dipping before it can even be swallowed. Unsuccessful.
Asparagus Salad… good, except for the fact that there is too much vinegar in the asparagus poaching water, making it taste like the salad is made with pickled asparagus… what a waste of fresh asparagus!
Lasagne… perhaps a little too generous with the sauce, but delicious.
Spaghetti Carbonara… the perfectly al dente spaghetti and generous portions of pancetta are unfortunately lost behind a ‘sledge hammer” of herbs in Sotto’s version… can’t quite figure out why they would do this?!?
Good espresso.
And although many have complained about the service, it was fine when we were there (although it was almost empty at that time).

Is Forest Hill Village what my high finance buddies would call a captive market?
A few retail blocks nestled between monster houses, gleaming condos, tony rentals and ongoing construction project, this Village boasts no less than four banks, two kitchen stores, and an assortment of restaurants. The clientele ranges from grandparents to grandkids, stratified by income and which generation is picking up the cheque. The Zoomers who take up space in the palatial homes along Heath Street drop by when they can’t be bothered to go downtown. Those who rent in the more lived-​in stretch along Bathurst are less often seen, but make occasional appearances for bagel and coffee runs.
Sotto in the Village is a relatively recent addition to the strip, an offshoot of the well-​loved trattoria on Avenue Road.
I can see the appeal of the place. White table cloths, an extensive wine list, and a smartly edited menu with an emphasis on salads, pastas and a few mains. It’s familiar enough that you could bring a picky eater, and know that he or she won’t leave hungry. Pizza is absent; territory that’s been ceded to Banfi across the street. Dinner begins with complimentary bruschetta; one round of toast per person, topped with good olive oil and bad diced winter tomatoes. A bread basket is offered, but given the starchiness of the meal ahead, largely ignored.
Choices are easy. Caesar salad features sweet, crisp lettuce in a dressing with bite. Deconstructed garnishes of parmigiano leaves, a round of pancetta and a big hunk of bread pretending to be a croûton take a bit of fun out of the eating, but it’s all fresh and tasty, even if it becomes an open-​face sandwich. Another salad includes Swiss cheese (hey, it’s good enough for Kraft’s Italiano blend), radish and corn in a tart vinaigrette. It’s a surprise hit.
Mains are are large for fine dining, though small-​ish compared to what you’ll find in the heart of St. Clair West’s Italian district. Spaghetti Carbonara is rich with crispy pancetta and egg-​and-​cream sauce (which unfortunately splits into scrambled eggs by the time it reaches the table). It needs more pepper for contrast, but the noodles themselves are superb. Rigatoni Amatriciana is much better; a bright tomato sauce highlights softer bacon and onion. A huge veal chop is cooked to a perfect medium, sided with roast potatoes and vegetables that are mostly left to grow cold in favor of the rigatoni. Lasagna arrives bubbling from the oven, but feels stodgy on the palate.
Service is pleasant if hovering. Prices are unthinkable. Amatricana and Carbonara pastas, which boast basic kitchen ingredients and require minimal supervision, run over $ 20. Salads clock in between $ 12 and $ 18. It’s all tasty, but the Village betrays the concept of cucina di poveri.

This meal was on 10÷10÷10. Miserable service. Swore I’d never go back, but for convenience relented. Smart a** waiter (to one request: ain’t gonna’ happen — and this was merely to have an order of pasta split… no concern about cost!).
The bottom line: the ambiance is pleasant «upscale neighborhood»; the food is good, though not a match for the original Sotto Sotto on Avenue; prices on the high side of reasonable for a neighborhood restaurant; but the service is so uncaring, arrogant, aggravating, sloppy, unfriendly, CONSISTENTLY, that I will never go back and encourage all but the martyrs among you reading this to do the same!

Sotto Sotto has long been one of the hottest restaurants in Toronto. So when Marisa Rocca opened Sotto in the Village I was pretty excited to try it out.
Sotto in the Village is a much more casual experience than its sister restaurant in Yorkville. The vibe is relaxed and the décor is more reminiscent of a modern Italian street café than serious foodie’s stone-​walled mecca that is Sotto Sotto. The good news it that Sotto in the Village has managed to transplant much of that authentic Italian flavour to the Village.
If you go, you should really try:
— Caesar salad… delicious
— Asparagus salad… also delicious
— Lasagna… more than delicious… it’s double delicious
— Grilled tiger shrimp
Overall, I would very much recommend that you give Sotto in the VIllage a try.