ciao! reviews
PASSERO
Neighbourhood . . . . The Forks
Address 147-1 Forks Market Rd
Phone . . . . . . . 204-219-7300
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . .$14-$25
Food halls have surged in popu-
larity the world over. Like their
cousins, mall food courts, they
offer an abundance of casual eats in
convivial settings, with the added
bonus of local ownership and chef-
crafted menus. In this city, the Forks
Common answers this trend, a sleek
dining hall lined with vendors and
fi lled with a crowd happily sharing
communal tables.
While Passero, the latest brain-
child of chef Scott Bagshaw, is
touching distance to the Common it
is distinct by its architectural details
– and its menu. Bagshaw’s obsession
with the small stuff is revealed as the
dishes roll out, teasing new fl avours
into dishes we thought familiar. In
a city rich with Italian fare, Passero
challenges norms and redefi nes con-
temporary Italian fare at its whim.
This innovation and masterful
attention to detail sets Passero apart
from the pack securing it Ciao! mag-
azine’s best new restaurant of 2018.
Set under old brick archway, the
contemporary setting is surrounded
by angled wood slats along the ceil-
ing and one wall, giving the space a
sense of motion. Sit along the open
kitchen on bar-style seating and
overlook cooks assembling memo-
rable dishes sprinkled liberally with
Italian cheeses.
Bagshaw has a penchant for
putting innovative twists on long-
standing cuisines, as at his previous
ventures like Spanish-inflected
Deseo Bistro and pan-Asian inspired
Máquè. Here, his attention turns to
Italian cuisine with a menu that is
always evolving.
This is no red sauce restaurant.
Rigatoni in a cauliflower purée
with creamy cave-aged gruyere
is punched-up by the sweetness
of orange segments. Melt-in-the
mouth ricotta gnocchi covered in
Parmigiano-Reggiano and dotted
with sweet black garlic has notes of
balsamic vinegar. Wild mushrooms
mixed in add an earthy fl avour.
The holy trinity of Italian cook-
ing – tomatoes, mozzarella and
basil – are remixed into a colour-
ful, sweet and sour play on caprese
salad. Cherry tomatoes, basil, crema
di buffalo and olive oil are joined
by orange and grapefruit segments
along with a touch of heat from
Calabrian chiles. A sweet beet salad
features the vegetable done three
ways; roasted, pickled and dehy-
drated. Sour grapefruit segments
contrast the sweet beet and crème
fraîche balances the texturally
diverse mixture. Tender asparagus
is paired on the plate with luscious
hollandaise and sprinkled with fresh
herbs, grains and fi sh roe to make a
lasting impression.
The seafood is pristine; close your
eyes you’ll imagine you’re on the
coast eating the daily catch. Seared
wild scallops are served on a smear
of cauliflower purée and topped
with pine nuts, raisins and caper
agra dolce. Large white prawns and
meaty butter beans swim in a satis-
fying tomato brodo.
Finish the meal with a warm
lemon cake, sprinkled with salt, on a
bed of basil cream sauce, which gives
the dessert a savoury edge.
While tastes are elevated, the
space easily adapts to the informal-
ity of its food hall proximity and
caters to a diverse clientele. By day,
Passero becomes Corto, serving up
masterful Italian sandwiches (with
toppings like porchetta, apple mos-
tarda, mascarpone and bitter leaves)
and coffee at its takeaway counter.
But by any name it’s just as sweet:
a complex, exciting challenge to our
notions of Italian food. Passero is
open Mon-Sun 5pm-10 pm.
THE BLACK BIRD BRASSERIE
Neighbourhood . . St. Boniface
Address . . . 101-300 Tache Ave
Phone . . . . . . . 204-505-0760
Entrées . . . . . . . . . . .$17-$24
Like pubs, tasques, or biergartens,
the brasseries of France are informal
restaurants that draw locals in with
simple, hearty food. An ocean away,
in our prairie province, the newly
opened The Black Bird Brasserie is
doing a fi rst-rate job at living up to
its name.
Flavour-packed French comfort
food is cooked up in the kitchen
headed by chef Norm Pastorin, part of
the team behind The Grove and The
Cornerstone, popular pared-down
spots for mouthwatering meals. He
believes food is a conduit for com-
munity, and Black Bird is quickly
becoming a neighbourhood favourite
as well. Delectable dishes are so well
executed and seemingly effortless that
one might guess it has been turning
out top-notch food for decades, rather
than mere months.
Large windows provide a sunny
look out onto Tache avenue at lunch,
and reflect the restaurant’s smoky-
blue walls in the evening. The décor
is simple; the food being prepared in
the open kitchen speaks for itself.
Begin a culinary adventure with
olives escabeche. The marinated green
olives are garlicky with a hint of chili
sauce, topped with carrots, peppers,
and a sprinkling of sesame seeds,
served with slices of buttery grilled
baguette.
Poutine Monsieur marries French
cuisine with a Quebecois favourite.
Fine-cut fries layered with smoked
ham, cheese curds are lavishly covered
in buttery béchamel. Bits of cornichon
punctuate with a hit of sour.
The delectable chicken confi t sets
a new fl avour bar on how a chicken
dinner should taste. A succulent
ciao! / dec/jan / two thousand eighteen
49