By Lori Bosworth
Mideastro Yorkville celebrated its first anniversary on Thursday, May 10, 2012 and threw a celebratory bash to mark the occasion. Accompanied by a fellow foodie, I was eager to try the restaurant’s cuisine, which the manager informed us was “nouveau Israeli” with Mediterranean influences.
Walking through Mideastro’s modern, dark interior, we were lucky to score one of a pair of spacious booths in the front bar area and soon after, we were served glasses of prosecco and sparkling water with lime and fresh mint, which was a refreshing touch to the palate.
The first appetizer that arrived at our table was a cute little endive boat, mimicking the regular menu’s endive salad. The endive leaf supported a filling of arugula, tomato and gorgonzola cream, with a balsamic reduction, and the end product made for some pretty smooth sailing down the throat. Soon after, we were served grilled calamari in a root veggie and oxtail cream. The rich sauce was a decadent and astute accompaniment to seafood, which left us dipping every last bit of calamari to soak it up.
The next dish, tortellini shrimp, consisted of breaded shrimp served on top of tortellini stuffed with goat cheese, egg and tomato in a Lebanese sauce. While the shrimp was a crunchy perfection, the tortellini was too heavy and left a smoky aftertaste. Never having been a fan of sausage, I passed on the Merguez; however, my dinner companion found the spicy, beef sausage with chimichurri sauce of garlic, cilantro and parsley hot without being overpowering. Definitely more to my liking was a halibut slider served on pita with citrus aioli and Lebaneh tahina. The garlic, lemon and sesame flavours exquisitely enhanced the mild sweetness of the tenderly-cooked fish.
A notoriously slow eater, I could not keep up with the barrage of appetizers being served at our table and felt like Lucy attempting to gobble down chocolates as they whipped by on the conveyor belt.
Although it was an arduous task to name the best dish, we both agreed that the beef carpaccio wrapped with arugula and topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a dwarf peach marinated in truffle oil nudged out the others. The parmesan and arugula added a luxurious element to the aged, Wagyu tenderloin. Not surprisingly, our server informed us that this was Mideastro’s most popular dish.
Putting a sweet end to a lovely evening, the Tiramisu was a silky and surprisingly light texture that tasted all the better for being silver-spooned into our mouths by our beguiling server. Will we return for more pampering and feeding? No question.
Mideastro, 27 Yorkville Avenue (just west of Yonge St.)
