First Visit: Boleto

We have been to Boleto many times for their awesome bread and lemon tarts fresh from their onsite bakery. Highly recommended!

We have also been a couple of times for lunch but never bothered for some unfathomable reason to report on it here.

And everytime we have walked by in the last little while, we have noticed the review from James Barber where he raves about their authentic Sicilian cuisine, in particular the Sicilian "Pasta Con Le Sarde"!

Friday night, we finally went for dinner with our friend Lisa and tried the Pasta Con Le Sarde.

It was absolutely delicious! According to the menu (which is changed on a seasonal basis), Pasta Con Le Sarde is Perciatelli Pasta with Fennel, Pinenuts, Raisins, Fresh Sardines, Saffron & Tomato. It is quite rich with an pronounced but not overbearing sardine flavour. The sweetness and the slight spiciness of the dish create a nice harmony. This dish is perfect for those cooler late summer and autumn nights!

Lisa had the Herb Crusted Lamb Sirloin ($23.95) which she loved; the lamb was cooked as she requested and the accompanying potato, fennel and sweet onion saute was simply magic.

I should mention as well that we all shared a second pasta which was Orecchiette Pasta with Arugula, Potatoes, Garlic & Chilies for $7.95. It was a smaller portion meant to be a side dish but we ate it as a main and loved it. It's the kind of a dish that you think, hmm, why didn't I think of that? Garlic, spicy and with the bite of arugula which I love! Simple but delicious and awe inspiring!

Oh, I forgot to mention the Boleto antipasti platter for $9.95 had (among other great things) absolutely delicious green olives and parma ham. The three of us also split Mixed Summer Greens with Roasted Romas for $8.95. Very nice especially now when Romas are particularly yummy!

We ended the night with two desserts: I only remember the second one which was espresso soaked sponge cake with marscapone topped with chocolate ganache and walnuts. Perfect. Not too sweet and not too chocolatey for Barb but chocolatey enough for an addict like myself.

An excellent meal for $96 without tip for three people. Not cheap but not expensive! We will back for a mini-review.

Boleto, 2563 West Broadway, 604-739-1314