View The Vibe: Top 6 In The 6ix: Restaurants Of The Week
Another week, another Monday! And if the cooler weather’s anything to go by, it sure feels like winter’s inching closer by the day. Which means it might be time to start thinking of all the cozy, warm and comforting meals that you’d enjoy. And if you’re an adventurous foodie that’s interesting in trying new places, then check out our full list
Here are the top six restaurants of the week:
The Haifa Room
Sink into the flavours of the Middle East at The Haifa Room. The restaurant is a joint effort by Fadi Hakim, Waseem Dabdoub and Joseph Eastwood. The menu is short and sweet, featuring all the classics like falafel, beef kofta, kebab and chicken schnitzel. They’re open everyday from 11 am and no reservations are required.of the top restaurants of the week below.
Yu Seafood
Are you on the hunt for a good Chinese seafood joint? Look no further than Yu Seafood at Yorkdale Mall. The menu features everything from dim sum and fresh fish (crab, green bass, oysters, prawns) to meat, poultry and vegetable dishes. They’re open from 10 am during the week and from 9 am on weekends and reservations can be made here.
MARKED
Experience all that a South American-themed brunch has to offer at MARKED. In addition to a regular menu featuring food and drinks, the restaurant also serves an all-inclusive brunch every weekend. Along with small snacks and sharables, it includes bubbles, cocktails and more. The brunch is available from 11 am – 3:30 pm and reservations can be made here.
Must haves: Brunch menu
Venga Cucina
Holding the title of Toronto’s only certified pinsaria (based on Roman-style baking technique), Venga Cucina offers an array of Italian dishes. The restaurant is known for their pinsa romana, which has a lighter texture than regular pizza. The menu also consists of other items like lasagna, salads and desserts.
Must haves: Brisket Linguine
The Benue
Savour the taste of authentic Nigerian dishes at The Benue. You can find everything from rice and meat dishes to soups, stews and pastries. If you want to try a little of everything, the combo meals are a great option. The restaurant is open Wednesday to Saturday from 12 pm and Monday to Tuesday from 3 pm.
Banjara
Say hello to traditional South and North Indian cuisine at Banjara for our restaurants of the week. The range of dishes on the menu is wide and extensive, just as in the country itself. Tandoori sizzlers, biryani, fish curry, lamb, appetizers (samosa and pakora) and so much more are available at the restaurant. They have locations at both Bloor and Eglinton and reservations can be made online.
original post from View The Vibe, Revathy Rajan, November 8, 2021
Corriere Canadese: Toronto: many pizzerias, but there is only one "pinseria"
TORONTO - His “pinseria” is the only one certified in Toronto, and one of the two in Canada (the other one is in Ottawa). And, all over the world, there are just 130 places that can boast this recognition. A prestigious recognition, given by the Opr (Original Roman Pinsa) Association only to those who offer their customers the original product, rigorously made with high quality products as the flour produced by Corrado Di Marco, creator of this particular "dish" which is really appreciated wherever it is proposed.
Gino Benevenga, born in 1958 in Palomonte, a town in the province of Salerno on the border of the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, Italy, has been in Canada for forty years. After a lot of work behind bar counters and restaurant tables, he had the intuition to open a "pinseria" in Toronto. And, thanks to his very long experience, he has hit the mark: people love his “pinsa” and he goes on even though Covid-19 has forced him, in recent months, to limit himself to takeaway sales. "It's hard, but I don't give up," he proudly tells us on the phone. From the way he talks, you feel the passion for his work. A passion that comes from far away.
When did you start working in the restaurant business?
“I was 16, I was still in Italy and I was already working in restaurants in Agropoli, Battipaglia... even on the Amalfi Coast. Then, at 18, I moved to England where I continued to do the same job. Finally, at 22, in 1980, I decided to join my uncle here in Toronto. And I continued to work in catering”.
And then you decided to open your own place ...
“Yes, six years ago, at 3076 Dundas Street West. Initially, the restaurant was called Junction Local and we specialized in smoked meats and craft beers. All very 'Canadian'. After four years, we decided to focus on something more Italian and original but I didn't want to limit myself to the classic pizza, which everyone here offers. So I attended a course for roman ‘pinsa’, held by the official instructors of the Opr association who came specifically from Italy, I obtained the certification and I called the place 'Venga Cucina': in Toronto we are the only ones to offer ‘pinsa’ and in all the Canada there is only one other venue, in Ottawa ”.
What is a ‘pinsa’? Is it so different from pizza?
“Completely different. It needs pre-cooking, a specific type of flour must (the one created by Corrado Di Marco, the 'father' of ‘pinsa’) which is a mixture of rice, soy and wheat flour. It must be fragrant and digestible. And it is stuffed with creativity. For example, we take inspiration from southern Italian cuisine and the typical dishes of Campania and Southern Italy”.
Which is your top-pinsa?
“The most popular is the one with tomato base, Calabrian nduja and peperonata. But customers also ask us for special combinations: here in Toronto, for example, they like the one with pineapple (in the pic on the left) and we add tomato sauce, cooked ham, mozzarella and grilled green peppers. And then we have our 'workhorses' such as the ‘pinsa giardiniera’ (grilled vegetables with freshly grated Pecorino Romano on top, in the pic on the right) and the brand new 'Umbria pinsa' with pork filling, grilled radicchio, rapini, peppers and onion marinated in white balsamic vinegar, provolone 'Auricchio' and various spices (in the pic on the top). Note that almost all the fillings are pre-cooked, so you avoid serving a... shower".
How do you do it now with Covid-19?
“Eh, it's a mess. We only do takeaway sales. But let's not give up: after all these years of sacrifices, we must and we want to resist. Fortunately, I have a great deal of 'frontline' experience in catering. And then there is the passion for this job. I go on". Gino is the typical tenacious Italian with a big heart. Passionate about bicycles, a few years ago he made a bet with his employer at the time: from Toronto to Niagara Falls, round trip (300 kilometers), by bike, in twelve hours. He won it. "At stake - he tells us - there were 5 thousand dollars: I donated them to associations for sick children". And do you think the virus can stop him?
Original post from Corriere Canadese
di Marzio Pelu del February 2, 2021
Toronto Sun: They Shoot! We Score On The Food Scene
Pizza: Toronto is home to what seems like thousands of excellent pizza joints – from famous chains to mom- and-pop operations. Just recently the city also became home to a special pizza dough exclusive to the country, and available at Venga Cucina in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood. (There are two other restaurants in North America offering the same dough). Restauranteur Gino Benevenga is one of only two certified masters in Canada to offer authentic “pinsa romana” flatbread pizza – a dough that is lighter, fluffier than traditional pizza dough, and is a mix of wheat, rice, soia and dehydrated sourdough manufactured by the Di Marco Co. of Rome, Italy. The whole process, from making the dough to cutting the pinsa must be followed and then approved by Pinsa Romana Assoc., in Italy – similar to a GOP designation. “This is different from the traditional Napolitan-style pizza dough,” said Benevenga recently. “And it’s made different, from starting the dough to double-baking it before it’s completed.” Exclusive to Toronto. www.vengacucina.ca
Original post, Toronto Sun
Written by Rita DeMontis (May 25, 2021)
Taste Toronto: Venga Cucina is Toronto's only Pinsa Romana certified restaurant
There may be no shortage of pizzerias in our beloved city however, this Italian spot in the Junction is doing something completely different, thanks to owner and founder Gino Benevenga.
Growing up in Sorrento, Italy, Benevenga has been in the restaurant industry since he was 16.
"The only way to get out of these small towns was to be working with food because everyone was always looking for servers. If you were a good worker, everyone was willing to give you a job," he says.
After finding work in other parts of Italy and a one-year stint in England, he made the move across the pond in 1980 where he landed in Toronto. Benevenga worked at a number of local Italian establishments, but it wasn't until five years ago that he opened his first restaurant, the Junction Local.
Business was booming, and though he found himself successfully mastering the art of meat smoking, it was always in his true intention to make food that was a little closer to home.
"Making pizza always came so easy to me, and was something that I really understood and loved," said Benevenga.
As the only Toronto-based member of the Pinsa Romana Association, it was clear that a re-brand for his current smokehouse was necessary. In the fall of 2020, he purchased a pizza oven and opened up Venga Cucina, taking over at the same Junction address.
Pinsa Romana is the Ancient Roman pizza. It's a lighter, healthier version of the authentic Italian pizza we've come to know and love. The dough is double-baked and is characterized by a crunchy outside with a soft inside, and is an artisan-stretched oval shape. The word 'Pinsa' actually comes from the Latin word "pinsere", which in Italian, means to stretch and spread.
It is no easy feat to uphold the prestigious status of the OPR Association. First and foremost, all flour must be purchased through the Di Marco Company in Italy, where they produce an exclusive mix of flour––the only one that can be used to make Pinsa Romana. For a business to be recognized as an original Pinseria, an expert examiner will have the task of viewing the meticulous procedure of all stages of processing starting from the dough.
"We had to record ourselves making the pizza from start to finish, and send it off to Italy for us to be approved to make it. You have to follow the rules to keep the certification, but when it's done right, it is an amazing product, like no other," said Benevenga.
For your first order, it is highly recommended you try the mainstay Margherita, as well as their oh-so fluffy focaccia with extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs, hand dried in-house. With perfectly balanced and locally-sourced ingredients––aside from the Di Marco flour imported from Italy––the menu is full of delicious options.
Other favourites include the Funghi, made with wild mushrooms, straciatella, caramelized onions, Grana Padano and thyme, as well as the Spicy Gino, made with pomodoro, Nduja, pepperonata, fior di latte, sundried cherry tomatoes and basil.
Venga Cucina is available for takeout and delivery via most apps however, to get the proper home-style Italian treatment, it is preferred that orders are called in for pick-up. They are looking forward to soon re-opening both their side and front patios (courtesy of caféTO) so that more Torontonians can stop by to taste the Pinsa Romana difference, themselves.
Original post, Taste Toronto
Written by Jordan Shore (June 2021)