PRIMO & SECONDO

I had a major grudge against Primo & Secondo for the really crappy service I experienced here on a couple of meals a few years back. But even while I couldn’t recommend it, I had to admit that it is a restaurant produced some some of the best Italian in the city bar none. Once again, the menu skewers to the fairly traditional northern Italian and everything, from creamy risotto, to boar ragu, to roast fish and meats, is prepared with care. Housed in a converted home, the space is cozy and intimate.

CONTACT

Primo & Secondo

7023 St-Dominique

514.908.0838

GRAZIELLA

Graziella has over the years become  my top choice for Italian with a modern take on northern Italy. The menu includes traditional dishes like handmade pasta and osso bucco and simple  elegant desserts with a rustic charm, but also innovates with ingredients and preparations not typically associated with Italian cuisine. The cuisine is refined and technique driven and the execution is consistently strong. The setting is modern, airy and welcoming. Graziella is the farthest thing from a red sauce joint you can imagine–and we like it that way.

CONTACT

Graziella

116 McGill

514.876.0116

BOTTEGA

Ostensibly a pizzeria, Bottega is a good choice for casual Italian. It used to be a regular on my dining card, but I have to admit that it doesn’t qualify as a value. On a good night Bottega is as good as it gets for Neapolitan style pizza in Montreal but it may not deliver the goods  on a regular basis as well as it once did. Still, it is miles ahead of  most of its competitors in terms of pizza and the sfizi starters like baccio, arancina and lamb chops scottadito are the simple, product forward dishes that exemplify Italian cuisine.

CONTACT

Bottega

65 St-Zotique E.

514.277.8104

 

VINIZZA

CONTACT

Vinizza

150 Jean-Talon E.

514.904.2250