Swimming with the fishes at Zucca Trattoria

Zucca Trattoria - Toronto, Ontario

Review rating: 1 out of 4 = Good

No, I don’t mean it in the Sicilian way. But Zucca Trattoria, an Italian restaurant near the Yonge and Eglinton neighborhood, does produce one dish that is quite common in Sicily and is a star of their restaurant menu - the grilled whole fish. Now, if you haven’t eaten a whole fish before, shame on you. There is something special about cooking and eating fish with its head, tail and bone intact. Flavor is much more intense, not to mention you get to eat the best (my favorite) part of the fish – the cheek.

At Zucca, the fish selection is usually plenty. Your usual suspects include branzino and dorade, but depending on the availability, you might get other type of fish from Portugal, Spain and rest of the world. No matter what fish you pick, be sure to ask for a “wild” instead of a farm-raised. The price is determined by the fish weight and type, but you can safely assume that a serving fit for one person would cost around $30-$35.

The fish preparation is simple, rustic and divine. With olive oil and sea salt on the side, the fish’s cavity is stuffed with fresh herbs and slightly charred on the grill before finishing in the oven. This preparation produces a clean, delicate and flavorful end product. Immaculate cooking time allows the fish to remain moist but firm, a reflection on the chef’s considerable diligence in preparation.

The entire menu offers roughly 20 dishes in total (excluding desserts), a practical number given the size of the kitchen. While I had the opportunity to try other items on the menu, the strength of the kitchen is clearly the fish department. The antipasto sampler is both forgettable and disconnected. A football team full of great players but never quite gel together is the perfect analogy to describe it. The dry-aged NY steak is dull, lacking some serious creativity and flavor, and neither of those dishes seemed worth their price.

The wine list is short but compact, accessible to both novices and experts. It offers a great selection of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Nebbiolo. Prices start at roughly $40/bottle.

As for the pastas, I cannot comment on them because I didn’t have the chance to taste; however, judging on the chef’s insistence on making fresh pasta daily, it should, and hopefully, be one of the kitchen’s strengths. The black squid-ink noodle sounds intriguing, as well as hand-rolled semolina pasta with chanterelle mushrooms. Perhaps a re-visit to their $25 pasta prix fixe menu from Sunday to Tuesday would do justice.

Review's bottom line: stay with the menu’s strengths (fish and perhaps pasta) and you’ll have a delightful meal. Navigate away and you might never find yourself at Zucca again.

Recommended Dishes: Grilled whole fish (ask them not to de-bone for you and ask for a wild-caught fish instead of farm raised)

Wine List: Italian. Short but compact. Pair well with fish, protein and pastas.

Ambiance: Simple, straight-forward, unpretentious. Ideal for a date or catching up with friends

Price Range: appetizers, $9 - $16. Pastas, $16 - $23. Entrées, $26 and up. Desserts, $6 - $9.

Bang for your buck: $$ (2 out of 4)


Zucca Trattoria
Tel: 416-488-5774
2150 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario