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Bisteccheria Sammarco
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Despite its arrival in the thick of Toronto’s current steakhouse boom, Bisteccheria Sammarco stands out thanks to the team’s resolute dedication to delivering something new. A passion project for restaurateurs Rob Rossi and David Minicucci, the restaurant is imbued with the same finesse as their Michelin-recognized spots, Osteria Giulia and Giulietta, with an Italian-leaning menu that offers plenty more to chew on than simple red meat.
Where death can come by way of a thousand cuts, seduction at Sammarco takes hold thanks to a thousand attentions. Here, service is as smooth as polished marble, gilt-trimmed plates are monogrammed, and linens are crisp and snow-white. Should they wish, diners can order an ultra-premium tableside cocktail for approximately the same dollar amount as 25 not-so-precious ones. Still, there’s an air of joy to the restaurant that keeps goings-on firmly planted on this side of snobbish.
“We didn’t want to create a traditional old-boys club, a stuffy, dark, square steakhouse,” states Minicucci, who co-owns Bisteccheria Sammarco with executive chef, Rob Rossi. “We wanted it to be fun, vibrant, lively.”
By II by IV Design, the sizeable room is a stylish, contemporary amalgam of speckled terrazzo, gleaming gold accents and Barolo-hued leather. All-Canadian art livens up moody corners, with the so-called “Lego Wall” attracting the lion’s share of attention.
“We wanted to build a restaurant where areas are very unique. You can come here four, five different times and sit in four or five different areas, and have a completely different experience,” says Minicucci. “We have a wine room with a table for four to six. The main dining area is quiet and reserved. The bar area is lively. Eventually, we’ll have a patio, as well.”
At the restaurant’s heart? The exquisite drama of a leather-lined “clover,” that envelops four central tables in a swooping, grandiose hug. “We wanted to do something unique in the centre of the room,” he says. “It’s definitely a showpiece.”
Comfortably nestled, inside the clover or not, diners peruse a menu that feels as unusual for a steakhouse as is a wall festooned with a colourful array of toy building blocks.
“The idea was to take all the aspects of a traditional North American steakhouse and say, ‘How do we make it sing Italian?’ Right off the bat, we started by eliminating things,” explains Minicucci.
So, there is no Caesar salad at Sammarco. Likewise, shrimp cocktail, loaded baked potatoes and creamed spinach have been given the boot. In their stead? There is a carb-laden pedestal topped with focaccia and pillowy milk bread buns, and a tower of frilly gem and Boston bibb lettuce marooned in a sea of herbed buffalo yogurt vinaigrette. There’s also golden Fritto Misto di Pesce and billowing stacks of Villani Mortadella al Tartufo served with crisp grissini.
In place of the martini deluge common at most steakhouses, the cocktail menu boasts a dedicated negroni section where options range from the classic to a novel sipper made with Toki Suntory Whisky, and for requisite Italian-ness, kombu marsala and Amaro Lumia.
When it came to steaks, the team stuck with a less-is-more approach. “We don’t feature a super long steakhouse card like maybe you’re used to seeing,” says Minicucci. The menu lists a mere four options — filetto, contrafiletto, costata and Fiorentina. From Cumbrae’s, the meat is all Ontario prime that’s been aged in-house for 60 days. “That’s just the sweet spot,” he extols. “It’s a science that Rob and his team have nailed.”
On an Italian-leaning list of refined and rustic mains, there is cherry-stained, dry-aged crown of duck and a thoughtful selection of seafood dishes that jumps from Nova Scotia lobster to mascarpone-glossed risotto dotted with meaty morsels of snow crab.
Stans of the team’s other spots will recognize certain menu items. “We did bring over a few favourite dishes from Giulietta and Giulia. Our Olive All’ Ascolana deep fried olives, Insalata Di Cicoria and the pasta. We’ve done it at Giulia.”
Which pasta was deemed remarkable enough to make the Sammarco cut? Fettucine Alla Scrofa ‘Cento Uova,’ a tempting tangle of house-made noodles covered in a voluptuous emulsion of St. Brigid’s butterfat-rich butter and 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano. A dish that oozes quiet confidence, it flaunts flawless execution and superior ingredients in every creamy, slippery, yolk-yellow bite.
Just as lavish, and large enough to share, desserts further reveal the team’s scrupulous attention to craft. Crema di Cocco is both plush and crisp, judiciously sweetened so as not to cloy.
A showstopper that nods to showy steakhouse tradition, Bomba Glacée hides a tempting jumble of vanilla gelato, seasonal conserva, and brittle bites of almond cookie under a fluffy mantle of torched Italian Meringue.
“When we travel, we love to eat in restaurants like this,” explains Minicucci. “You get dressed up a bit. It’s all about the feel, the service, the tablecloth, the details.”
The restaurant he and Rossi “always wanted to open,” Bisteccheria Sammarco is the crown jewel that builds on what the duo has already accomplished at Giulietta and Osteria Giulia. “It wraps up the trifecta. It’s still Italian, that’s what we do and who we are. We’re sticking to our roots. We’re just giving the city our version of what a steakhouse can be.”
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