Famiglia Baldassarre — Restaurant in Toronto

We were there about 10 minutes before they opened and there was already a queue of at least twenty people in front of their door. Understandable because the food served at Famiglia Baldassarre is undeniably fresh and delicious. There is a certain purity in what they do as things are kept simple with a very compact but ever-changing menu. On any one day that you are there for lunch, you are likely to find two kinds of pastas and a few appetisers up on the boards for selection. To start, we chose the buffalo mozzarella ($9, made in-house that same morning), Parma ham ($6) and asparagus ($5), which was basically neatly everything that was listed. Smooth and almost perfectly spherical, the mozzarella’s tightly bound layers were visible when we cut it apart, almost like an onion’s. It was delicious whether eaten by itself or with the complimentary crusty bread. Which by the way, was crazy good. Tissue-thin, the large slices of 16-months-aged Parma ham were velvety-soft, and had a lovely sweet and mild flavour. They were easy to savour as opposed to the kind I’ve come across with meat fibre that refuses to tear even under brute force. Simply prepared with a little olive oil, the asparagus was tender, succulent and had a delicate snap to the bite. Spring seemed to burst forth in every bite of it. Of course we had to have the two available pastas of Spagettoni Aglio E Olio ($12) and the Ziti La Genovaise ($14). Very enjoyable both but the latter was my preferred. The long tubes of pasta were perfectly al dente and I thought the slow-braised sauce of beef and onions it was cooked in, very tasty. Indoor seating is limited to 10 people at any one time, so do aim to arrive really early if you wish to avoid waiting. This is to ensure you get included in the first round of seating that begins at 12noon. Alternatively, weather permitting, get your food as takeaway and sit at the tables outside to enjoy it with a side of fresh air.

#veronicaphuaeats...

Finally had the chance to try out the acclaimed pasta here after a year of drooling over their ig. It certainly isn’t easy to eat here, they only do lunch Wed - Fri from 12-2 pm often with only 2 different pastas they feel like making for the day. With their location quite out of the way of subway lines, we had to really plan to make it for lunch here.

We arrived at 11:40 am to a line about 20 people deep and didn’t put in our order until 1 pm. I think there’s usually a line but the 2024 Michelin guide just came out the day before so I think we may have been a little unlucky with the long line.

Overall, it was pretty good. Was it worth the 1.5 hr commute down and 1.5 hr line? No. I would only recommend going if you’re already downtown during the lunch hour (and you have some time to spare) and they have an interesting pasta for lunch (they post on ig a few hours before).

Antipasti: Heirloom tomatoes: our fave dish! Simple dressing of EVOO and salt, but it really brought out the sweetness of the tomatoes. Unfort this was a one off for the day Prosciutto: 18 month aged, great funk, meaty and salty Chantrelles + garden herbs: perfectly tender mushrooms in a creamy sauce, it was great but quite heavy, could have done with some acid

Pastas: Tagliatelle in bianco: just butter and parm but done well - tasted really creamy but sorely in need of an acid (i know i just offended all of Italy with that statement) Ricotta & spinach ravioli in rosso: surprisingly light filling in a fresh and flavourful tomato sauce, it was quite good but not outstanding

Dessert: Tiramisu: very light, maybe too light? And the lady fingers were a bit soggy, i would have preferred a bit more of a textural difference - but might just be...

This place has the BEST pasta in Toronto! Freshly made everyday with flour imported straight from Italy, the noodles are absolutely the star of the show. The shop is only open for lunch Tuesday through Friday for two hours (noon and 2pm) but I honestly think it's worth taking a day off work just to eat here.

Everyday, you have a choice of two daily pastas. I tried the Cappellacci Verdi ($13) and the Tagliolini Funghi ($10) and I was in heaven - this pasta was better than most of the pastas I had in Italy last summer!

The Tagliolini Funghi is topped with mushrooms, a little butter sauce and some reggiano. I love how something so simple could be so good! Here, the pasta really does shine. I was a little skeptical at first glance when I didn't see much sauce but I was surprised to find that the light butter sauce actually highlighted the light and bouncy texture and flavour of these handmade noodles. No extras needed!

The Cappellacci Verdi (spinach pasta) was cooked perfectly with a light springy texture. The inside was stuffed with a duck filling that just exploded with the most amazing rich flavour. A healthy dose of buttery sauce and duck braise highlighted the magnificence of the pasta.

If eating in, I would also strongly recommend getting a side of prosciutto as well. Only $5 for a generous dish of delicious crudo straight from the Emilano Region!

If you're ever in the area, make sure to take a detour and drop by for lunch. I guarantee you'll be talking about it for days. Chances are, you will probably end up buying some fresh pasta to take home with you too! I can't wait to...