Destingo Kitchen and Bar is one of the latest restaurant to open in the Queen and Bathurst area. Located in a former furniture and decor shop, this new restaurant has a fairly standard menu that one finds in modern, mid-priced Italian restaurants, with pastas, panini and delicious mains and starters. At my recent visit, which I went with a friend, I was able to try their sautéed wild shrimp, bruschetta and verde salad. The shrimp, which is cooked in white wine broth and lemon butter, served over greens was juicy and not too greasy and the verde salad was good as well. The granny smith apples, walnuts and parmesan combined with a pear vinaigrette gave the rather standard arugula a bit of a boost. The bruschetta was fairly good – the bread was not overly crunchy and the tomatoes very juicy, but not in a messy way. However, I would not say that it is the best item on the menu. The standard bread (at least when we went) was focaccia, which came with butter, but no extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic.
For the main course, we tried their wild rainbow trout, which, like all other mains, can be served with a side salad or seasonal vegetables. Since we had already had salad, we opted for the veggies. The fish was well-cooked, and the vegetables cooked well (though it was a tad bit greasy for my tastes). Another main we tried was their linguini cacio e pepe – linguini with pecorino and black pepper. The pasta was cooked just the way I liked it – perfectly al dente – and was an excellent compliment to the fish and veggies. If you are looking to share your main courses, this linguini would be the perfect choice (though I am sure the spaghetti al pomodoro would work as well).
Destingo’s dessert menu has many items to choose from and we were able to try panna cotta and tiramisu. The tiramisu was, like the bruschetta, fairly standard (and perhaps had a bit too much cream), but the panna cotta, which is topped with a delicious strawberry sauce, was excellent – the tartness of the sauce complimented the dish wonderfully. The menu also lists a huge variety of teas in addition to traditional brewed coffee and espresso drinks.
Decor-wise, Destingo definitely fits very well in the neighbourhood with its unfinished wooden tables and darker walls. The restaurant also has a front patio that is used in the summer. In terms of service, staff was fairly attentive and were knowledgeable about the dishes when we asked questions.
Would I return to Destingo? Yes. And I am also interested in trying their brunch, which is available on weekends.
Destingo Kitchen + Bar is located on 741 Queen Street West. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner starting at 8 AM until midnight Mondays through Fridays and for brunch/lunch and dinner on weekends from 9 AM to midnight. Reservations can be made online or by calling 647-748-3113.
The author dined at Destingo courtesy of Butter PR. With the exception of the tiramisu (from ButterPR), all food photos are by the author.
