Two weeks of eating out every meal in Toronto was certainly an aggressive endeavor, but hey someone had to do it. After honestly, many a mediocre meal, the final night my sis and I dined at the often recommended Gusto 101, which was absolutely fantastic.

I’m not sure if they take online reservations, but they were full when we checked – it was a beautiful Friday night. So we strolled over from The Thompson and were told it would be an hour and a half wait, perfect. We’d have some drinks nearby and wait for them to text us a table was ready. Oh, they texted alright. At 30 minutes – a cancel, again at 50 minutes, and finally just when they said a table would be ours. Our drinking schedule just didn’t align with the resto, so we kept the late option.

Gusto is truly a neighborhood gem with a large patio of industrial chic furnishings. (The loos were a bit more ‘2AM nightclub’, but we can’t all be perfect).

The house vino was sold $1 per ounce!! How brilliant! Buzzed from pre-dinner drinks, we certainly didn’t require anything nicer. And when the waitress asked how many ounces we wanted, we just asked what the normal amount was. Answer:  5-6 ounces. I’d have guessed double. Guess I’ll just have a refill. The red was a malbec-cabernet blend and the white was pinot grigio. Nom.

The bread was a focaccia and ciabatta and came in a fun bag. It was no big deal, but helpful with the wine.

We ordered a simple salad of arugula, tomato, ‘drop pepper’, parm, and avocado. It was perfect to share after a day (err weekend) of eating baked goods.

Drop peppers  – so cute! The Hershey kiss of the vegetable world.

Next up, was the shared pizza. We opted for the fennel sausage and pepper pie. It was a nice thin crust that didn’t leave you overly stuffed. I’d definitely have this again.

We also tried the cacio e pepe pasta. It was…okay. Honestly, I think this dish in totality is just OK. It has never wowed me. Must stop ordering it and attempting to make it.

Rush to Gusto next Toronto visit. It was so much more fun and satisfying than anything else in town.