PB and I went to Toro Restaurant in the South End on Saturday night. We originally had reservations at the new Max Brenner on Boylston Street but after reading some mediocre reviews and hearing rave reviews of Toro from this pretty lady and my friend Ilana, we cancelled Max Brenner.
First thing to note: Toro doesn't take reservations. I read almost all the reviews on Yelp, so this was no surprise. We left Anime Hell (aka the Marriott Copley Place where apparently 95% of the Anime Convention-goers were also staying) around 5:15PM and headed to the South End. PB mocked me wanting to get there so early (it only opened at 5PM) but all the reviews said the place fills up fast. We arrived around 5:30PM to find, surprise, surprise, the place packed! (Mmhmm. Mama was RIGHT.) Even though it was pretty packed we were seated right away at a high top family style table. I have to admit, when we sat down I wasn't feeling the "family style" seating. My favorite noodle bar in NYC has the same style seating and I actually didn't mind it then, but Bostonians being louder and slightly more crass than New Yorkers, I was concerned we might not be able to handle it. Turns out it was fine! We didn't even notice the people beside us, really, except to eye up their food when it arrived.
Since I'm an obsessive menu-reader before I ever go anywhere, I had already scoped out the menu and Marie & Illana had given us suggestions. I went in with a plan. The menu is all spanish tapas. They have three main sections: Pinchos (like appetizers), Tapas Frias (Cold tapas) and Tapas Caliente (Hot tapas.) After ordering a pitcher of sangria, which was highly suggested on Yelp, we started out with the Pinchos. We ordered:
* Datiles con Jamon: Dates stuffed with blue cheese & almonds wrapped in proscuitto
* Foie Gras con Champinones: Foie gras with chanterelles and Idiazabel cheese
* Pate de Cerdo: Berkshire pork pate with whole grain mustard and hazelnuts
Dates were ok, but I wanted more blue cheese in them. They were super rich so on one hand I'm glad only 2 were served, but on the other I felt a little gipped! PB simply *died* for the Foie Gras. It was delicious. Seriously. DELICIOUS. The pate was tasty but it was more of a chunky pate and both PB & I prefer a smoother consistency. I loved the whole grain mustard, however. It had some major heat! I don't think we'd order the dates or the pate again, but it was nice to try them.
We then moved on to the Tapas Caliente. I seriously wanted to order everything on the menu but I refrained. We ordered:
*Gambas al Ajillo: Griddled garlic shrimp
*Mollejas: Veal Sweetbreads with cauliflower, blood orange and crispy oats
*Maiz Asado con Aioli y Queso Cojito: Grilled corn with aioli, lime, espelette peppers and aged cheese
The griddled garlic shrimp was BY FAR the best dish of the night, in my opinion (PB thought the foie gras was.) The sauce was amazing. I literally swiped the bowl with bread until I had gotten every last bit. I want to go back SIMPLY for this dish! If you go you MUST try. PB nor I had every had sweetbreads so we decided to be crazy and try it, and we enjoyed it! It was pretty tasty and it was on a cinnamon honey that really made them exceptional. The corn was also delicious. I loved it! It came with SO.MUCH.AIOLI. Literally like huge heaping tablespoons on top. PB didn't love this... He thought the aioli was too much. I really enjoyed it when I scraped off all but a thin layer. They gave us two lime slices but we would have preferred more lime flavor. Next time we'll ask to double the limes!
At this point we were getting really stuffed. We decided to each pick one more dish before calling it a night. PB ordered another Foie Gras and I decided to try the Pato con Membrillo: Smoke duck drumettes with quince glaze. The duck was tasty! It was smoky and the quince glaze added just the right amount of sweetness. My only complaint is that mine seemed a little overcooked because they were a little dry, but the flavors were spot on.
Another thing to note about Toro: They do not have a dessert menu! The only option is churros with a chocolate dipping sauce. We decided to order them and another glass of sangria each. They were delicious! Nice and fresh and hot with cinnamon and sugar galore. The chocolate was dark and melty and perfect. They even brought us spoons so that we could eat the leftover chocolate.
All in all it was a great evening! We really enjoyed it. I want to go back to try about 4 more things on the menu (including the paella!) If you find yourself in the South End and in need of dinner, I'd definitely head over to Toro.
The vibe is laid back and hip, the sangria is fantastic, the food is fresh and tasty and the service was excellent! Just remember to get there early to avoid long waiting times, and remember that it not cheap. If you're on a budget you can easily stick with the cheaper options but the good stuff is pretty pricey. Just pay attention to prices as you go or you'll end up SURPRISED at the end! (Not that it happened to me or anything... ahem.)
All in all it was a great evening! We really enjoyed it. I want to go back to try about 4 more things on the menu (including the paella!) If you find yourself in the South End and in need of dinner, I'd definitely head over to Toro.
The vibe is laid back and hip, the sangria is fantastic, the food is fresh and tasty and the service was excellent! Just remember to get there early to avoid long waiting times, and remember that it not cheap. If you're on a budget you can easily stick with the cheaper options but the good stuff is pretty pricey. Just pay attention to prices as you go or you'll end up SURPRISED at the end! (Not that it happened to me or anything... ahem.)
Toro is located in Boston's South End at 1704 Washington Street.
Posted in: Boston,Food,Restaurants
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