By Christine Hoang
Posted Thursday, August 11th, 2005

Yorkville eatery big on name, but small on taste

As far as restaurants in Yorkville go, Café Nervosa is one of the most averagely priced of the lot. But that’s not really the reason why I decided to walk up the stairs of this simple building on a fateful Friday night. For all you “Frasier” fans out there, you might recall that this restaurant shares the same namesake as the titular character’s café of choice. (For all you non-fans, now you know – whether you really cared or not.) And yes, if there were a Central Perk in Toronto, I’d be throwing some cash its way too. I’m easy that way.

Café Nervosa, with its narrow dual floor layout and ample roof-top patio space, kind of reminds me of Seven West or Hey Lucy! But because it’s in Yorkville, the pretentious factor is amplified by ten. Never mind that Café Nervosa is very casual and unassuming, or that there is nothing separating its menu from the aforementioned eateries besides a couple of twenty-dollar bills. Hey, it’s in Yorkville, so that’s just the way it is.

On such a balmy Friday night, my dining partner and I were lucky to score a table on the already-full rooftop patio (which, by the way, could do with more elbow room). Little did we know that we should have saved the celebration for another restaurant. Because we were seated so close to the door, and by proxy the washrooms, we were bombarded with a quite distasteful smell wafting through the open doorway. Now, I’m not a demanding diner by far, but even I have my limits. Eventually, and with much relief, we switched to another table by the far wall, and the problem was solved. (Although, if the wait staff would just close the door, that would be a resolution too, but I’m not nitpicking here.)

The staff is pleasant enough, and the service quick, although the look that our waiter gave us when we pointed out that he fetched the wrong bottle of wine (same brand, different kind) made me break out in cold sweats for fear that he would later spit in our food. The 2002 Jackson Triggs cabernet sauvignon/cabernet franc ($28.00) blend we settled on was quite delicious. But since the wine isn’t actually made at the restaurant, it doesn’t really count. The wine menu is extensive, although there are more imported reds than anything else (bring your most discriminating red wine drinker on your excursion here). There is also an enticing selection of martinis ($8.95) and summer cocktails ($7.95) that are perfect for patio season. Unfortunately, most are vodka based, and drinking vodka makes me madder than the Mad Hatter. Still, for an after-dinner drink, Café Nervosa is a prudent bet.

But if you’re looking to dine, which is what we set out to do, it may be safe to keep walking down the street. It’s not just Café Nervosa, but Café Nervosa “Trattoria,” which means you’ll be finding the same nondescript menu items you might find at any other trattoria. For insalate, take your pick: the green salad (verde) in small ($5.95) or large ($7.95); the spinach salad (spinaci) for $8.95; the grilled chicken breast salad (pollo e formaggio di capra) for $16.95; or the seafood salad (insalata di mare) served with smoked and grilled salmon, calamari, jumbo tiger shrimp, and scallops for $22.95. And in order for me to shell out twenty-five dollars for a salad, it better be encrusted in gold nuggets or have a whale sitting on it. In other words, I skipped the appetizers.

For antipasti, Café Nervosa offers bruschetta with parmigiano ($7.95) – for the price, I’m assuming that you’re actually just paying for the more expensive cheese selection; baked oyster mushrooms with pesto and parmigiano ($10.95); and beef tenderloin served on arugula ($12.95). There’s a sampler dish as well, which offers the greatest hits from the antipasti, but will run you about $25.00 for your troubles.

For dinner, we settled on the seafood linguine ($15.95) for me, and the penne with chicken and spinach ($15.95) for my dining partner. There are seven pastas in total to choose from, but these looked like the best bets for our insatiable appetites. The secondi (main dishes) sound pretty enticing, especially the “pollo nervosa” for $19.95 (although why this chicken concoction is named after the restaurant remains a mystery to me – a grilled chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes has been done before), and the grilled Angus strip loin for $25.95. I almost ordered the strip loin, but the vision of a tiny piece of meat sitting amidst a gigantic plate adorned with two potatoes and a wilted piece of bok choy – taunting me as all things in my visions do – snapped me out of my iron-deprived daydream.

My linguini, served with pan-seared tuna, and fresh and sundried tomatoes in a pesto sauce, was a relief to my taste buds. The pesto sauce was generously allotted, as were the chunks of tuna happily swimming in my non-child portioned dish. I could have done without the sundried tomatoes, which did little to complement the pesto sauce, and the tuna would have benefited with a little less oven time, but all in all, it was a hit. The penne, similarly, was superior. The chicken was neither dry nor flaky, and the cream and white wine sauce was just the right consistency.

For dessert, Café Nervosa has a selection priced at $7.95. More interesting items include amaretto bread pudding (cinnamon raisin bread pudding covered with an amaretto glaze) and maple crème brulée. There’s chocolate cake, biscotti, and sorbet as well, but for these prices, it might be better to just pick these up at your local grocery store. We tried the tiramisu (this, along with the crème brulée, is made in-house), which was cut in a magnificent rectangle and delicately drizzled with chocolate sauce. Normally, I am a big fan of tiramisu, which would mean that the larger portion would have made my night. Unfortunately, the tiramisu was dry at the edges, so getting around to the creamy middle was a little trying. On the other hand, whatever the couple had for dessert next to us looked really yummy.

Café Nervosa ultimately delivers on food, but for the price and the atmosphere (not to mention the more pleasant smells), going elsewhere will be time better spent.

Ambiance: 6 out of 10 (Don’t venture here on a weekend unless you’re drunk and loud; if this is the case, you can fraternize with others like yourself.)
Price to Quality: 6.5 out of 10 (Dinner for 2, including drinks and tip: $100.00.)
Menu: 5 out of 10 (Low selection, uninspired menu.)

Christine Hoang is a Restaurant Columnist for AfroToronto.com

©ChristineHoang2005