Sticking with Tradition

When in Toronto for the Christmas holiday, we joined a group of friends at Terroni for some wine, chatter and food.

Terroni is a Southern Italian restaurant strongly influenced by the food and traditions of the Puglia region (Mr. Oh's ancestral home country). In Toronto, Terroni is somewhat a legend, an example of how having a clear vision and an appreciation for tradition can lead to restaurant success.
There are currently three tavernas in the Toronto region - Queen St. W., the Financial District, and Yonge and St. Clair. It has also forayed into the US food market (rather successfully, some say) with the opening of their Los Angeles restaurant.
This was my first visit to Terroni and it was good - very good. The ingredients were fresh, the food was well made and the service was spot on.
What really drew me to Terroni was its unwavering dedication to tradition. Printed on the menu for all to see (and perhaps to give the waiters some needed ammo for demanding customers), was a notice stating the restaurant would not accommodate additions, deletions or replacements to any of their dishes. The reason? Modifications would alter the essence of the ingredients, thus changing the quality of the dish.

In a society and culture where customization is a given, this was a nice change. And, after enjoying my perfectly dressed salad and the satisfying brick-oven pizza - I wouldn't have had it any other way.