Tzin Wine & Tapas Bar

So last night, Hubbs, the Igloo Coder (aka Geek Tukka), and I met up at this new little place called the Tzin Wine & Tapas Bar to have drinks and good conversation and great food. Tzin is pronounced "sin," BTW.

Well, it was *packed* when we got there at 5:30, and no, they do not take reservations. We probably should've gone at 2:00 pm to snag a table, but since we were there at 5:30, the only spot available to us was at the bar, on tall stools facing their extensive wine collection.

Anyway, the decor in Tzin is very modern and chic, although with their kitchen right at the front of the house (facing the window), the rest of the place is remarkably dim and devoid of natural light (which is not a plus in my books). The 20-or-so people that can manage to cram themselves in there to visit with friends will find that, in such a limited space, even whispered conversations would echo and build into a thunderous roar. How much more so, then, when the music is blasting and people have to shout in order to be heard by their friends! The noise was a little unbearable for my tastes, and frustrated me somewhat that I couldn't always hear what my companions were saying.

The menu was a fair size and consisted mostly of tapas, although I noticed that at lunch time they do offer sandwiches as well. The wine list was huge and a little intimidating to the non-vino ignoramus that I am, but luckily Igloo C knew exactly what to order, and it was a perfect choice (fruity, refreshing, not too dry Pinot Bianco). Not knowing the size of my tapas (I saw big plates and small ones come out, so I couldn't be sure how large my order would be), I ordered some pan-seared scallops served with fried kale, raisins, and roasted pine nuts.

As it turned out, my order was a decent size, but only came with 2 scallops. It was delicious, though, and I was admittedly a little glad that both Hubbs and Igloo C turned down my offer to share with them ;) Hubbs had a trio of meats wrapped in some sort of pastry and served with an abundance of arugula marinated in a light vinagrette. He appeared to really enjoy his dish, although I could tell it was not nearly large enough to satisfy his appetite. You can read about Igloo's thoughts on his choice here.

I couldn't help but notice that, as we were eating and trying to maintain a conversation amidst the noise, that a line-up was building at the entranceway. New patrons who wished to stay and eat, but were waiting for tables, found themselves standing outside the bathroom doors with wine glasses in their hands, patiently hoping for a set of diners to leave. I found this to be a little awkward for the new patrons who were waiting as well as for the rest of us who were trying to eat (but who were being stared at every few minutes by someone coveting our seats).

In the end, I was relieved to discover that both Hubbs and Igloo C were willing to switch venues so that we could actually sit down somewhere, face each other when we spoke, and not have to yell above a stereo in order to be heard.

Overall, then, as a non-wine-person I thought that Tzin was good, but not amazing. The wine collection and the colour-coded menu were nice touches, but the space limitations and noise levels were not terribly impressive to me. I would only advise visiting Tzin if you are an avid wine aficionado or you love being in cramped areas with a bunch of other loud strangers. Otherwise, skip the Tzin and head directly to Ric's Grill, an always-tasty and generally quiet establishment.

Rating: 7 / 10

Mangiamo's Trattoria

Yesterday, for my belated b-day celebration, the Vinnys, Hubbs & I ventured out of our comfort zone to try out Mangiamo's Trattoria, pronounced as mon-JYA-mo's tra-tor-EE-ah. According to my fabulous Italian mentor teacher, the name of the place basically means "Let's Eat Casual Diner." It sounds a bazillion times better in Italian, non?

Anyway, the place is very upscale yuppy chic on the inside; neutral walls and dark wood furnishings and generally very classy. Nothing like what we would have expected for a place that touts itself as serving "Italian comfort food." It's also not a terribly large restaurant, so we were a little intimidated to see a table for 15 set up in the middle of the place. It worried us that perhaps our service would be a little on the slow side. Our fears were, unfortunately, founded.

That aside, the place was fantastic. The server was very friendly, personable, and helpful. The menu was small (3 appetizers, 3 salads, 5 entrees and 8 pastas) but the offered dishes were tantalising. I opted for a lemon herb salmon served with baby crab cream linguine, while Vinny had the striploin and Mrs. Vinny had the pork tenderloin. Hubbs went for the Italian sausage buccatini (spelling?), and the guys also shared the antipasti appetizer. All of their entrees came with your choice of side salad or soup, so I chose their house salad (mixed greens with candied walnuts and dried cranberries, and tossed with a honey vinagrette).

The app came quickly, as did the bread and our drinks. I didn't try the apps but am told that it was delicious, and came with a variety of 4 cheeses and 2 different types of salami-esque meat, along with some pickled asparagus. The bread (buns) were cold, which we were a tad disappointed by; warm buns make the butter melt much better, in my opinion, and I don't think it is too much to ask from any restaurant to make sure their buns or bread are warm. But that's just me.

Our soup and salad took a bit longer to arrive, but thankfully we had much to chat about so the time flew by. If you're super hungry, however, I can imagine that the wait would be torturous. My salad was the perfect size and also very tasty; I thought the walnuts were a bit too sweet and overwhelming for the rest of the salad, but generally speaking I enjoyed my greens. Mrs. Vinny, the lone soup drinker at the table, tells me that her wild mushroom soup was fantastic - not too creamy and not too thin, with a nice balanced mushroom flavour.

When our salad and soup plates were cleared, our entrees followed immediately, which I appreciated. I didn't sample others' dishes due to my cold, but my salmon was perfectly poached (still moist in the middle!) and had a nice lemony-herb taste to it. My creamy linguine was, much to my relief, not too creamy, although it was a tad heavy. Hubbs thought his sausage buccatini dish was scrumptious, and his serving was so large that he could only finish about half of it! Mrs. Vinny also really liked her pork tenderloin, and said that it had a nice (albeit slightly sweet) sauce that gave flavour to her meat; unfortunately, it probably overwhelmed her pasta because she couldn't taste the blue cheese that was supposed to be in her side dish. Vinny enjoyed his steak and said it was good, although he looked for a salt shaker (there was none) at the table and commented that the steak was a little undersalted.

Overall, though, it was a lovely restaurant and a very pleasant experience, and generally speaking the food was worth its price (main entrees ranging from $17-$26). Three out of the four of us had doggy bags to take home, and we left the place happy, well-fed, and well-watered.

If you're looking for a more upscale Italian dining experience, I would recommend Mangiamo's, but don't expect to find the typical lasagna and penne that you would get at a more chain-style restaurant. They have great food here, but it's not the type of Italian I would have guessed it to be. That said, the place has a great, relaxing feel to it and the food is really good, for the most part. Go with a date, and go on a weeknight!


Rating: 8.5 / 10

Hubbs' Rating: 8.5 / 10