Pasta, present and future

Brook Kavanagh (above) and Lara Roberts had a pandemic hit on their hands: Season Six, their French-inspired, farm-fresh basement takeout joint at Dundas and Ossington, was perfect for pick-up and delivery. They moved to a bigger space a little south on Ossington, but what to do with the original spot, where they still had a few years left on the lease?

Then they remembered one particular day on their honeymoon. “We were in Florence and found a little pasta counter,” Kavanagh says, “the kind of convivial place where you order and within minutes you’re chowing down simple noodles in butter and sage off a paper plate, standing shoulder to shoulder with strangers. That same evening we saw that legendary Italo-disco producer Giorgio Moroder was playing. We went and danced with all the nonnas and it was magnificent.”

This rare combination of pleasures inspired the pair to open Sprezzatura Spaghetti Disco, the world’s first pasta nightclub. It’s a pasta counter by day and event space by night, where patrons can order up bucatini or rent out the disco for a private fusilli-fuelled dance party, complete with mirror ball, coloured lights and a DJ spinning all the Italo-disco your heart desires. You can boogie the night away, breaking only for a spot of karaoke or a plate of fresh spaghetti and glass of Italian wine.

Kavanagh’s go-to dish? Tonnarelli cacio e pepe — pasta, pecorino romano and black pepper — what he calls “the dish of Rome.” It’s joined on the menu by other stunners like fettucine brisket sugo and rigatoni diavola. “Even when it feels like the world is getting colder,” Kavanagh says, “noodles and dancing remind us that there is much to be thankful for.”

Here, the chef selects his own favourite local joints offering plates of world-class pasta.

Famiglia Baldassarre,122 Geary Ave. “Their agnolotti in sage butter is a must-try. It might be one of the coolest places in Toronto. Its long lines prove that confident young pastamakers can now enter the market with shoestring budgets, no longer swayed by the predominant wisdom that you can’t open a restaurant with less than $200K.”

Pasta Forever, @pastaforeverto “Owner Jess Maiorano started selling fresh pasta — try the cavatelli with literally any sauce — during the pandemic, and after getting a big lift from a Grape Witches Instagram post, her business took off. Home deliveries are on hiatus while she gets ready to open soon at 1693 Dundas St. W. Check out @pastaforeverto on Instagram for updates.”

Tutti Matti, 364 Adelaide St. W. “Perennially fantastic, chef Alida Solomon’s pappardelle in wild boar ragù is the closest you can get to Tuscany in Toronto.”

Enoteca Sociale,1288 Dundas St. W. “My go-to spot for all things Roman. Their dedication to regional cuisine is inspiring. Try the tonnarelli with anchovy, butter and truffle.”

Lucia, 1595 Dupont St. “The agnolotti stuffed with mascarpone, sweet peas, guanciale and orange zest was one of the best pasta dishes I had last summer.”