It’s been a little over two and a half months since Matt Basile, the Rebel Without a Kitchen star and man behind the Fidel Gastro’s empire, seized the old Prague deli with promise of a full operation restaurant. And while it’s not quite open to the public yet (y’all will have to wait until Friday), I got invited to attend the soft opening for media on Sunday April 14th. Unbelievably, this all went down the same week Matt made his Travel & Escape television debut and likely was slammed with crazy media tour obligations. Heck, I have anxiety just imagining Matt’s recent schedule, but honestly, knowing the guy, it probably just felt like business as usual. Sure, we all know the food industry is a toughie, and that 9 to 5 hours don’t exist. But Matt to me epitomizes the lesson we’ve all been taught before- if you work hard- and I mean, really hard in today’s economy- the rewards will be great. And having gone from the security of that 9 to 5 world to a Toronto food celebrity in literally just a few short years, you can bet the kid works hard. But even a hard working man like Matt can use a little support, and he’s got a heck of it from his personal and now professional partner, Kyla Zanardi. A superstar in her own right, Kyla somehow is managing to juggle her own endeavour, the Insight Project, her freelance food photography business and now, her investment in the soon-to-be Queen W hot spot, Lisa Marie.
Well, like Matt’s food truck, Priscilla, the restaurant continues with his previously established King of Rock theme and it doesn’t just stop at the name. The East wall touts a massive black and white Elvis mural, just a few feet away from the matching bust behind the bar. There are high top communal tables along the wall, and a few regular four-tops near the front- the soon-to-be star-seats as soon as Mother Nature permits the team to leave the massive front window open.
But the action isn’t all at the people-watching window. Past the bar, and before the kitchen is LM’s in-house pantry, deli and fridge of prepared foods- a must-do shopping experience for bringing a little Olé! home. Here you can pick up some of FG’s signature sauces (y’all know you want to make a Sgn. Slather at home!), hearty soups, marinated and ready to cook meats, condiments, and pretty much any kind of pickle you can dream up. Seriously, if you or anyone you know is pregnant- Lisa Marie is your one-stop-shopping destination.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We still got to get through dinner before it’s time for shopping. And dinner always starts with drinks. Developed with Chris Searl, and a few spirit representatives, Lisa Marie will offer 10 cocktails (off the affectionately titled “Drinkies” menu) as well as local artisan beers and VQA wine. Over the course of the night, my friend, Mitchell Stern (Lisa Marie’s weekend bartender) let us sample a few of the LM staff favourites.
Aperol Spritz (1.5 oz Aperol, Prosecco, Sparkling Water, Orange, Olive, $11)
Malocchio Sour (1.5 oz Sailor Jerry, Egg Whites, Limonata, $12)
Testa Dura (1.5 oz Tromba, ¾ oz Aperol, 60/40 Agave Water, Lime, $11)
And while you could certainly grab a seat at Lisa Marie’s bar and concentrate your efforts on liquor, you’d be missing out on some tasty treats. Like the pop-up style sandwiches that made Matt famous, Lisa Marie still entertains the idea of street food but takes it to a new level of culinary sophistication. Out are Fidel Gastro’s playful Cuban sandwiches, and in are the sexy Venetian small plates called cicchetti. A homage to Matt’s Italian heritage, the wall above the bar describes cicchetti as “kind of like tapas.. but not.”
Working alongside Chef Kris Topping (Fabbrica), Matt developed a seductive and ridiculously indulgent menu of 12 cicchetti, 2 share plates and 2 desserts. This is one of those menus where you wish you hadn’t eaten for five days prior so you’d have room for double portions of everything. Honestly, it seems like every time I eat something Matt has conceptualized, I think that his palate must be very similar to mine. Considering there are five deep-fried items on offer, maybe that statement seems a little radical coming from a dietitian. But who are we kidding- dietitians like fried foods just as much as the next person. It just takes a really cool dietitian to admit it (right?!) Well, over the course of the evening, we were presented with almost all of the debuting dishes. Here’s a little food porn overview of the goods.
Deep Fried Pizza: Fried Pizza Dough, Smoked Duck with Duck Skin Chicharron, Hoisin Sauce & Enoki Asparagus Slaw ($7)
Deep Fried Pizza: Fried Pizza Dough, Saucy Meatball with Lemon Arugula & Tomato Braised White Beans ($6)
Mozzarella & Marrow Sangweech: Buffalo Mozzarella, Roasted Bone Marrow on Two Slices of Focaccia, Deep Fried and Topped with Lemon ($6)
Short Rib Polenta Patty: Beer Braised Short Rib, on Smoked Tomato & Parmesan Charred Polenta Cake, and Topped with a Fried Basil Leaf ($5)
Pork Belly Cheese Thang: Smoked Pork Belly with Cilantro Cherry Tomato Salsa, Served on a Melted Havarti Cheese Crisp, Topped with Chili Basil Aioli ($5)
Deep Fried Cheese Burger: Seasoned Coarse Ground Beef Stuffed with Aged Cheddar, Topped with House Made Pickle & Fried Egg ($6)
Fresh Tuna Puttanesca Roll: Ahi Tuna Marinated in Puttanesca Sauce Rolled with Bean Sprouts, Red Pepper, Purple Cabbage, Carrot, Basil & Cilantro in a Rice Paper Wrap. Served with Sweet & Sour Mango Sauce (2 for $8)
Alabama Tailgaters: Seasoned Smoked Bacon Wrapped Beer Carpaccio, Cilantro, Aged Cheddar & Kimchi ($6)
Eggplant in a Jar: Brined Eggplant, Tallegio Cheese, Thai Chilis, Fresh Lime, Served with Zucchini Chips ($5)
Turkey Wing Two Ways: Hoisin Chili Sauce with Sesame Seeds & Green Onion and Buffalo Style with Blue Cheese Aioli and Shaved Pickled Carrots & Celery ($1 for 6, 2 for $10)
Deli Style Surf n’ Turf: House Smoked Pastrami and Cured Sardine, Served on a Latke with Pickled Veg and Sour Cream ($6)
Smoke Plate: Smoked Beef Tongue, Cornish Hen, Chicken, Salmon, Lamb Neck & House Pickles (MP)
As the plates emerged from the kitchen, they were immediately descended upon by the hoards of media personnel. First, to photograph, of course, and then to eat. Everything I tasted (and I tasted everything) was unreasonably delicious. Admittedly, it may or may not have been more like immediate inhalation than a tasting, but the staff at LM seemed intent on seeing we all got our LM fix. Actually, I recognized a lot of the service staff as some of the passionate TUM committee members I worked with when I co-hosted Sips & Nibbles. And the TUM connection certainly makes sense. Not just because I know Matt had been heavily involved in their initiative from the start (and was very grateful for those early opportunities), but also because of the weekly LM-pop-up collaboration at the restaurant. Hopefully starting in the next few weeks, every Tuesday, starter pop-ups (much like pre-truck Fidel Gastros when he got his start at TUM) will have a chance to take over Matt’s kitchen and host pop-up meals. What a generous way to nurture our hungry food community to help it continue to prosper and grow!
To me, LM is a real encouraging symbol of our food culture’s growth. I am so proud to participate in a food community that nurtures and nourishes the dreams of young passionate food entrepreneurs like Matt. And I’m so proud to know so many dedicated people with big goals and massive drive. It may have been the Tromba tequila, but I left LM buzzing with excitement. The food, drinks, décor, service and of course, Matt’s signature “Olés” made for an unapologetic, self-indulgent fun evening out.
Lisa Marie opens Friday April 19th for dinner service 6 days a week (closed Mondays). He is also hoping to begin lunch and brunch service in the next few weeks after everything gets nicely settled. While most of the tables are open for walk-ins, LM will apparently set a few aside for reservations (yay!).
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