When Joe Brancatella was growing up, he had lots of friends from different cultures. “I’m from a big Italian family that loves to eat and at my friends' houses, I discovered there's a whole world of food from different cultures out there,” Joe recalls. His culinary interest just grew and, at 19, he enrolled in the Chef’s Apprentice program at Humber College. To make extra cash, he took a job as a limousine driver on the side.
One night, after Joe mentioned to a passenger that he was training to be a chef, the man introduced him to a friend, Franco Prevedello. Franco was the owner of Toronto's "it" restaurant at the time, Pronto, and he offered Joe a job. “I had the great privilege of working with two great chefs,” says Joe, referring to Raffaele Ferrari and Arpi Magyar. As luck would have it, Joe would also get the chance to work with a young Mark McEwan, who bought Pronto before opening North 44 nearby.
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Great fresh pasta, fast service and all around good dining experience. They are always busy and it's a bit loud, but well worth a short wait and some noise to enjoy their food.
Grazie is one of my favourites restaurants in Toronto. I love the food and I purchase their (Cook) Book "A Recipe Of Memories" so sometimes I try the recipies at home on Sundays. I you like italian food, try it.
My dad took my sister and I out to Grazie for our birthday. We were very excited to go out for some amazing italian food. We had heard a lot of good things about the place. When we got there they were packed..the man at the front told us half an hour TOPS. We waited for an hour and 10 minutes and then was braught to a table in the back corner that was for 4 people, not 5. They put a chair at the end and we were very squished. We were not happy with this at all and saw a table for 6 set up. I told the man at the front that we waited for over an hour and now are squished in a corner and if we could please have the nice table for 6. He gave so much attitude to us and said FINE. So we got the nicer table.. we then ordered our meal. The server was helpful.. but overly helpful.. talked wayy to much and was obviously only pointing out the expensive things. I ordered the gnocchi and was very excited about it..not to mention STARVING. I got my food, took one bite only to find out it was the exact same gnocchi you buy at the grocery store..nothing different! This was not homemade. The chef came out and assured me it was homemade.. but I am italian ,and my nonno has owned an italian banquet hall for over 40 years .....they can lie to me all they want. I didnt end up eating it and completely lost my appetite.. What an amazing birthday dinner.. NOT !! Dont ever go here !!
The restaurant is packed as hell. Fortunately, this can be attributed to their above-average food quality. I would definitely recommend people to visit and give a try their pizza.
I had gone to the Grazie location in Vaughan on Jane Street last year for a Valentine's Day meal. I was pleasantly impressed as the meal was excellent and our server was very pleasurable. I went once again a few days ago to the same location and didn't feel the way I did the first time. We actually had the same server as the first time which I was happy about. However, the food and service wasn't up to par as the first visit. After we ordered our salads, it took about 30 minutes for them to come. The couple beside us came 15 minutes after us, received their main meals after 10 minutes, and left even before we received our appetizers. I wasn't too happy about that. Then our main meals came about 30 minutes after our appetizers came. The tortellini I ordered wasn't that great, it tasted too hard. The server was great and I would go back just to have him serve us again, but the food wasn't as great as I had hoped it would be.
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Try the bruschetta pizza for an appetizer and then one of their multiple pasta entrees with vegetarian options. Substituting nuts or tomatoes for meatballs in a tomato sauce never fails, while the variety of mushrooms will add satisfying texture and earthy flavour.
View this Smart ListWith two locations in Toronto, one at Yonge and Eglinton and the other in Vaughan, Grazie specializes in southern Italian cuisine and wine. The menu includes four kinds of focaccia and a dozen pizzas (including a four-cheese special with gorgonzola, ricotta, crotonese and fior di latte), so you’ll always have a delicious entree to pair with your choice of grape. Choose from 20 Italian reds or a selection of domestic, US, South American and French labels, both red and white.
View this Smart ListWhen you order your pizza here, you’ll be getting it made fresh to order, from the rolling out of the dough to the last garnish of olive or caper. Inspired by the cuisines of southern Italian villages, the entire dine-in pizza menu is available for online ordering and delivery.
View this Smart List