I feel a bit reluctant to share this, and I hope there are no bad feelings.  I promise that if you read all the way through you’ll know that it’s not as bad as it sounds.  Okay, here it goes… I am not a big fan of Italian food.  Before you gasp, let me explain.  It’s not that I don’t like it, in fact, I love my home-made lasagna, but for some reason I don’t really crave Italian food as others do.  I can go for a very long time without eating an Italian dish but when I do eat it, I certainly enjoy it.

I came back from my Central Europe trip craving Italian food so having dinner at Tappo Wine Bar and Restaurant upon my return definitely satisfied the craving.

Tappo Wine Bar and Restaurant is perfectly located in the historical Distillery District, one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in Toronto, perfect for restaurants and cocktail bars.

The owners of Tappo, Armando Russo, and Shayne Carson took care of business by incorporating a 19th century look and feel with large wooden beams and thick stone blocks.  One the outside you’ll find a very cozy patio  which faces the main courtyard of the Distillery District.  Unfortunately, for us, the patio was full so had no option but to sit inside.

Our waiter came by right away went through the menu with us, and gave us enough time to go through the menu.  The menu features chef-inspired daily creations as well as great antipasti menu, fish and meat dishes.

For the first dish I ordered the Linguine Ai Fruitti de Mare, which has shrimps, clams, calamari and scallops served in a zesty white wine broth with a touch of plum tomato sauce.  The seafood was fresh but the winner here was the plum tomato sauce.  The blend of the perfect ingredients was truly a feast for my taste buds.  

 For my second (and last) dish I ordered the twice cooked octopus served on a Sicilian caponata and topped with salsa verde.  I was truly impressed by this dish.  I’ve had grilled octopus but never this fresh and never this flavorful.  I could taste just enough of the octopus but also the charcoal flavor infused into it.

I had a great dinning experience in this restaurant and was pleasantly surprised by the service of the staff and the quality of the food. Go to Tappo if you want to pair great quality Italian cuisine with the environment of the Distillery District.  It’s a bit on the expensive side but if you want to dine in the historic Distillery District, it’s the place I’d recommend.