Blu Ristorante - Toronto, Ontario

I went to Blu Ristorante for their Summerlicious menu with my family, as it was one of the highest rated restaurants (on Google Maps) in the Yorkville area that was participating in Summerlicious. I really liked the decor of the restaurant - it was upscale and elegant, and each table had a ... good amount of space such that it didn't feel crowded. The servers were very attentive and provided excellent service from the beginning to the end. Unfortunately, it was the quality of the food that let us down. The complementary bread that is served at a lot of Italian restaurants has consistently been a good way to predict the quality of the rest of the food to come, in my experience. They served focaccia with olive oil to start, and I thought the focaccia was quite dense and extremely salty. With that said, it was still moist and it felt freshly baked so, overall, it wasn't the worst one I've ever had. The beef carpaccio was well-prepared (ie the thickness of each slice of beef was perfect), it just needed a bit of seasoning and acidity. The pickles that were served on the side brought some life to the plate, but I felt a bit more acidity component (e.g. may be from vinegarette or even a quick spray of lemon juice) and salt on the actual carpaccio itself would have made the dish more memorable and also a better starter to the meal. The braised short ribs for the main course was a huge letdown. Yes, it was cooked well and the ribs were very tender. However, both the jus and the ribs were very poorly seasoned, they completely lacked the depth of flavour you'd expect from a nice cut of beef that's been braised. I was also not impressed with the polenta - honestly, I was expecting it to be creamy, but it was served in a more solid form, almost like a cornbread. It wasn't as dense as it looked and it was better seasoned than the ribs, so it was the best part of the dish, but I was still a bit disappointed it wasn't prepared in a more traditional way. It just didn't really enhance the dish at all to serve it in that manner. The vegetables on the side were inedible, the asparagus in particular were extremely overcooked and bland. I also did not enjoy the cannoli - first of all, to call the dish cannoli, they really should have served more than one... it's just not the type of mistake you'd expect from an Italian restaurant. I'm glad they served only one though, because it was just not good. The crust was way too thick, it was not rolled out enough and it was so dense that I couldn't break through it with a spoon. Also, it completely lacked any sweetness that was needed to lift the dish a little. The chocolate crumbles they served underneath tasted as though they came from the freezer. It was just all so forgettable. Given the flavour profile of the pistachio filling, I did not think sliced strawberry and gooseberry were good accompaniments; it felt like they didn't really think much about the overall execution of the dessert. Given this is one of the more upscale Italian restaurants in the area, I was just really let down by the food they served here. Most of the food was very poorly seasoned and lacked the quality and the thoughtfulness behind flavoring I expected from this type of restaurant. I will not be coming back, and I definitely would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. Read more

First time here today. To my surprise, every dish was great. From grilled calamari as our appetizer to the cooked to profesion steak as main. With tiramitsu to finish the night as desert. And our waiter, Michael provided the equally great service. Would definitely recommend this to ... my friends without any hesitation. Read more

We did the tasting menu with the wines pairing to celebrate my husband’s birthday. It was everything perfect! Food delicious, atmosphere with live music, and service was amazing. The wines pairing was very accurate for every dish, it definitely worth the price.

The service is amazing. Michael is friendly and professional. Also, he would recommend daily special to all customers. I can feel he is so in love with his job and his passion is so respectful. In terms of food, the beef carpaccio is so good. The beef is fresh that can ... taste a bit sweet. Less seasoning is good enough. Pasta also needs to be try. I forgot to order Tiramisu. Berries Martini! I like the balance of sweet and sour. Read more

We went to the restaurant tonight for our son’s birthday. The food was incredibly flavoursome. From appetizers to our main dishes, every course was prepared beautifully. Our server Michael was very welcoming and helpful. He is knowledgeable about everything on the menu. He gave us ... excellent suggestions. We had a wonderful time there. Read more