Update : Politica has permanently closed.
It was late afternoon a week and a half ago Saturday, and we were going through the ‘What should we have for dinner?’ conversation. You can guess by the title where the discussion ended!
It had been a while since we’d been out for dinner, so we decided to treat ourselves to one of our ‘this is where we go when we have something to celebrate’ places, called Politica. We had nothing in particular to celebrate though, just a desire for their excellent food and ambiance.
Situated on a corner away from any main street (at 127 Strachan Ave, just north of King Street West), and housed within what would have originally been a stately manor, Politica is in a neighbourhood that is an interesting mix of residential and old warehouses. We love the welcoming atmosphere there, combined with touches of fancyness, (like white linen napkins and beautiful tableware), and during the years we’ve been going there, can honestly say, that we’ve never had a single bite of anything that wasn’t totally delicious.
It might look like we were the only ones there, and it’s true, we were the only ones seated in the restaurant when we arrived, but that was for two reasons – one, it was quite early for the Saturday night dinner crowd, only around 6pm, and two, the outdoor patio was hopping. We chose to sit inside though because we love the interior of Politica, where they have the most comfortable chairs ever. Also we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, because this is a place that gets very busy, and in fact, the last time we tried to pop in without a reservation, we couldn’t get a table because they were fully booked.
So seated at a choice table in the front window, we had a leisurely and wonderful meal.
Knowing that the entrees would be plentiful, and wanting to save room for a spot of dessert, we skipped appetizers, and instead sipped some nice red wine to begin.
To eat, I ordered something I’d not tried there before, but that I’d heard someone at the table next to ours raving about the last time we were there – one of their pizzas. I had the Pesto Shrimp one and it had the lightest of thin crusts, and along with the shrimp and pesto was topped with red onion, roasted red peppers, sauteed spinach and goat cheese. Nick went for their beef tenderloin, which came with poached pear, a potato croquette and some vegetables. For dessert we shared the Vanilla Creme Brûlée.
Everything was so so good, including the service.
All-in-all, this was the perfect ‘celebrating for no particular reason’ experience. We must do more of that kind of thing!
Thank you for dropping over. I hope your Monday is a good one.
xo loulou
