DaNico
440 College St.
Toronto
CA
M5T 1T3
416-347-9511
“How brave are we feeling? Anything we won't eat?" asks our charming server at DaNico once we're seated, delivering two cocktails that are as delicious as they are beautiful.
Tasting menus are not created equal. Too diminutive, and diners risk feeling short-changed on what should be an extravagant evening. Overly loaded, and food comas quickly set in, dulling appreciation for courses that deserve full attention.
At DaNico in Little Italy, housed inside a former bank, chef Daniele Corona's signature tasting menu rings in at $240 per person — so nobody wants to go home feeling empty, in belly or soul. Corona and his team push the gastronomic envelope, yet the tailored service makes it feel as though the tasting menu isn’t simply a list to complete; instead it's an experience shaped around your needs and preferences.
Before even taking a bite, DaNico has whet my appetite. Pushing through towering doors reclaimed from an Italian palazzo, I step into a space that feels almost cathedral-like. Ceilings stretch endlessly overhead, and arched windows — reminiscent of organ pipes — allow light to fall into the dining room in ethereal slices, while omnipotent figures in large artworks peer over diners as they slice into wagyu and twirl handmade tagliatelle.
Things begin with a canapé selection that's almost as fun to look at as it is to eat: Chicken liver mousse arrives in custom plateware shaped like a chicken foot, while crudo is scooped from a shell-shaped bowl. From here, we're whisked through several courses — from smoked mackerel to wagyu to pigeon — never rushed, weaving Ontario ingredients through the tastes, textures, and lens of Corona's native Italy.
Each course orchestrates a miniature ballet at the chef’s pass, as servers arrive soundlessly to collect dishes in custom-made plateware before placing them at your table. Sage servers advise us to save some of the bread course — a mix of crackers and a heavenly knot of garlic-laced dough — as it would be a sin to miss the chance to scarpetta, the wonderful Italian tradition of using a "little shoe" of bread to mop up the unmissable sauce left on your plate.
Spills vanish with a fresh napkin and a joke, never a fuss. The sommelier guides with enthusiasm, pouring Italian bottles you’d never discover on your own — and skipping the nerdy jargon altogether.
Cancel your plans for a nightcap — the evening culminates about three hours later with multiple desserts arriving, first presented beneath a glass cylinder. Choose from sorbet and a reverse cannoli, then watch as nitrotechnics come into play.
In a city sometimes accused of being obsessed with tasting menus, Daniele Corona reminds us that — when done this well — they’re worth falling for all over again.
Signature Tasting Menu: $240 per person before tax and tip.
