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An uptown classic

Delicious dining

Zucca Trattoria 2150 Yonge St. Toronto 416-488-5774 Hours: Monday - Sunday Dinner 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Chef Andrew Milne-Allan has drifted far from his Queen Street origins to just south of Yonge and Eg, where, with his seasonal menus, he continues to deliver the pure colours, textures and flavours of the best Italian cooking with the lightest touches.

His ricotta-basil gnocchi, in a taleggio-tomato cream ($12) are so fluffy it’s a wonder that human hands made them. Nothing unsubstantial about the taste, though, nor with eggy goat cheese sformato (that’s flan to you), drizzled with basil-zucchini sauce and served with warm chanterelles ($11).

The same musky fungi show up with porcini kin, in hearty veal ragout tossed with perfect penne in a nod to another era ($17). Fazzoletti ai frutti di mare ($17) could not be more contempo.

Square "handkerchiefs" of fresh featherweight pasta lie in layers, bathed in white wine and extra-virg, herbs and grape tomatoes, each fazzoletto concealing a scallop or two or calmari rings, shelled shrimp or octopus. A daily special trout ($24) organically grown, easily measures a foot long; its cavity stuffed with thyme, the fish is grilled to perfect succulence and served with an arugula-tomato-potato salad.

Almond-peach crostata ($8) seems a bit dense, the pastry possibly undercooked. Much better (in fact, the ideal coda to a Miline-Allan meal) is a perfect pear, quartered and drizzled with buckwheat honey and topped with many shavings of Parm-Regg ($7) is a relevation. The wine list is more that adequate to its task. Host Luis Alves skippers a skilled and seasoned wait staff. Changing exhibits of serious paintings and photography (for sale) enliven an otherwise cool, minimal décor $120.

www.zuccatrattoria.com