When is Quanto Basta, enough?

Quanto Basta - meaning “enough or as much as you want/like” in Italian is the newest kid on the block south of Summerhill from the owner of Capocaccia Salvatore Mele and has the entire neighborhood buzzing.  Stealing the steam from it's neighbors Le Petite Castor and Earth and opening before the anticipated Terroni project "Bar Centrale",it is the hot spot of the moment and this particular night it was packed from wall to wall with with Rosedale types both young and old, and society-page mavens (the Gee sisters and one of the proprietresses of “The Society”).

Julia, the lovely hostess greets us with a warm smile and hug and quickly seats us before any other hungry patrons notice that she's given us an empty table upon our entrance.  I notice the open kitchen and am happy I will be getting to watch food pornstars (aka chefs) in action.  I also notice the Enomatic Wine Serving system installed behind the bar which don't let a bottle spoil once they are opened- very chique!

The restaurant was sweaty and not just from the heat in the open kitchen but the A/C wasn't working and a packed full house, open kitchen and a very hot steamy day outside = a very HOT restaurant!  It didn't stop us from ordering a slew of food and indulging - we started with a cheese and salumi plate but by the time our plate was served, the cheeses were started to melt!
We also order the foie gras that was on special and unfortunately it felt flat.  The foie which is a favourite of mine was sinewy, stringy and oily which is very unappealing.  We couldn't even finish it as it was way too oily for us!  We also ordered a classic Italian dish - gnocchi served in tomato, basil and with ricotta - basic and simple.  While the portion size was huge, the gnocchi was a huge disappointment.  The gnocchi lacked any character and seasoning, they were bland and sticky.  My dining companion had just come back from Italy and it was obvious to her and to me that this gnocchi was not done well at all and the sauce was not from fresh ingredients.  You couldn't taste the sweetness of the tomatos, the basil and ricotta is usually flavourless so essentially it was just that.. flavourless!  We were desperate for a salt shaker!
Anyway we still enjoyed the energy from the bustling restaurant and the fact that charming Salvatore was circulating to greet all patrons.  The servers admit that they are working on the menu and the kitchen is just experiencing growing pains.

My tip is to wait another month when they've ironed out the menu and the weather is a little more temperate to come back.
** 1/2 stars
Quanto Basto
1112 Yonge Street (South of MacPhereson Avenue)