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EDNA + VITA
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EDNA + VITA is a saucy new Financial District spot brimming with a surplus of modern Italian eats. Spread across two floors — each with their own personality — the restaurant is cheeky and slick, fast-paced or leisurely, depending entirely on diners' moods.
With a name that translates roughly to rejuvenation and life, EDNA + VITA is an appropriate moniker for the restaurant replacing Reds Wine Tavern, in First Canadian Place. Vibrant and unquestionably young (in large part thanks to gleaming neon signage and a flurry of chaotic, arresting portraits by street artist Stikki Peaches), the space introduces a dash of irreverence into the typical fine-dining formula.
“Reds was great for its time,” says Anesie Johnson, VP of marketing for SIR Corp. “But people’s dining habits have changed so much. ….We wanted to overhaul the whole concept to start attracting the evening and weekend clients. The younger users.”
Vintage Italian magazine covers have taken the place of exposed brick walls, with oversized pendant lamps, ceramic tiles and a proliferation of live plants lifting the space out of its dusky, power-lunch past.
Upstairs, dubbed EDNA, the mood is placid. Diners pop in for late lunches and three-course dinners paired with chewy Tuscan Brunellos. At the lower-level VITA, guests are greeted with complimentary prosecco, the $1-an-ounce wine flows, diners are apt to table hop and the staff get winded shuttling people-pleasing pizzas and assaggini boards from the pass to every table. In short, as Johnson affirms, the enormous space “offers a little something for everyone.”
It’s an approach that carries over to the menu, where guests find a flurry of well-made, regional Italian staples. “EDNA + VITA really started based on the food first,” explains Johnson. “We built the brand around the food.”
“I’ve been cooking Italian food for 28 years,” adds executive chef and VP of culinary development for Sir Corp., Gordon Mackie. “I wanted to invest more time into creating a brand around it.”
Meant for sharing, each dish — from seasonal antipasti and primi constructed from house-made noodles and sauces — reveals Mackie’s respect for Italian traditions, genuine enthusiasm for the country’s cuisine and considerable know-how. The menu isn’t new — we’ve all seen pizza and veal parm before — but made with care, from top-quality local and imported ingredients, it’s replete with dishes you’d gladly encounter again and again.
On any visit, you might want to start with punchy, bright Tuna Crudo, Whipped Ricotta + Beets or an Assaggini Board carrying chewy, crisp cacio e pepe focaccia and a trio of savoury, zippy dips in which to submerge it.
Alongside, one of the bar’s jaunty drinks is essential. Whether you draw attention to your table with the spirit-free Prickly Pear Spritz — a glittery, Barbie pink drink that could make any tween squeal — or prefer the more subtle (though, to be honest, no less dramatic), rum-infused Out of Office, may depend on the time of day.
A take on an Old fashioned, the Testa Di Moro is a sultry, suave blend of Lot 40 and red wine and orange syrups that wouldn’t have felt out of place at Reds.
Have a long night ahead? Then the sweet, bracing Vanilla Espresso Martini, it’s foam playfully imprinted with the restaurant’s logo, is the obvious choice.
Scanning the team’s pasta and pizza offerings, eyes dart from vegetarian Radiatori Alla Genovese and Lasagna Al Forno to modern Italian pies made with Mackie’s highly-hydrated, long-fermented dough.
House-made pesto, lemon ricotta, a generous amount of sweet red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes turn al-dente noodles into a light and lively meal.
Mackie’s individual lasagna, meanwhile, is the result of house noodles, old-style bechamel and slow-cooked Bolognese combined, steamed (for flexibility) and then crisped (for crusty, cheesy edges) in a scorchingly hot oven. “Everyone makes lasagna,” says Mackie, failing to add that not everyone makes it quite like this.
Delightfully textured, with the unmistakable tang of fermentation, any pizza the team makes is worth exploring. Opt for the Emilia, and savour prosciutto, stracciatella cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and the pop of pickled red onions in every toothy bite.
Though they may not enjoy the same popularity as the menu’s crowd-pleasing pizza and pasta options, the menu’s Principale, like elegantly charred Agnello Alla Scottadito, are maybe the best way to sample chef Mackie’s confident cooking. Eschew convention, instead taking a hint from the dish’s name (which translates to “burned fingers”), and treat each one like a savoury, juicy, meat lollipop. Dredged in pert salsa verde, with hints of lemon and garlic, rosemary and mint, the lamb makes a serious argument for why it should become the restaurant’s top seller.
Available throughout the day, desserts rank high on EDNA + VITA's list of must-haves. Indecisive types, with enough time on their hands, need only order the Dolci Assaggini Board for a delectable sampling of sweets. With traditional cannoli, fig and walnut biscotti, a chocolate espresso pot de crème and a superlatively creamy, full-sized tiramisu, it’s a dish best approached with companions and a side of coffee.
Lighter in flavour, though not in richness, the no-bake Sicilian Limoncello Cheesecake boasts a graham-crust, decadent, tangy midsection and citrusy curd finished with a delicately brûléed shell.
With enough space to accommodate close to 400 guests — in its main dining rooms, at the bar, on the spacious patio and in areas that can be fully enclosed for meetings, cocktail parties, and more — EDNA + VITA is peppered with areas that cater to every type of visitor. Partnered with a menu of reliable, thoughtful fare, stylish cocktails and wealth of wines, that flexibility is hard to resist.
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