Early this year a new restaurant landed on the shores of Bronte Village, Yolanda's Spuntino Casa, and I finally had the chance to check out the new digs in what was Stone Boats. Well, other than the exterior of the historic building and foot print of likely one of Oakville's most stunning patio locations, Stone Boats was shipped away.
That stunning patio is still not open, but they're working diligently to get it ready in time for summer. The interior has been revamped to show off an ultra-modern, slightly eclectic vibe with gleaming white walls, granite and wood tables, and a nod to history was achieved by leaving one of the stone walls unclad.
Upon entering you're greeted by a large wrap around bar, which is where the fun begins with imaginative drinks from the Narratore (Hendricks, St. Germain, Fever Tree Soda, Sugar, Sage,& Lemon) to Aperol Collins (Aperol, Beefeater 24, Lemon, Sugar, Fever Tree Soda). The wine list, both white and red, was carefully selected from Italy, and not available in LCBO stores.
Just past the bar is the dinning room. There is seating for about 50, but reservations are only available for parties over 6 people. So if you are going out as a couple, you'll want to show up before 7:00 PM, or you might find yourself not eating till 8:00 or 9:00 pm.
[restaurants name="Yolanda's Spuntino Casa" website="www.yolandasspuntinocasa.com" location="49 Bronte Road, Oakville Ontario L6L 3B6" phone="289-837-3056" score="4.5" food="4.5" service="4.5" wc="4.5" reservations="no" licensed="yes" hours="closed;5:00 PM - 12:00 am;5:00 PM - 12:00 am;5:00 PM - 12:00 am;5:00 PM - 12:00 am;5:00 PM - 12:00 am;5:00 PM - 12:00 am" takeout="no" delivery="no" pricedinner="3.0" childmenu="no" type="Italian Family Style: Dinner"]
The concept of this Italian restaurant is to provide lots of small plates that are shared. For our first meal with close friends we had almost everything in the Spuntino section (meatballs, porchetta mac'n cheese, stuffed olives, artichokes and aranici), along with gnocchi and kale salad. The consensus was that the lightly fried artichoke with homemade ketchup and red pepper mayo was sublime. However, there really was nothing that we didn't enjoy. You could tell the chef has mastered the principles of Italian cuisine and has a nice creative touch. The ingredients were fresh, everything was homemade, and then was plated properly.
The second time with our 19 year son was also outstanding. We re-ordered the Kale salad - properly massaged and the artichokes. We had the combination cheese and Salumi board, along with the white pizza - which they change ingredients regularly. As is typical of most 19 year olds, our son has a significant appetite, which was easily satisfied.
View from the soon to be open patio at Yolanda's Spuntino's CasaView from the soon to be open patio at Yolanda's Spuntino's Casa
The only weakness for Yolanda's were the desserts with a few exceptions such as: the Italian Toast, which is similar to French Toast but with dollop of mascarpone along with cherry and carmel sauces. It is rich. So in keeping with the spuntino concept, you might want to share.
The service was solid and pleasant. The servers themselves were well versed in the details of the menu. They worked well together, and often if one server was busy, another cleared a table or presented a dish, seamlessly filling water glasses, while answering questions. You could tell that the entire staff were enjoying themselves.
Yolanda's Spuntino Casa is delightful and a welcome addition to Oakville's restaurant scene. I look forward to sampling the rest of the menu very soon, as well as being able to sit on the patio and watch the boats slide in and out of Bronte's picturesque harbour.
