Tutoni's Soft Opening: May 14, 2014

The boyfriend and I were invited to the soft opening for a new local restaurant, Tutoni's, which serves Mediterranean-influenced cuisine. If you are familiar with local restaurants, I'd say it falls between the White Rose and The Left Bank. Some were comparing it to Victor's, which could be fair.

The restaurant is located downtown in a spot on George Street that has been vacant for a few years now. So it's nice to see something finally make good use of the space. The setting was cozy but not cramped, something I imagine would be perfect for "date night" or even a small group dinner with some close friends.

The owners are still in the process of acquiring the liquor license for the restaurant, but it's BYOB for now. From what I've heard, they hope to have that process complete by the end of the summer. Until then, you can always take a look at the menu in advance and decide what bottle you'd like to bring. I'll be interested to see what they do once they acquire the liquor license. I think they have the potential to go far with this, and I hope they do.

But back to the dinner. Our meal was $30 per person with three courses - a choice of a starter, a main, and dessert.

Our menu for the evening - dessert not shown

I brought this bottle of Rails to Trails Red from Bee Kind Winery - a birthday gift from my friend Melissa. My boyfriend brought his new bottle of Jefferson's Ocean: Aged at Sea bourbon to share with some friends.

I chose to start with the stuffed calamari ($12) and the boyfriend chose the meatballs ($8), both of which were good. The boyfriend said the thought the meatballs were his favorite part of the entire meal.

Stuffed Calamari - $12

For our main, I chose the Atlantic Cod ($18) and the boyfriend chose the Signature Steak ($28). I liked the cod quite a bit, and it was my favorite part of the meal (and dish). I don't say this to criticize, but the cod itself was better than the orzo it was on. Don't get me wrong, the orzo wasn't bad.

I went out on a small limb here because I was hesitant to not order the Chicken Pappardelle, which sounded very good (and I was told was very good). One of our table mates offered me a taste of hers, which I politely declined, but she assured me she was very pleased with it.

Atlantic Cod - $18

Dessert was a choice of one of three or four dessert shooters - mousse in a shot glass. I chose the cherry chocolate, which was rich but good. I believe there was also a caramel and chocolate, lemon curd, and a fourth I can't recall. I didn't see a dessert menu on the website, so I'm assuming these will be options in some form but I can't say for sure.

Chocolate cherry mousse - I ate the whipped cream before I remembered I forgot to take a photo

All in all this isn't meant to be a review or critique of the restaurant in any form. I know there are many people who have been hearing about it for a few months now and are curious what it's like, what the menu is like, when it will open, etc. A friend was nice enough to invite us to participate in this meal, and I figured I could at least share it with you.

Sure there were some hiccups, but I get the feeling the owners are proud of what they do and will continue to strive to improve as time passes. I think they have the start of something good, and I'll be curious to see what they're doing in about six months when I'm back in York for the holidays.

If you're interested in making reservations, and I suggest you do, you can do so here. I believe they'll be opening mid week next week.

Go and try it out. Don't take my word for it. Don't take anyone else's either. Go and see how you like it. I'll be waiting (in SF) to hear!


Restaurants Mentioned:
Tutoni's Restaurant: www.tutonis.com 
The White Rose Bar & Grill: www.whiterosebarandgrill.com
The Left Bank: leftbankyork.com
Victor's Italian Restaurant: www.victorsofyork.com