Dining Out: Insalata Costa; Pizza Bianca al Tartufo; Linguine di Gragnano Cozze, Vongole e Peperoncini; and Pizza di Crema con Gelato alla Zuppa at Costa Sorrento

I hadn't seen my friend Ronsee since last December (because adulting) so when he asked if I was free for dinner this evening, I was like, "We gotta make this worth it." So I told him to meet me at Costa Sorrento, my favourite Italian restaurant, where he had never been before.

Insalata Costa: Baby arugula, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and Grana Padano
Pizza Bianca al Tartufo: Fior di latte, mixed mushrooms, shaved black truffle, and white truffle oil
Linguine di Gragnano Cozze, Vongole e Peperoncini: P.E.I. mussels, clams, shishito peppers, and white wine sauce
As per usual, we decided to share everything to get more variety out of our meal. I had never been disappointed with a single visit here before, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case tonight. I'm not sure if it's because it's a weekday (I'd only ever come here on the weekend), or if the majority of the dishes we ordered were off the regular menu instead of the daily specials, or if they hired different chefs, but the only dish we both absolutely loved was the pizza. Whatever dressing they put in the salad was so salty that, added together with the Padano cheese, was like a bitter assault to my tastebuds. (I initially wondered if it was because I recently quit smoking cigarettes and flavours are just FLAVOURING HARDER now but Ronsee, who is not a smoker, agreed that it was excessively salty.) The pasta was okay, but all the shellfish was quite sandy, and with a total of four mussels and six baby clams in a portion of pasta that is definitely not made for sharing, we didn't think it was worth $40. (Sorry, but I've eaten bowls of cereal bigger than this.)

Pizza di Crema con Gelato alla Zuppa (Daily Special): Neapolitan pie with vanilla and chocolate custard cream, walnuts, peaches, and walnuts, with zuppa inglese gelato

We got one of the desserts off the daily specials menu, the Pizza di Crema con Gelato alla Zuppa. The pie itself was decent, surprisingly not too sweet with a nice firm texture and a buttery crust. But the zuppa inglese gelato was... horrendous. I'm not sure what I was expecting — maybe just a mellow, vanilla or milky flavour to complement the pie — but this tasted exactly like the smell of gasoline. Or pure rubbing alcohol. With a hint of permanent marker. Suffice it to say, it was the second assault to my tastebuds in the same dinner. I've never been so disappointed in a meal, let alone from one of my favourite restaurants. I hadn't been back here since November (during which I had a phenomenal meal) and a lot can change in 5 months, but I'm not ready to give up on them yet. I'll have to come back on a weekend next time and see if it's just a bad one-off or if they've truly gotten worse over time. 

Costa Sorrento

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 604-2019