Mark & I went to eat at Seven Numbers Danforth the other day, and discovered just how quickly this new location has become a local favourite. In fact, we showed up without a reservation, we just went on a whim, & had to wait about 30 minutes for a table as the place was really crowded, but it looked like a fun dining adventure, so we didn?t mind. Once seated, we studied the menu posted on the blackboards which changes daily. This is one of those Italian restaurants where everything is ordered separately, & is itemized by Antipasti, Primi, Secondi & Contorni. Family style dinners are available for 5 people or more (I suspect only with reservations). In fact, reservatioins are required for 6 people or more.

I started my meal off with a nice glass of Valpolicella ($9). I scoured the antipasti selection & considered many of the options such as pan fried calamari, prosciutto with figs salad, pan fried olives & focaccia, cheese plate ? the possibilities were plenty, & finally I decided upon the buffalo mozzarella with bresaola & truffle oil which was melt in your mouth fantastic ? I chose well, though I?m sure I?d have felt the same way about any of those other options.

There was again a decision to be made about my main course? I considered Rosa?s ossobuco, the grilled long & thick Italian sausage, the grilled tuna w/spicy tomatoes or the tilapia fillet, and decided upon the Veal Braciola (wrapped veal with spinach & romano cheese baked in tomato & white wine). I am not generally a veal person, but this was really good & had a bit of a spicy kick too ? nice to warm you up on a cold night. Now, as I stated before, things need to be ordered separately, so when you order the veal, that?s it ? no side dishes included at all (i.e. rice, potatoes vegetables, salad ? nothing) so, I ordered a green salad to accompany my veal. It was a simple mixed green salad with an herbed balsamic vinaigrette, & surprisingly substantial for $2.

I finished my meal off with a citrus tarte with semi sweet chocolate. I loved the flavour combination, but found the crust on the bottom a bit overcooked. My Americano was a nice accompaniment to the tarte.

All in all with taxes & tip my portion of the meal came to $46 which isn?t too bad when you consider all I had. If you aren?t paying attention, your bill can come as a bit of a surprise as all of the individual elements look so cheap on their own (i.e. $9 for the buffalo mozza, $9.5 on the veal, etc, but it does all add up.

The food was quite good, the service was friendly, the atmosphere was warm, despite the volume level. This is not a place to have a quiet conversation, as you will find yourself yelling just to be heard by your dinnermate across the table. The buzz is distinct. The one thing I found a bit off-putting was the fact that when I attempted to pay in cash, the waitress said they didn?t have change, that they did not have a cash register or float? WTF?!? All restaurants have floats, you have to have a variety of payment options available for your customers. At no point was the statement made to provide exact change only. I did not want to put it on a credit card & it didn?t look like the type of place to have interact. There was no way I was giving her a $14 tip on a $46 bill. I sent her back to look for more & of course she found some change.

Other than that oddity, the meal was pleasant. I would go back, and bring a credit card.