Ferrovia Ristorante located at 7355 Bayview Ave, Thornhill

For an early Valentine’s Day celebration this year, we went to Ferrovia Ristorante for dinner.  The husband booked us a table for two, but at the last minute we had a little guest join us because she wanted to come with us for dinner.

I had been to Ferrovia Ristorante for dinner years ago with friends and while the food was decent, I wasn’t too fond of this restaurant.  This time dining in again for dinner, I left with the same kind of impression.  The food was good with some standouts, but overall I felt like this restaurant isn’t one that I would place highly on the list for return visits.  The prices are also more at a premium so it isn’t a casual spot to dine at often.

Dinner menu in February 2024

Drink menus

Complimentary sliced bread and hummus

Cold slices of bread and hummus arrived at the table upon submitting our order.  The server was nice and friendly and also told us the specials of the day.  The husband found it a bit odd that hummus was served as an accompaniment to the bread when it is an Italian restaurant.  Shouldn’t they be serving the typical olive oil and balsamic vinegar instead?  And why couldn’t the bread have been warmed up?

The Grilled Calamari ($17) was our starter.  It was a small portion.  It came with sauteed artichokes, olives, roasted garlic, and cherry tomatoes.  The calamari was tender.

Grilled Calamari $17
-sauteed artichokes, olives, roasted garlic, cherry tomatoes

Braised Beef Short Ribs $45
-scallion and parmesan mashed potatoes, sauteed cremini mushrooms, pan jus

Although it was a hefty price, I had read online reviews which raved about their Braised Beef Short Ribs and decided to “YOLO” it and order it at the fancy price tag of $45.  I figured I wasn’t going to return to this restaurant anyway and wanted to see what their signature item was like.  This sure didn’t disappoint.  It was a really big piece of short rib with scallion and parmesan mashed potatoes, sauteed cremini mushrooms, and with a pan jus.  The short ribs were incredibly tender and very tasty.  The cremini mushrooms and mashed potatoes were savoury and nice too.

Branzino Beurre Blanc $26
-smashed garlic and scallion potatoes, sauteed garlic asparagus, red peppers, baby kale

The hubs ordered the Branzino Beurre Blanc ($36), which is a type of fish.  It came with smashed garlic and scallion potatoes as well, sauteed garlic asparagus, red peppers, and baby kale.  The skin of the branzino was crispy and the fish was good.  However, look at how tiny the portion is!  How can anyone can full off of this dish? 😦

Funghi Pizza $20
-blend of portobello, cremini, oyster mushrooms, roasted garlic, truffle oil, mozzarella

The Funghi Pizza ($20) had a blend of portobello, cremini, and oyster mushrooms, roasted garlic, truffle oil, and mozzarella.  This smelled really good and I could smell the truffle oil especially.  It was pre-sliced already, resulting with four big slices.  Thank goodness we had ordered this pizza because if we had just dined in with the two entrees, we wouldn’t have been full.  (We ordered this actually because the toddler dined with us.  She really enjoyed it and finished the entire slice.)

Dessert menu

Desserts

Pistachio Tartufo. $12

For dessert, I ordered the Pistachio Tartufo and he chose the Tiramisu.  Both were $12.  I hadn’t tried pistachio tartufo before and this was really delicious.  The exterior of the ice cream was a surprisingly soft and dense shell of crushed pistachios.  It was a contrast against the ice cold pistachio ice cream.  This was such a treat and definitely the highlight of the meal.

The Tiramisu was really good too.  It was soft and light.

Tiramisu. $12

View of the restaurant from the entrance

Our total for the night came to $160 after taxes and before tips, which was not a bill to be taken lightly of.  We were *just* full.  Although the food was good and the service was fine, I just can’t justify the price tag for an okay dining experience.  For this price, I want a restaurant more “wow”-worthy.