Scaddabush Gets Massively Rustic With New Downtown Location

The war on carbs lost another battle with yesterday's opening of Scaddabush, the 6500 square foot Italian Kitchen and Bar at Yonge and Gerrard. The chain – launched in July 2013 at Mississauga's Square One Shopping Centre and helmed by executive chef Steve Silvestro (Alice Fazooli's) – aims to bring Nonna's rustic home cooking (for 300 diners at a time) at mild prices to the downtown crowd, who can gorge on a glut of bruschetta, homemade pizzas, and pastas. The restaurant features "social sizes" – an elegant way of saying "super size" – to encourage sharing and a huge cocktail and wine list to lubricate the conversation. For the mega-Italian experience, watch mozzarella stretched in-house every day from 5-11pm, and if marriage is too serious a commitment, consider the Italian Wedding Soup, handmade mini meatballs and fresh penne noodles for $6.43. The space is lofty cool and the food is overflowing: Nonna has never looked so swish.