One of the most anticipated restaurant openings of the year has finally arrived — and it was worth the wait. After nearly ten years with Buca Yorkville, chef Justin Friedlich has moved over to Rosedale to open Shay Ristorante, an Italian-inspired restaurant anchored by a curated wine cellar.
“We wanted to bring something that’s fresh, new, and comforting that people can call home and visit multiple times a month to enjoy amazing food, wine, and service,” says Friedlich.
It was nearly four years ago when Friedlich turned to his co-worker and expressed his desire to open a restaurant of his own. That co-worker is now Shay Ristorante’s director of operations, Luli Lavdari, proving that sometimes, dreams just take a bit of time.
“I always loved Italian food, but once I really got behind it and was cooking a lot with it, it helped me develop that drive to want to create my own vision — my own take on what I love to feed people, and that’s what Shay is,” he says. “Shay is an expression of my training but it’s also my interpretation of what I love to feed people from an Italian perspective.”
Shay is centred on handmade pasta made in-house daily with premium ingredients, spotlighting regional favourites like lasagne alla Bolognese, tagliatelle ai funghi and spaghetti alla carbonara.
“Everyone loves spaghetti carbonara, but it’s very challenging to do, so not many people do it right,” Friedlich says. “When you do it right, it gives that sense of warmth and comfort for a customer when they’re eating it. That’s the objective of Shay in a nutshell — the simplicity behind it and executing it at its highest level with the highest-quality ingredients.”
A signature highlight is the tartare served by cart tableside. The menu has launched with beef and fish, though Friedlich promises a seasonal rotation.
Every meal at Shay will start with focaccia and a specialty extra-virgin olive oil that Friedlich found through creative director Rayana Dilawri. The estate just outside Palermo, Sicily, has been crafting the oil for four generations, though it was never produced for commercial sale — until now.
“Shay is the only restaurant in the world that has this olive oil. It’s exclusive to Shay so we’re extremely happy to be partnered with them,” he says. “It goes perfectly with our focaccia.”
Wine curator Adam Halpern has built a wine program featuring some of the hardest-to-find (and in some cases priciest) bottles from Italy, France, Spain, Argentina, and the rest of the world. The cellar also features an extensive list of wines-by-the-glass — including some typically served exclusively by the bottle.
“Pairing the wine program with our food and the ambiance of this restaurant marries well, especially in the Rosedale crowd where you have wine lovers who are seeking out unique experiences and unique wines,” says Friedlich. “You’ll find all of that here.”
Shay’s private dining room, La Sala, accommodates up to 16 guests and invokes the same comfort and warm tones of the open and intimate main dining room. Both spaces capture the homey feel that inspired Friedlich to name the restaurant after his daughter.
“When you work in the restaurant industry, you see that they become your family because you see them so much and you spend so much time in the restaurant, and that’s what I wanted everyone to feel. Staff and guests—I want them to feel like family,” he says. “We want guests to feel like they’re at home when they walk through those front doors. It hits home every time I see her name on the front door and every time I walk into the space. It keeps me motivated and it drives me on a daily basis.”
Shay officially opens on October 1. Find it at 1055 Yonge St.