Antipasto

The back dining area, complete with beautiful
historic windows and floorboards

Antipasto may just be the cutest place in all of St. Jovite.  And that's saying a lot, because there are many cute little restaurants and shops in the village.  This restaurant occupies the historic St. Jovite train station, relocated to its current site just over 20 years ago.   The building has been beautifully restored both inside and out, featuring a popular streetside patio in the warm months.  We wandered in during our March 2012 visit as we were in the mood for Italian fare and Antipasto was right in front of us.

The atmosphere is cosy, although some spots are better than others.  We were in the middle section where a few tables are wedged in between the bar and the kitchen.  On our way out, we got a glimpse of the rear dining area...see photo to the right.  Next time we want to sit back there and soak in the beautiful historic touches, including the wide-plank floor boards and the amazing decorative window...you can just imagine travellers peering through the circular panes as their train arrived.

The menu is Italian, and to our pleasant surprise, they have a wood-burning pizza oven (there just aren't that many in Toronto so it's always a treat.)  The menu is deep and the food is fine...not amazing, but fine if you're looking for comfort food.  The servings are generous and I was quite happy with my pizza, although if I were to name the best pizza in the area, I'd still give the crown to Le Vieux Four (The Old Oven).  My wife and I agreed that the perfect marriage (other than our own) would be Vieux Four's food in Antipasto's setting.

I guess I would characterize this as one of the more touristy places in St. Jovite. And that's not a bad thing...good comfort food in a picturesque building.  For more info, visit the Antipasto website.