7Numbers – An Interactive Italian Feast

Food and wine are certainly an interactive experience at 7Numbers. This popular southern Italian family-style trattoria is one of the first restaurants in Toronto to digitize its menu and wine list with iPads.

7Numbers has made the paper-technology shift to “reduce carbon emissions and to provide customers with a more interactive menu and wine list” says Vito Marinuzzi, chef/owner.

Once seated in this intimate and cozy restaurant a staff member promptly hands you an iPad and provides you with a short intro on how to navigate through the menu and wine list (traditional paper menus are available for those not comfortable with technology). I found that within seconds I can skim through the offerings, which include enticing specials and recommendations. The wine list is loaded with descriptions, and ratings by top wine critics. These tablets are not only interactive but are also searchable. I placed my order and within seconds it goes directly to the kitchen and to the bar station for drinks.

There is quite a bit of energy and excitement at other tables – a lot of passing the tablet around, in a collaborative sharing sense. The iPad is cool and trendy – kids love it! Not only does it enhance the dining experience it encourages both sharing and engaging.

The Wine List

Vito personally selects for both restaurants and is the custodian

The list is updated daily

50 bottles on the list and 5 by the glass

25% Canadian wines which are sourced locally
(7Numbers has received the 2010 VQA Restaurant Award of Excellence)

75% Italian wines – Vito sources out eclectic and unusual finds

“Big, heavy reds are back”, says Vito. He highly recommend a Primitivo from Puglia (which comes from 60-year-old vines)

7Numbers is not another Italian restaurant; it is a very different venture and immensely exciting! Go on, live dangerously and explore this new technology while enjoying delicious southern Italian food!

http://www.sevennumbers.com
516 Eglinton Avenue West, Toronto – (416) 322-5183
307 Danforth Avenue, Toronto – (416) 469-5183

Liz Palmer
Wine and Travel Writer