Italian Archives | Foodgressing

Now Open: The Italian Osteria & Cheese Bar

April 25, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened in the Walnut Grove community of Langley is the Joseph Richard Group’s latest venture, The Italian Osteria & Cheese Bar. This is the first Italian concept by JRG, one of B.C.’s fastest growing food, beverage and entertainment organizations with 21 public houses, restaurants and liquor retail outlets in BC and Alberta. Last month, I attended a media event to celebrate the grand opening of The Italian where we tried some items from their menu.

Disclosure: I attended a media event where all food and drinks were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

The Italian

The menu was designed by Chef Matthew Stowe (JRG Director of Culinary Operations & Top Chef Canada Winner), JRG Executive Chef Andy Slinn and Chef Jason Harper. You’ll find handmade pastas, pizzas as well a cheese bar featuring favourite and lesser known cheeses from Italy.

What We Tried

The evening consisted of a sit-down tasting of several of The Italian’s offerings.

Antipasti Board

The antipastia board consisted of local and Italian meats and cheeses, marinated artichokes, olives, eggplant caponata, Italian crackers and toasted focaccia.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Just how nonna would make them! These meatballs had a nicely springy texture with a bright, tangy San Marzano tomato sauce.

Local Butternut Squash Ravioli

The Butternut Squash Ravioli was a heavenly pasta dish with a smooth, brown butter sauce, roasted mushrooms, caramelized squash, and topped with shaved Grana Padano.

BRAISED SHORTRIB PAPPARDELLE

I would love to order the Braised Shortrib Pappardelle again. The sauce had the perfect, hearty meat flavour and the pasta was wonderfully al dente.

Traditional Lasagna

There’s nothing like a juicy, hearty, tasty lasagna that warms the soul. The Italian’s lasagna had a meaty, flavourful Bolognese sauce complimented with a bright San Marzano tomato sauce.

Prawn Pesto

Seafood lovers would enjoy the Prawn Pesto featuring Linguine, house made pesto and oven dried tomatoes.

Nonna’s Lemon Tart

For dessert, we indulged in Nonna’s Lemon Tart. The custard had a nice lemon zing along with some sweetness in every bite. The basil added some aromatic and sweet elements. The coconut crumble and vanilla bean gelato added some more textural contrast to the dessert.

The Italian Osteria & Cheese Bar
Address: 20330 88th Ave, Langley, BC
Website: www.jrg.ca/establishment/italian-osteria-cheese-bar/‎

Top Vancouver Italian Restaurant: Cinara

April 22, 2018 by foodgressing 2 Comments

This past weekend, I enjoyed a girl’s night out at Cinara, a modern European bistro with a focus on Italian-inspired cuisine. Cinara (pronounced with a “ch”) means “artichoke” in latin. The restaurant is chef-owned and operated by husband and wife duo Chefs Lucais Syme and Gillian Book. Syme has worked at some of the top restaurants in the city (Cioppino’s and Blue Water Cafe) and was previously a partner at La Quercia and founder of La Pentola.

Top Restaurant in Canada

The restaurant has received many awards and accolades including named one of Canada’s top 100 restaurants (rank #67) and one of the best Italian restaurants in Vancouver (rank #3) by Vancouver Magazine. Here’s a look at my experience there.

Note: None of the food or drinks in this post were complimentary. This review is done anonymously.

Victorian Hotel

Cinara is located in the corner unit at Homer and West Pender in one of the oldest buildings in the city — the 117-year-old Victorian Hotel. Coming in on a Friday night, the restaurant was busy but fortunately, we had made reservations weeks ago for our party of 4. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting with exposed brick walls and warm wood tones. There are a few tables set up for 2s and small groups. Bar seating is available and apparently that is where some of Vancouver’s top chefs and restaurateurs like to eat on their days off.

Cinara Menu

The menu at Cinara changes daily and you can check the latest menu on their website before you go in. Cinara’s menu is short and is divided into Starters ($5 to 22), Pasta ($24 to $25), Main ($28 to $31). The dessert menu features a few simple desserts ($9) and a cheese plate ($16).

What We Tried

For drinks, our party had a mix of wine, cocktails and beer.

White Anchovy Toast, Sweet Pickles, Maitre D’Hotel Butter

I must admit that I’m not much of an anchovy-anything sort of person. However, our friend who had been to Cinara before said that the White Anchovy Toast ($6 per piece) is a must. And I must say that the toast was really good! It tasted mostly of sweet pickles rather than fishiness or saltiness. I particularly liked their house-made sourdough bread which had a very crispy crust and was light and fluffy on the inside.

Tagliatelle, Bolognese

My friend is a teacher and she was keen on ordering the Tagliatelle with Bolognese ($24) sauce as it is a Mealshare item. It was such a delicious pasta with perfectly al dente pasta paired with a meaty, creamy, delicate and aromatic bolognese sauce.

Halibut, Bread Dumpling, Pea Tip, Prodo

My entree was the baked halibut with house-made sourdough bread dumplings ($30). The dish overall had a nice, clean taste. The housemade sourdough bread dumplings were rather interesting; they had a nice flavour as they were cooked with herbs and spices. I enjoyed their soft, springy texture. The broth was also very good; I found myself drinking it up till the end.

Fraser Valley Duck Breast, Savoy Cabbage, Green Apricot Jus

Two of the ladies in the group had the duck as the entree ($28).

Rice Pudding, Black Walnut, Caramelized Cocoa

The dessert menu consists of three options (aside from the cheese plate) and we ordered one of each. The simplest one I found was the rice pudding ($9) which was nicely rich and creamy. I loved how I could feel the individual grains of tender rice. The black walnuts added some nutty flavours and crunchy texture.

70% Chocolate, Olive Oil, Amaretti

Chocolate lovers would enjoy the chocolate mousse ($9) made with 70% chocolate. I tasted the cocoa as well as some saltiness with it. A creative part of the dessert was the use of dehydrated milk foam which added some nice textural contrast.

Salted Caramel Tart, Pine Nut, Apple

For a more substantial dessert, I think the tart would be a good option. It was tasty but not quite like salted caramel; it was more on the caramel side.

Service

I must say that our server was very good. She was very friendly, warm and kept our water glasses topped up throughout the evening. What surprised me was that she wasn’t the least bit pushy. The four of us stayed at the restaurant for 3 hours and she didn’t bring us the bill until we really seemed done. It was nice that we could just relax, enjoy good conversation and not be signalled to pay and leave.

Overall Impression of Cinara

I really enjoyed the clean flavours and execution of all the dishes at Cinara. I was particularly impressed with the warm, inviting environment. Cinara is a place that I would recommend to my food blogger friends like Kristina (Drunkennoms.com) and David (Pickydiners.com) who love a good, elevated Italian restaurant. Rating: 4.5/5

Cinara
Address: 350 W Pender St, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎cinara.ca

Spade Vancouver: Italian Coffee Shop & Restaurant

January 7, 2018 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Newly opened on Commercial Drive is Spade, an Italian cafe and restaurant by Prado Owner, Sammy Piccolo. Doubling as a coffee shop and bistro, the eatery operates as a place for espresso-based drinks and treats in the daytime and transforms to a restaurant serving cocktails, wine and family-style plates in the evening. Located at 1858 Commercial Drive, this Italian 40-seat cafe/restaurant is Piccolo’s interpretation of an Italian coffee bar. I was recently invited to a media tasting of Spade. Here’s a look at what they are offering.

Spade Menu

Helming the kitchen is Kathleen Peace (formerly of Royal Dinette) and her menu includes lunch sandwiches like Italian Hoagies for lunch; dinner plates like Tomato Braised Octopus and Italian Sausage and Gnocchi; sweet treats like Apple crisp with chantilly cream; and brunch offers like Meat Breakfast Sammy, Berry Toast and Eggs in Purgatory.

Cocktail offerings include Classic Caeser, Prosecco Mimosa and Espresso Martini and more. For beer, Spade serves Powell Street, 33 Acres and Parallel 49.

What I Tried

Disclosure: All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

Prosecco Margarita

As a featured cocktails of the evening, the Prosecco Margarita had lime, hornitos, tequila, aperol, and prosecco.

Amuse Bouche: Insalata di Halloumi

To start, we had an amuse bouche of berries, pesto, walnuts, endive and halloumi.

First Course: Nachos Italiano

The nachos had plenty of gourmet fixings including eggplant, roasted red pepper, pickled red onion and salsa verde. The chips were wonderfully crispy and I quite enjoyed the Italian-takeof these nachos.

Second Course: Cauliflower & Gnocchi

It’s hard to go wrong with roasted vegetables and Spade’s cauliflower hits the spot. The cauliflower dish was also very delicious being crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. It came with ricotta, salsa verde and seeds.

The Gnocchi was soft, pillowy, smooth but still somewhat firm on bite. It came with a really interesting sauce: squid ink! The squid ink just added a subtle, savoury flavour.

Third Course: Octopus Conserva & Pappardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu

The tender yet nicely chewy octopus had an artichoke soubise, potato, dill and pickled vegetables.

My favourite of the evening was the papardelle with lamb shoulder ragu. The pasta was perfectly al dente while the ragu was a luscious, rich sauce with great meaty flavour. I loved the melt-in-your-mouth lamb pieces. A well-executed dish that I would gladly have again!

Fourth Course: Burrata & Meatballs

We also enjoyed the fresh Burrata with fennel, citrus, serrano jamon, basil and breadcrumb. The serrano was salted, sweet and bitter which contrasted the creamy, smooth burrata.

Italian meatballs with rosemary garlic cream, mushrooms, braised endive, gorgonzola and walnuts rounded out the entree offerings.

Finale: Coffee & Cake

And to cap off a fantastic meal, cafe latte panna cotta paired with chocolate cake.

Overall Impression

I enjoyed the well-executed, tasty, family-style dining at Spade. My favourite dishes of the evening were the Nachos Italiano, Cauliflower, and Pappardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu. I would recommend others to try their dinner service. I plan to visit them during the daytime soon to try out their brunch.

Spade Coffee Spirits & Treats
Address: 1858 Commercial Drive
Website: www.spadecoffee.ca‎

Cincin Ristorante Holiday Lunch on Until Dec 22

December 19, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It’s that wonderful time of the year in Vancouver where restaurants we love that are usually only open for dinner are now open for lunch. One such restaurant is longstanding CinCin Ristorante on Robson Street which is open for holiday lunch until December 22. Lead by Executive Chef Andrew Richardson, CinCin is about modern and inspired Italian cuisine. I recently attend a small media lunch at CinCin. Here’s a look at the delights that we indulged in.

Disclosure: All food and drinks in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

CinCin’s open kitchen concept allows guests to see all the magic that goes into each recipe and dish. Executive Chef Andrew Richardson was on site the day we visited and it was a pleasure to meet him and watch him at work in the kitchen. There is certainly a great deal of attention to detail.

Now one of the exciting aspects of CinCin’s kitchen is a two-metre behemoth of stainless steel that features a massive grill and rotisserie. This is what gives each recipe a distinct layer of flavour. I was able to get inside the kitchen and stand close to it and what I can say is that it is very very hot!

To start, our party enjoyed some festive cocktails and appetizers including burrata with golden and chioggia beets, smoked orange, and pistachios, cauliflower soup and risotto of wild mushrooms.

For my main, I had the mixed grill of seafood featuring rainbow chard, panisse, anchovy, rosemary and chili. The rainbow chard had an amazing crispy skin exterior while being tender and flaky on the inside. Very delicious and I would certainly recommend it.

Another dish that was quite popular among attendees was the slow cooked crispy duck with braised red cabbage and red wine with coronation grapes.

For dessert, I indulged in a very festive treat: dulcey and pumpkin fondant featuring warm pumpkin and rum ganache. On the side was ginger gelato made in-house. A warm, goey and comforting pumpkin dessert on a skillet which went well with a refreshing ginger gelato.

There was also the tiramisu with espresso soaked lady fingers, mascarpone mousse, cocoa nibs and 63% chocolate.

CinCin’s holiday lunch is on until December 22. For more information, visit www.cincin.net.

CinCin Ristorante
Address: 1154 Robson St, Vancouver, BC
Website: ‎www.cincin.net/

Chef Pino Posteraro Teaches Us How To Make Pasta

November 2, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

It was World Pasta Day last week and I had the pleasure of celebrating this delicious day with a pasta making class at Cioppino’s in Yaletown. Chef Pino Posteraro himself showed us how to make traditional fresh handmade pasta using modernized techniques. It was a delicious and mouthwatering afternoon of fresh, al dente pasta! Check out my video recap.

West Vancouver Italian Restaurant: Apero Kitchen

October 31, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

Last month, I had the pleasure of being a media judge for Vancouver Foodster’s Pasta Challenge. It was through the Pasta Challenge that I had come to know about Apero Kitchen, an chef-owned and operated restaurant in West Vancouver’s Ambleside neighbourhood. Apero’s menu specializes in Mediterranean flavours with a focus on Italian cuisine. On the menu are family-style pasta dishes like Penne Bolognese and Mushroom Ravioli as well as entrees like Blacked Salmon and Steak and Frites.

The interior of Apero exudes an old world Italian charm. Cozy and inviting, the restaurant ambiance makes it a great place for an intimate dining experience.

What We Tried

Disclosure: All the food in this review were complimentary. Opinions are my own.

My guest for the evening was Hanson of Nosh and Nibble. To start, we were offered complimentary bread and olive oil.

For the appetizer, we were given Fried Homemade Gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce. These were absolutely delicious and incredibly addictive. I loved how soft and pillowy the gnocchi were along with their nicely crisp exterior. The fried version is certainly a more unique take on gnocchi and I would love to have this again. I highly recommend this as an appetizer.

Next, I tried the Pasta Challenge participating dish from Apero Kitchen, the Rigatoni Vecchia Romagna. This featured rigatoni with garlic, braised radicchio tossed in a brandy cream sauce and topped with crispy prosciutto and parmigiano. The savory sauce was exquisite and I loved the crispy bits of prosciutto. The parmigiana was freshly shaved at tableside. The rigatoni was perfectly al dente. And for $20, I found the dish was very filling and satisfying.

Last but not least, a Tiramisu for dessert. Creamy, silken and rich, but not too sweet. Apero’s version was very good. The only thing I thought could be better was the texture as I found it to be a bit too soft. Flavour-wise, the dessert was on point.

Overall Impression of Apero Kitchen

I very much enjoyed the charming, warm and inviting atmosphere at Apero Kitchen. Owner and Chef Haymo Elzenbaumer is a delight and he enjoys meeting his guests. Based on the pasta dish I tried, I’d be interested in their pasta dishes. Be sure to get the Fried Homemade Gnocchi when you visit. You won’t be disappointed. Rating: 4/5

Apero Kitchen
Address: 1735 Marine Dr, West Vancouver, BC
Website: https://aperokitchen.wordpress.com/

Lining Up for $10 Lunchtime Pasta at Il Corvo

March 24, 2017 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

I’m a fan of Eater’s Dining on A Dime series on Youtube and it was there that I learned about Il Corvo in Seattle. Il Corvo is a humble eatery located in the Pioneer Square district and they serve handmade pasta for $10 at lunchtime on weekdays only. The restaurant is very community-oriented and believes that people should be able to enjoy high quality, handmade pasta at affordable prices. Known for their delicious pasta and budget-friendly menu, Il Corvo draws long lineups every service. After watching Lucas Peterson showcase Il Corvo, I had to try it myself. Check out the video below:

Note: This is not a sponsored post. This meal was not complimentary. I did not receive any compensation or incentive to share about my experience. The restaurant did not know that I am a blogger.

Line Up Before 11 Am

Last week, my family and I were on a spring break vacation in Seattle. I made it a point to have a light breakfast one morning and then head over to Il Corvo to line up before they opened at 11 am. We were first in line at 10:45 am but soon many people joined.

And by the way, if you’re first in line, the direction of the line should be facing downhill. The girl who came in behind me said that was how the line usually goes.

Il Corvo Etiquette

How it goes at Il Corvo is that you order at the counter, get a seat (either they direct you or you select), bus your own table and enjoy your food! The instructions are noted on their door.

Interior

The interior of Il Corvo is minimal and serves its purpose. The space is small and accommodates about 36 people; there is a mix of two and four-person dining tables and a larger communal table. Every seat is meant to be occupied so you might be sharing a table with others. The staff helps by directing people to sit at specific tables.

Il Corvo Menu

Il Corvo serves only three types of pasta each day which are noted on their chalkboard menu. Their also have antipasti dishes like house made focaccia, proscuitto & pickled celery, kale salad, olives and pickled vegetables. For drinks, they have wine including prosecco, and beer.

What We Tried

My husband and I tried the Cornetto with spring garlic cream and Bucatini al’Amatriciana with spicy pancetta and tomato sauce. Unfortunately, I forgot to order some antipasti to round out the meal. And when I realized it, it was too late; we had already been directed to a table and the line up was to the door.

Both pasta dishes were gloriously al dente – absolutely delicious! The sauces were flavourful but still light. I love white sauce and the spring garlic cream was just right. The bucatini had a nice amount of spiciness to eat to satisfy spicy lovers. both of the pastas were loaded with parmesan.

I know the pasta dishes were $10 but I wish they could charge more for a larger size. I certainly was wanting more of it because they were so tasty. Furthermore, the pasta dishes are very simply pasta with little or no other protein or seafood. Because of that, I would recommend the antipasti to round out the meal.

Why Weekday Lunch Only?

With the popularity of Il Corvo, some may ask why doesn’t the restaurant open for dinner and on weekends? According to the Il Corvo website, Chef-owner Mike Gaston had worked traditionally long hours in fast-paced restaurant environments. Hence, he conceived Il Corvo with a restaurant concept that would allow him to achieve a work-life balance.

Overall Impression

I was impressed with Il Corvo’s commitment to serving a high quality pasta dish at an affordable price. I do wish they had more options like larger size bowls, but I guess that would change their restaurant model. Would I line up for it again? Yes, if I could be in the first seating after they open. But if I had to wait over an hour, I probably wouldn’t as the menu isn’t diverse enough for me to make it worthwhile. Rating: 4/5

Top Vancouver Italian Restaurant: Ask for Luigi

October 12, 2016 by foodgressing 2 Comments

It’s no secret that Ask for Luigi is one of the top, casual Italian eateries in Vancouver. This year, they are ranked in the top 50 of Canada’s best restaurants. And despite being located on the edge of Gastown in a less than tourist-friendly area, pasta lovers will gladly line up outside Ask for Luigi to await their chance to indulge in their fresh, handmada pasta. A while back, a few friends and I went to Ask for Luigi for a weekday lunch.

Retro-Inspired

Ask for Luigi is a small restaurant which seats only about 32 people. The interior is very retro-inspired resembling a vintage recreation room with wood panels.

I love the large bright windows overlooking the quiet street.

What We Tried

Our group of four tried the following dishes for lunch:

Porchetta, tonnato sauce and crispy artichokes
Bread and e.v.o.o.
Parmesan risotto, pancetta, cauliflower and pangrattato
Sagne e pezzi, lamb sausage, chickpeas and kale
Rigatoni and bolognese
Fusilli puttanesca and albacore tuna confit
Panna cotta with almond biscotti and plums

To start, the porchetta, tonnato sauce and crispy artichokes was quite a dreamy appetizer. The thin salty pork slices complimented the luscious, rich, creamy and “fishy” tonnato sauce and crispy artichokes. Outstanding.

Next we had four pasta dishes. As a risotto lover, the parmesan risotto, pancetta, cauliflower & pangrattato satisified my cravings. The texture was just perfect – thick, creamy and al-dente. Then there was the salty sweet pancetta, crunchy cauliflower and pangrattato. This dish got my lips smacking.

The Sagne e pezzi, lamb sausage, chickpeas and kale was another favourite of mine. The lamb sausage had a nice spicy kick to it. I quite enjoy chickpeas at home (a good source of protein!) so chickpeas with pasta is right with me.

The Rigatoni and bolognese was a tasty, hearty and meaty dish that had excellent flavours. That shaved Parmesan on top was heavenly.

The Fusilli puttanesca and albacore tuna confit was the least enjoyable because it tasty too fishy!

To finish off a fantastic meal, there was the panna cotta with almond biscotti and plums. The panna cotta had a silky, smooth texture that was just firm. The plum sauce was strong and some of us found it too tart.

Overall Impression of Ask for Luigi

The lunch at Ask for Luigi was fantastic and left me lingering for me. Delicious, fresh, hand-made pasta in a casual setting. I’m planning to visit them for brunch soon! Rating: 4.5/5

Website: http://www.askforluigi.com/

Family-Style Italian Dinner at Savio Volpe

May 3, 2016 by foodgressing 2 Comments

Since I started food blogging (seriously) two years ago, this blog has led me to on a wondrous and delicious journey. I love documenting my food adventures but aside from that meeting other like-minded and passionate food bloggers has been the most amazing. Yesterday, myself and three other food bloggers including Kristina (Drunken Noms), Hanson (Nosh and Nibble) and David (Picky Diner) got together for a early Monday night dinner. I see each of them at media events separately but we are never really at the same event together. Because of that, we decided to have a foodie get-together. Savio Volpe was the choice restaurant for our night out.

The Wise Fox

Located in Fraserhood (Kingsway and Fraser), Savio Volpe has been a much talked about Italian restaurant since it opened late last year. Savio Volpe means “wise fox” in Italian and this eatery is all about getting together and sharing simple yet delicious food. This restaurant is so popular that I couldn’t even get a 6 pm Monday night reservation via Open Table one week ahead of time. Fortunately, I was able to book the 5:45 pm time slot for our meetup. Furthermore, Savio Volpe is not that small of a restaurant as it can accommodate 90 seats. The fact that it is quite booked shows how foodies have fallen in love with the wise fox.

Savio Volpe is the creation of restaurateur Paul Grunberg of L’Abattoir who with his two business partners wanted to a neighbourhood tavern with a sophisticated and simple feel. The kitchen is led by Mark Perrier, head chef and co-owner, who is particularly proud of Savio Volpe’s hand-crafted pasta.

Very Inviting Atmosphere

As soon as I walked into the restaurant, I was greeting warmly by a staff member. Looking around, I was impressed with the interior design that included high ceilings, large windows, and light wood tones. There is an open kitchen with a wood burning oven and a central bar.

Kid-Friendly

Much to my surprise, Savio Volpe is very kid-friendly! Our server told us that in the early evenings it is quite normal to see families with little ones eating at Savio Volpe. High-chairs are readily available at the restaurant. As a parent, it was really nice to a new restaurant that is so welcoming to families.

Celebrity Chef Sighting

During our visit, David (Picky Diner) spotted celebrity chef and owner of Anna Lena, Mike Robbins, at a neighbouring table. We took it as a good sign that even other top chefs came to enjoy the food at Savio Volpe.

What We Tried

Our meal consisted of the following:

Ox tongue tonnato ($14)
Bagna Cauda; hot anchovy & garlic bath ($17)
Garlic bread “all’Americano” ($6)
Meatballs, neck bone gravy ($14)
Octopus, chickpeas, cherry tomato, spicy salami ($19)
Mezzaluna, spinach & dandelion, wild onion ($18)

We chose an item from almost all the sections of the dinner menu. To start, we had individual drinks including wine, latte, and beer.

Our first appetizer was the ox tongue tonnato ($14) which is a slightly different take of the Italian classic Vitello Tonnato using cold, sliced veal. The acidity and salinity of the mayo is just perfect for the thin tongue slices. The mayo was wonderfully creamy and is made with tuna though the tuna flavour is just subtle and not overpowering.

Next up was the Bagna Cauda ($17), a very rustic Italian fondue-style dish with a hot anchovy and garlic bath for vegetables ($17). The dip was very hot, buttery and silky smooth. We received an assortment of vegetables and bread pieces. I found that the dip was absorbed best with the potato whereas it slid off with others.

The house-made garlic bread “all’Americano” ($6) came in an aluminium pouch much like in a grocery store. The thick bread slices were crispy on the edges but light and fluffy. My only criticism was that they had too much butter on the bread. It was very much soaked in butter.

The meatballs in neck bone gravy ($14) normally come as a trio but we were able to order one extra for our party of four. The meatballs were piping hot, moist and tender – very delicious and comforting.

The pine nuts in the meatballs provided a fun textural contrast.

The octopus, chickpeas, cherry tomato, spicy salami ($19) was a surprisingly delightful dish. The octopus was tender and chewy while the chickpeas were crunchy. I liked the crispiness of the spicy salami. One negative point, however, was that there was too much olive oil in this dish.

Last but not least was the mezzaluna with spinach, dandelion and wild onion ($18). The pasta was nicely smooth and silky though portions seemed a bit small for the price of $18.

Service

Service was top-notch as we had a wonderfully patient server. She explained to us all the dishes and helped us to craft our meal. Our glasses were kept full and we even had our plates changed.

Overall Impression of Savio Volpe

I had a lovely time dining at Savio Volpe sharing several dishes with fellow food bloggers. Savio Volpe has a great neighbourhood vibe and their menu is designed to be shared among multiple people. Service was excellent thanks to having our friendly and patient server. Rating: 4.5/5

Website: www.saviovolpe.com

The Grotto: Italian Eats in the West End

April 28, 2016 by foodgressing Leave a Comment

This week I have been taking over the West End Business Association’s Instagram account to feature some of the tastiest eats in the neighbourhood. One of the restaurant’s I visited was The Grotto, a newer eatery serving classic Italian-inspired eats.

Classic Italian Dishes

The Grotto opened late last year by restaurateur Fiona Grieve who also owns the Buckstop located at 833 Denman Street. The concept is similar to that of Buckstop – that is, a friendly neighbourhood atmosphere and an uncomplicated menu of Italian food and drinks. The location is a bid of an odd one being sub-street level; it is sort of a basement eatery.

On the menu is a selection of antipasti (arancini, pork belly, humboldt squid and more), pasta (gnocchi, ravioli, spaghetti and more) and pizza (prosciutto, margherita, funghi and more). All food are made in-house and from scratch by Chef Dan and his team. The drink list includes Italian spirits, beer on top, classic cocktails and sorbet martinis featuring Grieve’s line of Spitfire Biters.

Cozy and Intimate

The interior of the Grotto has a nice wooden finish with industrial lights giving way to a cozy and quiet ambiance.

What I Tried

I had purchased a Groupon voucher ($30 for $50 worth of food) a while back and redeemed it for this dinner experience. To start, we had the arancini balls (provolone, arrabiata, preserved lemon) ($12) which were scrumptious. Very crispy breading on the outside with a centre filled with cheese. The spicy arrabiata sauce put my taste buds on fire. The lemon accent was a nice touch.

The prosciutto ($16) pizza with mozzarella and figs was absolutely delicious. It’s one of their most popular pizzas. Super thin crust pizza with crunchy edges. The sweetness of the figs balanced the saltiness of the prosciutto.

Another popular dish we tried was the ossobucco on saffron risotto with gremolata and oven dried tomato ($19). The lamb was roasted to perfection to a melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The meat fell off the bone very nicely and was very moist. The oven dried tomatoes were very flavorful. My only dislike was that I found the saffron risotto to be too heavy. We were unable to finish the risotto because of that.

Service

The service was friendly and attentive. We had one server but Fiona herself was around to bring out the dishes as well.

Overall Impression of The Grotto

Overall, I enjoyed the delicious, comforting Italian-inspired eats at the Grotto. I found the portions and quality to be reasonable for the value; we were most certainly full. The atmosphere is very cozy and intimate which is fitting for its location being sub-street level. Rating: 4/5

Website: http://grottoitalian.ca

The Italian

What We Tried

Antipasti Board

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Local Butternut Squash Ravioli

BRAISED SHORTRIB PAPPARDELLE

Traditional Lasagna

Prawn Pesto

Nonna’s Lemon Tart

Top Restaurant in Canada

Victorian Hotel

Cinara Menu

What We Tried

White Anchovy Toast, Sweet Pickles, Maitre D’Hotel Butter

Tagliatelle, Bolognese

Halibut, Bread Dumpling, Pea Tip, Prodo

Fraser Valley Duck Breast, Savoy Cabbage, Green Apricot Jus

Rice Pudding, Black Walnut, Caramelized Cocoa

70% Chocolate, Olive Oil, Amaretti

Salted Caramel Tart, Pine Nut, Apple

Service

Overall Impression of Cinara

Spade Menu

What I Tried

Prosecco Margarita

Amuse Bouche: Insalata di Halloumi

First Course: Nachos Italiano

Second Course: Cauliflower & Gnocchi

Third Course: Octopus Conserva & Pappardelle with Lamb Shoulder Ragu

Fourth Course: Burrata & Meatballs

Finale: Coffee & Cake

Overall Impression

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Apero Kitchen

Line Up Before 11 Am

Il Corvo Etiquette

Interior

Il Corvo Menu

What We Tried

Why Weekday Lunch Only?

Overall Impression

Retro-Inspired

What We Tried

Overall Impression of Ask for Luigi

The Wise Fox

Very Inviting Atmosphere

Kid-Friendly

Celebrity Chef Sighting

What We Tried

Service

Overall Impression of Savio Volpe

Classic Italian Dishes

Cozy and Intimate

What I Tried

Service

Overall Impression of The Grotto

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