1020 Main Street, Vancouver (Chinatown-ish)
I seem to be going on an Italian streak recently! This time around, I went with my friend Elaine (the original foodie friend!) to Campagnolo on Main Street!I heard many great reviews of this place, as well as the full service cocktail lounge right next door called Campagnolo Upstairs, so I thought I would go give it a try! Elaine and I were pretty hungry so we got to Campagnolo pretty early, beating out the dinner rush entirely - as in, the restaurant wasn't busy at all, so we were free to sit pretty much wherever we liked. As we had our dinner, the restaurant started to fill up at about 6:30ish or so. We got there at about 5pm. After a lot of deliberation (the selection was incredible!), we decided to share the Funghi Bianco and the Dungeness Crab Risotto. Both of these dishes were excellent choices by Elaine, and Elaine said it best: "I will forever keep thinking of this pizza!" The Funghi Bianco pizza was a white pizza, with a very light cream sauce and olive oil and topped with very fresh mushrooms. The crust wasn't quite thin crust, but was not as thick as a regular crust, making it very tasty and just the perfect consistency and thickness. There was something about this pizza that was super incredible - the spices? The freshness of the mushrooms? The crust? In all it was one of the best pizzas I have ever had! Similarly, the risotto was a great choice. It tasted amazing - zesty lemon, grilled scallions and the dungeness crab made for an excellent combination. The portion size was okay, though I was hoping for a little more for what we paid ($25). I will have to go and check out the cocktail bar, as well as their other location (Campagnolo Roma) on Hastings Street!
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102 - 4501 Kingsway, Burnaby
For my 21st birthday, I went with my family to go have Italian food - probably my favourite cuisine, hands down! To celebrate, we went to Trattoria in Burnaby (close by to Metrotown). I was so impressed with the interior of Trattoria - it's so beautiful! The selection of dishes was so extensive and it all looked so good! We definitely weren't disappointed with our choices: a pasta platter that consisted of spaghetti and meatballs, garganelli pollo and linguine pollo; fusili funghi; lunguini cabonara and lamb shank. Everything was super tasty and I was so glad that we went to go check out Trattoria, and I also had a lovely red sangria! I was also treated to a complimentary tiramisu for my birthday, which was such a sweet gesture. The staff were polite, the service was efficient, and I definitely would recommend going back for a fantastic Italian dinner, either with family, friends, or for a date! 62 East Cordova Street, Vancouver (Gastown)
I was definitely in the mood for pizza all this week, and to finish off the week I went with my friend Douglas to Nicli Antica Pizzeria on the edge of Gastown. Though the area around where Nicli's is isn't really my first choice to hang out, the interior of the restaurant completely made up for it. Super modern with sleek white furniture, brick walls and hardwood floors made the place look upscale and homey all at once - not to mention the smell of freshly baked pizza coming out of the ovens in the back corner of the restaurant. After being seated, Douglas and I pored over the menu, failing at the pronunciations of all the menu items but eventually settling on items that we could vaguely translate. Douglas had the Pesto BBT pizza which had pesto, bacon, tomatoes and fresh basil, and I had the Cavolo Nero E Funghi, which was a white pizza that had three kinds of mushrooms and kale. Each of the pizzas are "individually sized" with the intention that each person has their own. Depending on how hungry you are, you might be better off sharing a few pizzas and appetizers, but Douglas and I were able to finish our own pizzas over time. The trick is to definitely pace yourself, making time for good conversation in between bites. The pizzas were delicious, and definitely on the higher end of the price scale. Despite the price, the pizza is worth the splruge and you won't regret it. Also, make sure you check out the "secret pizza" that is found on the back of the menu! Yelp tip (which I unfortunately did not notice until I left the restaurant) - check in on Yelp and get 10% off your purchase! :) 781 Denman Street, Vancouver (West End)
True to it's name, Nook on Vancouver's West End is a small little Italian restaurant that is cozy and filled with amazing scents. One of the few Italian places that are on my foodie bucket list, Nook offers share plates with authentic Italian flavours. With a brick oven sitting at the back of the restaurant, the drinks and the food at Nook were delicious! Eugenia and I had Bellinis (peach puree and Prosecco) to celebrate her birthday, and then shared a plate of gnocchi (first time for me!) and ricotta pizza, with baby spinach and olives. The dinner that we had was fantastic, and the flavours and service exceeded my expectations as well. I will definitely suggest showing up to dinner a little earlier, just because of how small the restaurant is. After a certain hour, it does get quite crowded and the lineups to get in are quite lengthy. There is a second location on Kitsilano as well, so if you are a fan of Italian food, give Nook a try and remember to get in early! My family and I went to the Abbotsford location, the one that is situated in the fairly new High Street open air shopping center. At first I thought it was a unique place but as it turns out it is a bit of a chain of pizza places. Being a huge fan of pizza, I didn't say no to an opportunity to have it for dinner with my family.
The trendy wooden decor grabbed my attention first, and then the delicious smell of baking pizza dough, Italian spices and tomato sauce. We shared what they called "New World" Pizzas - Korean BBQ Pork and the Don Andreas (Creme Fraiche with avocado, chicken, corn, salsa and some Valentina hot sauce), along with some tomato bisque and salad. The Korean BBQ Pizza was my favourite, despite my initial apprehension at putting Asian delicacies on pizza dough. The huge surprise at the end of dinner was their bonus dessert as a thank you for waiting.. My parents decided to get a second dessert, so to end off an incredible meal, we had a Dolce & Banana dish as well as a Nutella and Banana pizza, which was kind of like a crepe but with the pizza dough. Sounds kind of strange, but it was actually quite delicious. It was a filling and delicious meal, and definitely something I will try out again with friends! 1641 Commercial Drive, Vancouver Located in the Il Mercato mall, this Italian restaurant goes back to basics and creates traditional Italian dishes with a Commercial Drive-Little Italy flavor. The first thing I noticed walking into the restaurant was the stone oven that was behind the bar, where freshly tossed and topped pizzas are baked. The smells of spices and cheese fills the air and I know that I made a wise choice. After finding Lombardo's on a friend's Instagram page, I decided to give it a try. The awning over top of the "patio" of the restaurant and the simple decor made me feel like I was sitting in a pizzeria in the streets of Italy. The food was incredible - definitely any Italian foodie's dream! Elaine and I tried their hand tossed pizza Ai Due Formaggi (with two types of cheese, salami, ham and mushrooms) and the Shells Toscana specialty pasta (Pasta with pesto sauce, sun dried tomatoes and grilled artichokes), and everything was amazing. I don't think I have ever had "real" Italian food aside from frozen pizza from a supermarket, and maybe going to a fancy Italian restaurant here or there. But being a student, the price was not too bad and the food was definitely worth it - so worth it that Elaine and I returned with her family! The second time we tried their two pizzas The Drive and La Giulia, their lasagna and tiramisu. If you love Italian food like I do, then check out Lombardo's - you won't regret it!
If you're on a time limit but you still want to try out their awesome pizza, check out Lombardo's 2 Go, which is located at the front entrance of the Il Mercato mall to take out the same incredible pizza that you can eat while dining in. |
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