An appy and one main will do tonight.

Merilynn is a bit of a sucker for Crab Cakes whenever she sees them.

Crab and prawns with Jalapeno and red peppers In a light, though somewhat dry, but nicely fried cake. The jalapeno could definitely be more present, I did not get much heat on my palate.. The mustard aioli is a pleasant accompaniment, adding some creaminess and acidity tonhelp.cut through the richness.

I decided on something different tonight, not the usual pasta that I have when I come here.

Gnocchi Cardinale

Made in house, the gnocchi were light and pillowy and came smothered in a delicious Vodka Rose sauce. There was a generous portion of grilled chicken along with tomatoes and peas coming together to make one of Piva’s better choices. Definitely a must try next time your here.

Oncw again Piva did not disappoint.

8/10

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Popping up on Instagram lately has been Spaghetti Love Bakehouse, a new pasta shop at Lougheed Mall. It’s all the rage apparently.

A friend of mine who is much more online savvy saw it first and suggested we meet after work to check it out.

Well, after my meal I’m guessing all that hype is manufactured.

Spoiler alert; it wasn’t great.

The first warning sign – it’s in the food court. In my personal experience, food court food, more often than not, is about as tasty as the cardboard container it’s served in. I ended up deciding on the lasagne.

While I wouldn’t call it particularly terrible, it would not qualify as good either. Edible? Sure. Once.

The noodles? Fine. The meat? A mystery. Beef, I suppose. The sauce? It’s what ruined it for me. It was a really funny texture. It was hard to put my finger on what that texture was. Something close to the texture of Palak Paneer is the closest I can get to describing it. That’s the one Indian dish I don’t like.

The value? That’s the best part. It was a pretty large portion for $20. Way more than I needed to eat. If you want a big meal and you’re not a picky this might just be the place for you.

But for me, Pasta Polo just isn’t that far away. And for a few bucks more you will get a much better meal.

I suppose if you’re not as much a food snob as me you might find this really good.

If you are a food snob like me, you shouldn’t be in a food court in the first place.

3/10

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I thought the special sounded good. A lobster/crab ravioli.

Served with a Limoncello sauce, fennel, arugula and paprika oil.The sauce was light and creamy with the fennel adding a nice subtle, licorice flavour. The filling was a bit on the rich side with the crab overpowering the lobster. The balance in the fillimg was just a bit off.

Merilynn had the Spaghetti Bolognese.

We’ve had this before, and always enjoyed it. I just wish we could get it without the fungus. The Ragu is a rich, meaty sauce with lots of Italian sausage, veal and beef, (and the shrooms) with tons of flavour. You can tell this is a proper Ragu.

Two very good pasta dishes, though both could be improved slightly. Still, I won’t complain. I didn’t have to cook today.

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We have heard from friends that Frankie’s Italian Kitchen is worth checking out.

So to celebrate Merilynn’s birthday she decided it was time to check it out.

Inside we found a warm atmosphere and welcoming staff. It was busy but noise levels were well within easy talking levels. It was a bit dim due to all the dark furnishing and what seemed like more than a few light fixtures not working. But not so dim you couldn’t read the menu.

If you’re a fan of Jazz they also have a club right next door that is served by the same kitchen. Shows are roughly 4 times a week at 8pm. We do plan on coming for a show sometimes. But tonight is just dinner.

Im gonna start with an ale, Hoyne Appleton’s Finest British to be precise.

“Quaffable” is the adjective used to describe this Ale. Ok, I’ll be honest. I had to look that one up.

Pleasant, easy to drink and in large quantities is the definition.

And it certainly is. It’s hoppy with a nice caramel color. Some coral notes on the nose with a hint of caramel.

I’m really stuck with what to have for an appy.

It was between deep fried pizza dough pillows with marinara or polenta fries. The server swayed us to go with the polenta fries.

So not what I was expecting. But in this instance it turned out well.

i imagined a “fry” more dense, to hold the shape you’d expect a fry to be. But these were very crispy on the outside and soft, moist and light in the middle. I still haven’t quite wrapped my head around how they made these. My first thought maybe they were in some kind of wrapper. Maybe it’s just cooled and then cut and then air dried?

Regardless these were fantastic. They are served with a garlic aioli which was a nice complement.The idea could be greatly improved though if they added a marinara sauce for dipping as well.

It was nice to see something different on the menu though. I may have to try mucking around making these one day.

On the feature menu tonight they have a encrusted Halibut with risotto. That’s right up her alley.

This was not what she was expecting. But in this situation it wasn’t a good thing.

Lets start with the fish. The taste was quite good actually. But it was overcooked. Not by a lot mind you. But enough that made me shake my head. When I was 20 I didnt cook fish well. I do now. So when we get it poorly done it stands out. And that’s halibut. That’s too much money sitting on that plate to overcook it. Rookie in the kitchen tonight? Remind me not to get the filet next time we are here.

But the major disappointment for her was the risotto. It was Fregola risotto. Something neither of us knew about. Fregola Risotto is made with a bean sized pasta, not rice. So the texture and flavour are nothing what you’d expect from a rice Risotto.

I personally didn’t mind it. It does have a similarly creamy texture from the starches releasing from the pasta. But they are much bigger and if you’re used to good rice risotto this is a departure from that.

So Merilynn had about three bites. Then I took over.

It the fish had been better executed this would be an okay dish. Yeah of course I wouldn’t eat the olives, eww, the capers did add a nice brininess to the overall impact. The almond crust on the fish was great, too bad they had overcooked it though and spoiled the good parts.

I really wanted to send it back. That’s not Merilynn’s thing so we ate as much as we could. And we will be a little more observant reading menus going forward.

They brought us some Focaccia.

Focaccia is something I know well. I’ve spent hours perfecting my version at home.

This one is lacking in a few areas. It was dry and flavourless. My preference is for a high hydration Focaccia, on the 110% range. This is closer to 60%. No salt on the top either. One bite, you know the rules. 1.2. One bite and I’m done.

I went with the feature Chicken Cannelloni.

I enjoyed it. The sauce was delicious and they’re filling tasted great as well. If I had one thing I complain about they could have used bigger chunks of chicken in the filling. It was ground up too much. But overall a nice dish.

Dessert tonight is an affogato.

First time for both of us having an affagato.

And we both really liked it. Why have I not tried one of these before?

The intense espresso with the sweet gelato and fudge made a great combo. One of these on a hot summer day on a patio would be fantastic.

Unfortately though the overall experience for Merilynn’s birthday dinner wasn’t the best.

Yes we enjoyed the polenta fries, the affogato and I was good with my meal. But she was very disappointed with hers.

Will I be recommending Frankie’s to any of my friends?

With caveats.

6/10

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We just finished having sushi at Ki Sushi and as we are walking home I realized I need dessert.

And as it happens we are walking by Piva, that will do nicely.

Gonna kick things off with their awesome espresso Martini.

They don’t mess around with their espresso martinis. Real espresso and top shelf vodka make for a rich and smooth cocktail. If I didn’t have to sleep tonight I’d have a second. And maybe a third. Merilynn had one as well.

This is a Tiramisu Sundae

I am not entirely sure of all the components that make up this incredible take on the Italian classic. But it starts with delicious espresso gelato. There’s a crunch in there that I’m sure is lady fingers. I only had a small taste, this was Sophia’s pick. But that one taste was phenomenal. It would be too much for most people to eat on their own though. A great shareable though.

My choice? A tart au citron.

A very nice presentation and a really great tasting dessert. The Coulis was likely raspberry, though it’s hard to tell sometimes.

Unlike the very rich and very sweet tiramisu Sunday, this was a lot easier to eat. The balance of sweet and tart creates a very nice eating experience. Not just a sugar rush.

My only criticism was the curd itself. Tasted great but it had a grainy texture that did take away from the overall quality.

Regardless a very nice treat after some sushi next door.

8/10

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We are celebrating two years of marriage with dinner at Piva Modern Italian this evening.

The past two years have been the best of my life, I’m married to a truly wonderful woman. Who tolerates me eating really, really well and then editing my rants about it.

Though nothing to rant about tonight.

My relationship with Piva, unlike my incredible relationship with Merilynn, started of quite rocky.

But over the last few visits Piva and I had become pretty tight. Not as close as Merilynn and I. But pretty good.

Tonight was no exception.

Drinks of course to celebrate.

My beautiful wife and her Viola. Empress Gin, Cointreau and 4 fruit juices. Very refreshing, it was an adult soft drink. Watch out, those could go down very quickly.

My Lavender Fields, essentially a Sour but with gin. Tart and silky with floral notes. Delicious.

Some focaccia bread.

Nice crumb structure going on. It was very fresh and had wonderful flavour. Almost as good as mine lol.

The better half decided on a Butternut squash/cauliflower soup.

I went with the Lobster Risotto.

I found the soup quite well balanced with a very smooth texture. Unfortunately Merilynn found it too much like baby food. The texture was very smooth and maybe a bit which. However I really enjoyed. I guess she shouldn’t have eaten so much baby food….

The Lobster Risotto was excellent as well. Lots of big chunks of Lobster and peas in a tarragon, lemon Chile oil sauce. Beautiful flavours. A bit looser than I’m used to with Risotto, I would have preferred a bit more Parm in there. That’s being really picky though. Nice dish.

No dessert tonight, I have a homemade Pan au Chocolate at home to enjoy.

An amazing meal with my amazing wife. A perfect evening. How shall we cap things off…?

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My first couple visits here didn’t go very well and I did have some bad things to say about it. And I sure heard about it.

But over the last few months I’ve been back to Piva a few times and it slowly becoming my favorite restaurant in New Westminster.

Yes there’s a couple dishes on the menu to avoid. But they do a lot of things very well.

Cocktails being one of them.This is an espresso latte.

I’m pretty sure it’s made with real espresso, not just a coffee liqueur. It was incredible. Intense coffee flavors balanced perfectly with vodka. I may need one of those every morning for coffee instead of the Starbucks latte I suffer through.

Crab Cakes are are pretty good benchmark for a restaurant’s quality. And Merilynn loves them.

They were nice and light with big chunks of real crab here. And a good portion size. Crab Cakes are not something you need a lot of.

Pasta is another thing they do very well. I’m working my way through the whole pasta menu here. Tonight it’s Spaghetti Bolognese.

A beautifull rich and meaty sauce., Lucky for me the mushrooms were sliced into big pieces and were easily picked out. Perfectly al denté. Another great pasta dish from Piva.

Piva is slowly winning me over.

9/10

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A good friend was here in Victoria last month and visited Il Terrazzo and was thoroughly impressed, and recommended it to me the next time I was in town.

if you do come here it is a little tricky to find, the entrance being off of Waddington alleyway. If you’re on the main Street it’s behind the Friends of Dorothy bar. Which you cannot miss due to the “We are here and we are Queer” chant over what is already too loud dance music.

Upon entering I was immediately impressed.

It’s a warm, inviting, rustic space, with different rooms and different levels to provide lots of space but at the same time gives each diner the feel of a cozy, intimate, dining experience. We walked by at least four different fireplaces and even had one in our own little corner.

If I have any complaints about the interior it’s about the dividers between each table, a hold over from the covid days. Here they have used window panes with glass. To some extent it only furthers the illusion that you’re in a rustic farmhouse in Tuscany.

We started with a couple excellent cocktails.

The Amalfi Coast and a Negroni.

That Amalfi Coast coast goes down way too easy. It had rum, Galiano, orange juice, lemon and Orgeat. It was sweet and sour and very refreshing. I think we had four between us.

That Negroni was fantastic too. Made with Empress gin of course.

Next came a tomato soup..

This was a bit of a game changer for me.

I do make a very good tomato soup myself.

But look at that colour. Such a deep red. And the addition of bocconcini was fantastic. The flavor of the roasted tomatoes was so deep it blew my mind. I think I have found my next challenge.

After that soup I really wondered what was in store for our main.

While I will say that in the end I wasn’t disappointed, I did struggle choosing a dish. Which normally isn’t an issue for me.

One thing I picked up from GR a number of years ago in my own Journey as a home chef was simplicity. I remember as a teenager having a French cookbook that was ultra complicated and had recipes with 30 plus ingredients. Having a pantry that large becomes untenable.

And sure, if you’re a two or three-star Michelin restaurant you can get away with that.

But as nice as this place as this, it’s no L’Atelier or Guy Savoy.

Almost all the dishes on the menu here seem overly complex to me. Even the server said he thought the same. Really.

So I end up keeping it relatively simple.

Fusili con Sugo de Manzo.

Fusili baked in a slow cooked Bolognese sauce with mozzarella and spinach

It was fantastic. The sauce, rich and meaty, was only enhanced by baking it with all that gooey mozzarella. Fusilli is actually a really good choice for this too, all those ridges picking up all the meat and cheese perfectly. A truly fantastic pasta dish.

Merilynn’s on the other hand, not so much. Though I’m going with poor execution tonight. Not a bad idea.

Frutit di Mer Della Casa.

Seafood in a garlic cream sauce.

This should have been a knock your socks off dish. In fact it knocked the socks off one of my friends a month prior to our visit.

Loads of fresh seafood, all cooked perfectly.

It was the garlic cream sauce that was the let down. The garlic was burnt. Plain and simple. It was so bitter it made they pasta almost inedible.

I did check in with my friend who said his was nothing like that so I’m just going to chalk this one up to a one off as the quality of everything else has been excellent.

Regardless we still enjoyed all the seafood. And we got our fix of pasta from my dish.

After a couple more cocktails it was time for dessert.

Oh look, there’s creme brulee on the menu. Twist my arm…

As a (self proclaimed) expert on creme brulee I will say this is one of the best I’ve ever had.

The Pastry Chef got that sugar caramelized perfectly without turning the custard into soup underneath. Amazing job.

Oh look, another drink showed up. How convenient.

It was actually more than one…

Regardless of a slight misstep with the seafood pasta the meal was excellent.

Top notch service in a wonderful atmosphere.

Il Terrazzo should be a must stop for everyone who likes Italian food when you’re next in the Victoria area.

8/10

Visit Il Terrazzo’s website here

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But it was closed. Posted hours indicated it was open but definitely no one was there.

All right, what else is around here?

Pasta Polo isn’t too far, and it’s been a little bit since we’ve been there. Good enough.

Have you ever been served at a restaurant by someone who is just a little bit too good at their job.

Annoying almost?

I’ve had some incredible service at restaurants. Hell’s Kitchen being a prime example. The service there was perfect. They knew when to be there and when not to be there. How much to say and how much not to say. It really was something to behold.

Our server today did provide very good service. But they just encroached a bit too much and overspoke a little too often.

And funnily enough I had this server the last time I was here also.

But all that aside we were here for the food.

Prawn Penne Carbonara.

I have always enjoyed this carbonara here. It’s not a real carbonara. It’s a cross between a carbonara and an alfredo I think. But it’s still excellent. Fresh in house pasta always makes a difference.

The whole dish was cooked well. I think it’s just bacon, not pancetta or guanciali, but it works well. The pasta is creamy and very flavourful. The shrimp were cooked perfectly, not robbery at all.

I decided to have the Baked Cannelloni.

Which was a very good choice.

Veal, herbs and cheese stuffed pasta in a wonderful marinara that’s maybe as good as mine. Maybe.

Often in tube pasta dishes the filling can be very dry but Pasta Polo’s version is not. And just look at all that gooey, crispy mozzarella cheese on top.

Finished off with some fresh cracked pepper and a big helping of grated parm and you have a really nice meal here.

As usual Pasta Polo did not disappoint.

8/10

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It’s been a pretty amazing week of food so far and tonight’s going to be another great experience I’m sure.

If nothing else for the view.  And I don’t mean those wacko women on the TV show.

Located within the Bellagio, Lago has a spectacular view of the fountains to enjoy while you eat.

I’m not all that sentimental but I can watch those fountains for hours. Well I did actually.  It’s a small speck of beauty in a city known for its gluttony and greed.

So while I’m treated to a beautiful show every 15 minutes I’m also going to get some amazing food.

Well Lago doesn’t have its own Michelin star, Picasso, just a few doors down, did get two Michelin stars. So I’m expecting an excellent meal.

And a great way would be to start with my favorite bread.

Focaccia

Nice crumb structure. I’m guessing a hydration closer to the 75 to 80% mark rather than my preferred 100%. I find the higher hydration foccaccias have a nicer texture.

For my happy I went with soup. Corn and Basil.

Deep, rich corn flavour with a hint of basil. There’s a little crab in there to tease you. I think I’ll put more in when I make it. This is a really good size portion as well. Too big if anything.

Honestly though. Is a big hearty bowl of soup just what you need on a 40° (C) day? Probably not. But it was great.

Moving onto my pasta.

Lemon Tagliolini with chicken.

It’s just a simple pasta with lemon, butter and Parmesan. It’s surprising how good has to can be with just a few simple ingredients.

It was a little rich because of the butter and the parmesan but the acidity from the lemon cuts through that richness. I do something similar at home and it’s one of my favorites.

For dessert I went with the in-house made sorbets and a beautiful cappuccino to finish a lovely meal off.

Lemon, blackberry and mango. A clean and crisp finish.

As the hours passed and a little peace came over the restaurant as the majority of patrons left it made the experience even more pleasant. To watch the fountains and listen to the synchronized music is one moment of beauty I’ll never grow tired of.

This was my final evening in Vegas. And it was an evening to remember.

10/10

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