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Scenes from Italian restaurants
By Tim Pawsey
Some things we take too much for granted-such as the wealth of good and reasonably priced Italian dining across this city.
A trio of recent meals started with a long overdue return to Yaletown stalwart Amarcord (1168 Hamilton St., 604-681-6500).
Manlio Mocchi's unabashedly traditional, gently Tuscan-toned haunt (all too often overshadowed by trendier neighbours), coddles with reassuring congeniality and rewards on the plate with well executed Northern Italian fare.
Most striking: the almost casual but still thorough familial service, and sheer value throughout the menu.
In fact, there may be no better place from which to appreciate Yaletown's passing parade as canines big and small, sculpted handlers and black clad hipsters stop to peer inside-and move on. Their loss.
Perfect tortellini in savoury chicken broth is the perfect, simple foil to start, followed by tender veal scallopine in a subtle lemon sauce, while Partner in Calories indulges in the quite remarkable house lobster "Veneziana," saut‚ed in herbs and olive oil, the meat removed and served on a bed of spaghettini.
Service goes beyond the norm as finger bowls and clean plates are choreographed on cue. A bottle of Valdo Prosecco proves a festive and flexible match.
Prices seem very un-Yaletown, with most entr‚es hovering around the $20 mark-except of course for the celebratory lobster ($49.95, but easily shared).
By contrast, highly anticipated Westside La Buca (4025 Macdonald St., 604-730-6988) might appear to be everything that Amarcord is not-though it too thrives on the flush of neighbourhood warmth, amplified by a Lilliputian space.
Here, conversations are shared as easily as the tender asparagus, mozzarella and prosciutto di parma salad that can kick off an evening of precisely focused flavours.
La Buca comes courtesy of Parkside's Andrey Durbach and Chris Stewart, a boon for West Siders in search of attitude-free excellence. And if Amarcord's menu can sometimes overwhelm with its sheer scope, Durbach's efficiently trimmed list adds up to a finely honed temptation that will render you helplessly indecisive-leering at others' plates-and that's before you hear the night's specials.
An added bonus on our visit was the presence of ex-Lumiere wine man and server par excellence Neil Ingram.
He regales and revels in the casual intimacy of his temporary surroundings, which he plays (Sunday and Monday nights only) with supper club finesse, while awaiting his new venture to come to fruition
Stellar fare: too little space here to do it serious justice. We like the voyeuristic atmosphere and simple room (a purple swag is all that conceals the impossibly small kitchen), but it's the food that rules.
Highlights from our visit were a herb encrusted Queen Charlotte halibut, simply grilled in oil, served with an array of exquisite vegetables, including sun choke, baby green beans, cauliflower, red cabbage and grilled tomato, in a subtle lemon and saffron sauce. A half dozen prawns with spinach and ricotta ravioli was equally successful-both well matched with the polished richness of Ricasoli Torrecella 2005 Chardonnay.
There's plenty here (with all pasta plates well under $20 and most entr‚es barely over) to keep La Buca's 35 seats busy most nights, we suspect. And, no surprise, you can cap things off with a glass of serious eau de vie or grappa from Mr. Durbach's well-assembled stash-some of the city's best.
Our final call for affordable fare finds us ensconced at a corner table in Don Francesco (860 Burrard St., 604-685-7770). Domaine of the enduring Francesco Alongi, this is another room that can claim "stalwart" status. And while you might want to forearm yourself with a speed-reading course before absorbing the loquacious dinner menu, mid-day yields tasteful brevity-and the deal of note, a $15.95 lunch special that extends to a superb and substantial braised lamb shank, with immensely flavourful and well textured wild mushroom risotto.
It's a serious plate worth the price of admission alone, not to mention the copious insalata Matriciana, fresh spinach gnocchi or zuppa di pollo that might come before.
Unapologetically romantic, Don Francesco wallows comfortably in its old-worldliness, with a white linen politesse these days rarely found: perfect for a lingering and very affordable tryst.
published on 04/20/2007
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