From the food to decor, the environment is unique
Mark Laba
Province
There’s plenty to choose from and enjoy on the menu at the Glowbal Group’s latest effort, The Italian Kitchen. Above, chef Ryan Gauthier shows off the Pasta Platter. Photograph by : Jon Murray, The Province
THE ITALIAN KITCHEN
Where: 1037 Alberni St., Vancouver, website: www.theitaliankitchen.ca
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-687-2858
Drinks: Fully licensed
Hours: Mon.-Fri., lunch 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m., dinner, 4:30 p.m.-10-11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., dinner only from 5 p.m.
– – –
When I was a kid, if you said Italian cooking to me I pictured the guy on the can of Chef Boyardee. Later, my tastes became more refined. Not enough to look confident in dress pants, but enough to bluff my way past a maître’d with a minimum amount of smirking on both our parts.
I still feel out of the big leagues when it comes to the swanky eateries and if I’m always in the kitchen at parties, as the song says, then I pick this kitchen to hang out in.
This place is definitely a party, with an ’80s soundtrack that bounced between Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and Billy Idol.
The furnishings have that ’70s rec-room styling, spiffed up as if Hugh Hefner were dropping over for a visit. It makes sense, considering the bold and beautiful hormonal pool present, complete with breast implants and six-packs you could hammer nails with.
White tablecloths and sleek, black seats like you would imagine a supermodel parking her butt on during Milan fashion week dot the room, while dark wood panelling and large sepia-toned rustic photos of Italy act as counterpoint to the contemporary trappings. A second floor houses a second bar with swanky white furnishings and glimmers like a night in Rome with Gina Lollobrigida.
Owned by the Glowbal Restaurant Group, the same folks who brought you Coast, Sanafir, Glowbal Grill and AFTERglow Bar, these people create unique dining environments, kind of like theme parks for the belly and brain.
Peaches and I took seats at the 18-metre-long white marble bar and watched the two women beside us take cellphone photos of each other posing with their heirloom tomato salads. We kicked back with glasses of Dino Illuminati Riparosso, a cherry-saturated red as robust as Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes. A definite lip-smacker. Kudos to the bartenders here, who free-pour a nice, hefty glass.
The wine was a good match for our appetizer pizza of burrata cheese, zucchini blossoms, tomatoes and basil ($15). Simplicity itself, but the excellent ingredients, including the creamy burrata with soft centre and mozzarella casing and the delicately flavoured zucchini blossoms, showcased nature’s harmonious balance.
Peaches then took on the incredible spaghetti with truffle cream, Kobe beef meatballs, tomato-garlic confit and ricotta cheese ($25). The price is steep, but one bite flooded the senses with pleasure. The meatballs are as tender as Sophia Loren’s lips and the sauce is pure decadence.
I had the papparadella with lamb sausage, napa cabbage, fingerling potatoes, peperoncino and extra-virgin olive oil to finish it off ($15). An intriguing mix of flavours and textures. Honestly, I wolfed this dish down like Romulus and Remus after skipping lunch.
There’s plenty to enjoy here, from the ravioli filled with Dungeness crab and mascarpone cheese to the chicken satimboca to the crispy Mediterranean bass with spinach and pancetta. Plus grilled tenderloin and side dishes like gorgonzola polenta or asparagus with pecorino zabaglione. And a shlemiel like me felt like Giancarlo Giannini here, even though I still can’t grow a moustache.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Classic Italian gets a revamping with an upscale, yet casual, approach.
RATINGS: Food: A Service: A
Atmosphere: A
© The Vancouver Province 2007