Locandina (Sicily, Italy)

Italian food is an all-time favorite in my household and visiting Italy essentially involves a lot of eating, tasting, trying old and new dishes. Sicily particularly has offered me all my heart could desire in the food department. Arabic flavors mixed with well-known Mediterranean ingredients, all local produce and delicious wines.. You can’t go wrong there. Needless to say, picking out where to eat is always one of my favorite activities on the road. The next restaurant we stumbled upon by pure accident and what a lovely surprise it was.



Locandina is a true gem in the breath-taking old city of Ragusa (Ragusa Ibla). My Greek travel companion even had to admit their prize-winning olive oil was much better than Greek olive oil. That is quite a bold statement there! Munching on our bread and divine olive-oil on the terrace of this beautifully pristine restaurant, a palazzo nonetheless, we tried to decide what wine to drink from the amazing diverse wine-list, ranging in price from very reasonable to very expensive. After dinner, the waiter even gave us a little tour around the restaurant and wine cellar. There, we discovered a hidden nook for a dinner-for-two surrounded by their most precious bottles. Can it get more romantic than that? And if you’re wondering, their menu has a similar wide variety of mouth-watering options. You can opt for their straight-forward but inventive pizza’s or go for their more refined regional dishes. Great atmosphere, wide choice of high quality food & drinks plus warm and friendly service makes Locandina a winner in my book.



And to show you a bit of the beauty of the city, a few pretty views:



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Big Lou’s Butcher Shop (Vancouver, Canada)

I was introduced to this amazing butcher/sandwich shop not too long ago.  And folks all I can say is that it is incredible. From the friendly service, to the amazing selection of fresh meats and sandwiches Big Lou’s Butcher Shop is a true hidden gem. Allan Bosomworth and Karl Gregg, chef/owners of the wonderful Two Chefs and a Table on Alexander Street opened this 800-square-foot, Brooklyn-modeled butcher shop and delicatessen on the corner of Powell and Gore. The 1930s-style joint is outfitted with a dozen bar stools for on-site sandwich scarfing and a long glass case to scope the locally sourced cuts, from Pemberton beef and Sloping Hills pork to Fraser Valley poultry and local game meats (all butchered on site). Take home their line of wet and dry rubs, sauces, and bagged meals like coq au vin and Moroccan lamb shanks.


First time around we ordered the house made pastrami which is made over the course of 6 days. It goes best with the fresh baguettes they sell in store. Next time around I purchased some of their amazing sausages including the spicy merguez and the sun-dried tomato infused sausage. I will definitely be going back to try their fresh cut meats. 



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Campagnolo (Italian Restaurant) (Vancouver, Canada)

This is my favorite Italian restaurant in Vancouver. Campagnolo is located on Main Street between terminal and Chinatown. It offers affordable, casual, Italian dining in a very warm and inviting atmosphere. I love the food because you can get true rustic Italian dishes (inspired by the Piedmont and Emiglia-Romagna regions of Italy).  The atmosphere is simplistic and modern with really interesting light fixtures ( I want one for my home). 

Having been here several times I can say with no reservations that every single dish on the menu is delicious. I was there for my birthday and our table of 12 tried most of the dishes. The pizzas are all amazing and so are the pastas. You really cannot go wrong with anything on the menu. My favorite pastas are the Tagliatelle served with pork ragu, basil and pecorino Romano cheese and the Gnuddi served with ricotta and spinach. As for the pizzas, you can opt for one of the several combinations or you can create your own. I love prosciutto and arugula pizza and the great thing at this restaurant is that it gives you the option to combine such flavors. As for starters the beef carpaccio and Bruschetta are musts!

Tagliatelle Pork Ragu



Procuitto and Arugula Pizza
Beef Carpaccio


Campagnolo on Urbanspoon
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Sura (Korean Restaurant), (Vancouver, Canada)

Delicious Korean treats are to be had at this downtown restaurant!!!

I have walked by this restaurant many times however due to its location (being nestled in between two of my top favourite restaurants in the city [Guu and Gyoza King]) I never paid much attention to it. And it was by pure chance and hunger that we ended up here yesterday. Originally, with Gyoza King in mind we walked down Robson only to be disappointed by the fact that Gyoza King was only offering its lunch menu (which is quiet different from its dinner one). So we decided to leave the Gyoza experience to another night and try something new. Sura is located beside Gyoza King. It is very modern and clean looking and despite some negative reviews of the place the Count and I absolutely LOVED it. 

Korean food in general is delicious and as a non-Korean I thought the Korean short ribs and bibimbap here were delicious. For those of you not familiar with Korean cuisine, bibimbap is the signature Korean dish. The word literally means ‘mixed meal’. Bibimbap is served as a bowl (here in a hot stone bowl) with warm white rice topped with namul (sauteed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste).  A raw egg or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are then stirred together (as was done by our server at Sura) just before eating. 

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L’Abattoir (Vancouver, Canada)

Friday night some friends, the Count and I headed to l’Abattoir. I had read some mixed reviews about the place but figured I’d have to check it out for myself. Located on Carrall street in the heart of Gastown, l’Abattoir is just another new ‘hip’ restaurant to pop up in the area. 

I’ll start with the good and make my way to the bad: the decoration and ambiance were great. The restaurant is set in a refurbished brick and beam building and combines classic french tiles with industrial  fixtures, natural woods, and glass and steel finishes. It was definitely very aesthetically pleasing with detail in everything. The service was great. Our server was very professional and explained a lot of the dishes and drinks to us in impressive detail. 

Claiming to have a mixture of west coast and french food… the entire experience was less than satisfying. The selection was very limited and hugely overpriced for the amount and quality of the food they served(See menu). I had read somewhere that they had amazing cocktails and so I tried two of their more popular ones and didn’t find it any more special than cocktails served in other trendy restaurants around town. But then again I am not a mixologist so what do I know about the intricacies of mixing alcohol with non-alcoholic flavors.  

The food was not bad however for the quantity, quality and price it could have been a lot better. We paid $200 for the four of us which would not have been so bad had we had many drinks or any appetizers but for three entrees and one smaller dish it was too expensive. And it would have been justifiable had it been an amazing culinary experience but it wasn’t.  The best thing about the food was the bread basket served in the beginning. It was clearly homemade and fresh and truly delicious but when we asked for more bread little did we know they would charge us an extra $2 for it.

I opted for the ‘handmade gnocchi and lobster’. I have to say in my opinion there was nothing handmade about the gnocchi. I had just had amazing handmade gnocchi the week before at Mangia E Bevi Restorante in West vancouver and this dish failed in comparison. The Count had the lamb loin and sausage… and as the Count put it was ‘just okay’. And definitely not worth the price.
If you are looking for a night out for an amazing culinary experience I would not recommend l’Abattoir as your destination. However, if you are looking to hang out in a trendy , hipster-type crowd and have some overpriced cocktails then definitely check it out. 




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The Twisted Fork (Vancouver, Canada)

Rumors have it that this is the best place in town for brunch. As a self-proclaimed food/travel blogger I decided I had to check it out for myself. And I can confidently say that this has quickly become my favorite place for brunch in the downtown Vancouver area. 

The Twisted Fork is located on Granville street between Davie st. and Helmcken st. 



Everything on the menu looked delicious but our group opted for the Eggs Benedict and amazing Banana Stuffed French Toast.

Eggs Benedict with avocado

Eggs Benedict with Prosciutto

Banana stuffed brioche french toast

Eggs Benedict with Chorizo
The eggs were perfectly poached and runny, resting on top of some brioche and generously doused in Hollandaise sauce. The chorizo was only cut in half rather than sliced in small pieces so it was actually quite juicy and added a hint of spiciness to the rich eggs and sauce. I didn’t love the brioche and would have preferred it was served on a traditional English muffin. Accompanying the eggs was some sauteed spinach, potato patties, and baked beans. The spinach and beans were actually quite heavy so I only ended up picking at them because I was pretty full from my eggs benny and the pieces of French toast that I stole from my friends plate…. the French Toast was amazing and very creative. I have never had stuffed french toast before and this was very tasty. It was only slightly which was great since it was served with a side of syrup and you could adjust the sweetness according to taste. 

French Press Coffee



They seem to have a dinner menu as well. So I will have to go back to test their menu and report back to my faithful readers. 

Twisted Fork Bistro on Urbanspoon
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Lilette (New Orleans, USA)

Lilette, located Uptown on Magazine street is one of our top ten places to dine in New Orleans. The restaurant serves authentic French cuisine and carries an extensive list of wine from all regions of France.  Be prepared to wait while before you are seated.  We went there last weekend with the start of the New Orleans Jazz Festival. Perhaps this is why it was busier than usual but having made reservations in advance we expected to be seated in a timely manner… 2 hours past our reservation time we were seated. In fact by the time we sat down most tables were finishing up their dinner. I’m wondering why they take reservations when they can’t keep them. Not to mention our party included a very pregnant friend who had to stand on her feet for two hours.  Complaints aside: once we were seated and the food and wine arrived everything was great. 
 
First on the list was the  potato gnocchi with sage brown butter and parmigiano cream. It was PERFECT. The count and I absolutely love gnocchi and seem to order it whenever its offered on the menu. This one was delicious with a perfect creamy sauce. 
 
 
Our table also ordered a cheese plate which included several different types of specialty cheese including blue and goat cheese. The bread was served right out of the oven…and perfectly warm. 

Cheese plate
The escargot served with mushrooms and Calvados cream. If you like snails then you can’t go wrong with an order of the escargot.
 
The Escargot in creamy butter
Fried Kurobuta Pork Belly with a salad of melon, pea shoots and cucumber
Steak Frites with bordelaise sauce

Roasted Poulet Breast
And after all that I absolutely had to order dessert…which was beautifully presented and amazing.  All in all the meal was fantastic. The ambiance is also very inviting. The restaurant is almost always busy so it makes for a great night out. There is also the newer addition to the Lilette family called the Bouligny Tavern located right next door. They have a wonderful cocktail menu. So if you ever have to wait for  a table make your way over to the Bouligny for a drink. 

Lilette on Urbanspoon

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Stein’s Market and Deli (New Orleans, USA)

If you are looking for  delicious New York style sandwiches then Stein Deli is the place for you. A very unassuming Jewish and Italian shop offering cold-cuts, specialty cheeses, meats and other goodies (from around the world). It does tend to be a bit on the pricier side but if its quality that you are after then you won’t mind. My favorites are the Robert and the Jeff Berger served with a side of Kosher pickles. Who would have thought that prosciutto with honey would taste so delicious? 
The Robert (Prosciutto, mozzarella with balsamic vinegar)

Stein's Market & Deli on Urbanspoon

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Khoreshteh Bademjan (Iranian Eggplant Stew)

This is my personal favorite. And I assure you it will quickly become yours. In my opinion there is nothing more delicious than eggplant dishes.  


Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of lamb or lamb shanks with bones (alternatives are chicken or beef or vegetarian)
– it is however most delicious with lamb shanks
1-2 large eggplants
1-2 tomatoes
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 large onion
2 tablespoons salt
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons powdered Persian dry lime (limoo amanee) or 4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Peel the eggplants, cut into 2 by 4 inches. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for about an hour or longer to let the eggplants ‘perspire’. This takes the water out of the eggplant and in return the eggplant will have less of a sponge effect when frying. 
2. Cut your meat into small pieces. If you use lamb shanks leave whole. 
3. Chop onions into small pieces and fry with olive oil until golden yellow. 
4. Add meat to the onions and fry just until the meat and brown. Once the meat is brown on the outside add 1/4 of water and tomato paste (diluted in hot water), Persian dried key lime, salt and pepper to taste. 
Note: you can also add whole tomatoes at this point in addition to the tomato paste. 
5. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 1.5 hours or less depending on meat used. 

Meanwhile the eggplants will be wet. I usually wash them to get rid of the salt and dry with paper towels. 

1. Saute the eggplants in olive oil (or oil of choice) OR for a healthier version bake. 
Note: The traditional version of this dish requires you to fry the eggplants. Eggplants soak in a lot of oil and therefore can require a lot of oil to cook. As a healthier alternative I like to  rub eggplant pieces with olive oil and bake them in the oven. However, I have to admit that the original version made my my mom and grandma with heavily soaked eggplants is WAY more delicious. So I recommend you try  the original version before the healthy version to soak in the true taste of this dish.
2. Once the eggplants are ready (golden brown on both sides) drain on paper towels. Arrange carefully on top of the stewed lamb and simmer for 15 minutes. Be careful not to break the slices. Do not attempt to mix the stew at this point as the eggplant will be delicate and will rupture. 




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