Little bit of Italy: The Italian Center Shop

I am quite lucky I live very close to the Italian Center. It is a GEM of a place and perfect when you don't want to go to a chain/ generic grocery store such as superstore or walmart. This little center is located near SOUTHGATE MALL. (please refer to my Massimo blog entry about the newly opened restaurant) 

HERE ARE pics of the entrance:

Inside there is a cute little bakery section and also they serve gelato and sandwiches and coffee.

 They got tiramsu cake tiramsu in a cup.

 yum yum more pastries, stuffed with cream and goodness. their carrot cake is DELICIOUS too

 more pastries and tarts. freshly made

 they got a produce section with very comparable pricing. (though sometimes you really got to pick at it)

 here is the deli area where you take a number and wiat your turn to get your meat and cheese and other deli needs such as canned stuff as well as olives.

 cheese by the bucket full.

 they got pasta everywhere and FOR CHEAP TOO

 yummy european snacks that are affordable.

 frozen section where I get my lamb to make my stuffed counch shells. (blog entry later)

 some products I never seen before.

 deli section I love getting meat here so CHEAP so much variety.

 CHEESE cheese cheese some crazy good stuff and once again so much variety.

 olives. so many types i cannot believe the types.

 and for those that are not picky you can buy it buy the TUB.

 Dustin love this dessert.

Yum european drinks.


Yes visit this place, eat from this place THEY HAVE SAMPLES and visit their little cafe. Or if you want visit their restaurant NEXT DOOR.

Pasta Frenzy Night: Chianti Cafe On Whyte

LET THERE BE CAKE and PASTA 

Click HERE for their website

After a long day of finishing a 17 page essay and overtime work for Dustin we decided to treat ourselves and head to Chiantis on whyte. Monday and Tuesday's are their pasta frenzy nights but we were lucky enough to come just at the right time. We arrived with only two groups ahead of us and the wait time was only 5 min. In fact they are really good at moving people in and out of the restaurant.

Here is where you put your name down on the wait list

The doors we walked through, very old school.

We finally got seated and these were the two menus. (wine and food)

We got our complimentary buns. They were hot when they first came and the insides soft and fresh. However, the bread itself was slightly dry and the butter that came with it was hard. It resulted in some messy butter spreading business. 

I already knew what I wanted. Recalling some high school memories of eating there often (I went to OSA) I chose right away the DIABLO.  Dustin took some time but decided on a dish with veal and tortellini. 

The Diablo has:

Spinach Noodles, Chicken, Artichokes, Red Peppers and Spinach in a Spicy Pesto Cream Sauce

I personally thought that the quality of the pasta has gone done since I first tasted it more than 4 years ago.

As you can see from my close shot the fettucini is not cooked thoroughly all the way through. Also, a lot of the strands were stuck together. CHEF RAMSAY WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED. Otherwise it was pretty good. The pesto in the sauce was not a strong as before but the creme sauce was delicious. The chicken was a tad bit dry but in the creme sauce made it good. There were a few artichoke hearts in it and the red pepper was a good color contrast. 

This was what dustin got: Alla Romanoff

Veal filled Noodles, Bacon and Mushrooms in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

There really wasn't that much veal stuck in there but it still tasted good. The bacon added a smokey after taste to the creamy tomato sauce. DELICIOUS combo. 

As you can see here I found ONE pea in my pasta... IT WAS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE THERE.

After eating (I couldn't finish mine) we went for dessert. BTW the plate was pretty big and when you finish a plate you will be bloated!!!

This is their dessert menu that is not on their website.  I went for the chocolate rasberry ganache. YUM YUM YUM Dustin went for the special the chocolate mouse in a wine cup topped with whip cream.

I enjoy the choc powder randomly sprinkled everywhere. The choco in the mousse is quite STRONG perfect with a nice strong cup of coffee.

There was some hidden strawberry underneath the callebaut choco (delicious) and the crust was made from an oreo cookie.


Overall very enjoyable.

Instead of paying $14.99 for each plate of pasta we paid $9.99. The Ganache was $4.99 for the slice and dustin's mousse was the special for $2.99.

In total after tax it was $30 something. I guess not bad for a night out with dessert.

SPK : Italian Italian

There are those times of the year when you crave a carb filled dinner or lunch. Sometimes you just want a saucy pasta dish that will satisfy your cravings. It may be hard to find a good italian place that is not too costly or not in calgary or banff.

SPK further downtown and easily accessible from jasper ave fits into my budget and taste delicious. The decor is lovely as well but may put you to bed. There is always lines unless you go when they open or your RSVP.

Here is there website: CLICK HERE
Address: 11239 Jasper Ave NW  Edmonton, AB T5K 0L5
(780) 488-38381239 J

asper Avenu
Dustin and I visited SPK a few times and I have gone with my father and for a friends birthday. SPK has a awesome decor and I really enjoy their lights. As you can see it is quite dark and I really love the atmosphere. It is great for cheerful bantor, a date or for a birthday and other monumental event.

There is an open kitchen so you can pretty much see what the chef is doing and how she/he is preparing your meal. Great since I really hate it when I can't see how my food is made and I get really anxious on if they washed their hands or dropped my food etc.

This is my all time fav pasta and I always get this dish: Penne alla Diavola
This dish has baby lobster( i love lobster) some grilled chicken and I love the cream sauce. The combo of the cayenne pepper and other herbs with the lobster and chicken and cream sauce is the perfect combo. Its not too saucy and it just compliments the meat well.$17.95

Panino Pollo is what I have for lunch times and I love the soup it comes with. I chose the soup over the salad. I believe it is a butternut squash soup. I enjoyed the panini it was super fresh and the bread was delicious. I thought it was HUGE though def too big to eat for lunch. $14.95 IT has grilled chicken, provolone cheese and has sun dried tomatoes.

Happy daddy with his SPK meal after I told him to get it. =) 

Here is a photo of the SPK food at a birthday gathering. That night I had a Paitto Assortito which is the chef selection of any two pasta combo. There is also Cozze Gorgonzola which is mussels garlic and leeks. The ravioli was delicious too, the tomato sauce was lovely.

Authentic Italian: Massimo's Cucina Italiana

I love eating italian, the rustic feel the lovely tomatoes the sauce that mingles in your mouth. DELISH. I also often visit the Italian store by south gate. Their meat and cheese are super cheap and there is a great variety. I love going their for a quick grocery run if I need to make a dinner and I am missing something. 

(Italian Center : 10878-95 Street / 5028-104A Street )

(Italian Center Facebook page : Click Here )

(The website for the restaurant : Massimos) 

Recently, the Italian store overtook the retail space beside it and finally made it into something. They opened a small italian restaurant called: Massimo Cucina Italiana.

I think the waitress who was italian told me it means Massimo's Italian Kitchen. ( i hope there really is a massimo....)

It had its grand opening December 12 2012 I believe and got their liquor licence Jan 9 2013. 

I went to this little place late at night on the 4th day of their opening and we were the only one there. It was quite nice actually because I see a line and lots of people in it now and I HATE LINES.

Upon entering I noticed that they were all Italian and actually had italian accents. NICE except for our waiter he was SUPER friendly ... super in the terms of annoying since he kept saying he knew me and we must have gone to high school together.. he looks like he is in his 30s if not 40s... DO I LOOK THAT OLD ... cheesh

Anyways the service I guess was good he was attentive but he kind of had to we were the only customers in at the time. 

Their menu at the time was printed on a nice thicker piece of paper but it was freshly done and didn't even have the desserts on it. For a better look of their menu look online on their website. We got a basket of fresh bread and whipped butter. DELICIOUS and that kind of helped since their portions are not the biggest.

Dustin went for the good old steak or red meat they offered : Grilled Striploin Bistecca

It is served with veg and potatoes. The picture below is a picture of that. 

The steak was already pre-cut and we ordered it rare. The vegetables were in sautéed in some sort of olive oil baed sauce it was delicious. The portion side was quit small though considering the price we paid ( I can't remember the exact number but cost to amount ratio was more cost than amount ) I hate eating carbs (starchy ones like potatoes) but these potatoes were not super greasy or mushy. Just right. The side small salad was tasty too.

I went for something lighter: Penne with Prime Alberta beef ragout.

The sauce was lovely but once again the portion size as a lot smaller than most restaurants when you look at the price ... ( I will update the prices soon, planning on swinging by there soon) 

The above is their special homemade tiramisu. I got their cup version one and their cake version from the italian store before but this one was much better. (I believe it was 7 dollars) The decoration was cute with a little heart and mint leaves.

Here is a dim picture of the place taken without flash. IT is quite dark and romantic.... THe washroom is just in the wall it looks like a decorations since its a painted blue door but its the washroom.. There is only one.... 

This is off their website a picture of their place during the day and the tables they have set up and the open kitchen scheme they have.It is awesome because you smell your food as it cooks and hear their italian banter. 

They have other dessert options now and here is a pic I got off their website. Ever since their opening they have been expanding their menu a little bit ... and though I heard their service has gotten worse I still think their service was great.


You got to def try this play out as least once. Though it costs around $75  dollars a couple with a shared appi, each an entree and a shared dessert with no alcohol, the food quality and taste is def worth it. Be sure to note that you might not be full on that budget.


For another review from the edmonton journal : Click Here

Going to Old Spaghetti Factory

Today after a tedious day at work and then working out, Liana and I decided to hit up West Edmonton Mall for some shopping. We both hadn't been there for a while and was actually looking for DELUX BURGER. We walked down Bourbon Street and Delux was gone! I hadn't been to WEM for awhile but not for that long... Where did it go?

Oh well, our dreams of eating  delicious burgers were dashed. So we looked around Bourbon Street. There was the usual places but I really wanted a cheap and quick meal. I always see a line at Old Spaghetti Factory but never understood why. So we were down to two option: Hooters or Old Spaghetti Factory. There really wasn't anyone super attractive working at Hooters (so it would devoid the point of going) so we went to Old Spaghetti Factory.

Going on a Wednesday after 12:30 pm was a perfect choice. There was no line at all and we were seated immediately in a booth. Everything was dimly lit but in an old fashion kind of way. I instantly judged the place and would never come here on a romantic date. EVER. Our server was a busy and ragged looking blonde who left after seating us down. There was one laminated menu and the other was made out of newspaper material. (EW how do they wipe those down, thats so germy) I looked at the Lunch Specials since I was trying to control the portion sizes. 

After not being able to find the nutrition guide online for the specific lunch menu item I gave up and went for the Chicken Clubhouse Sandwich with Fries but sub the fries for yam  fires. (yes I am sure I will end up gaseous and regretting it) (8.95 + 1.50) super cheap. The lunch came with a milestone soup and it was eeh , really small bowl and not really flavourful just a bit salty. (keep in mind I don't use salt in my cooking at all) 

 here is a quick snapshot of the layout of the restaurant. everything as you can tell looks "old ish"

 here is Liana pulling a face as we try and decide what to eat. Since we are  both kind of indecisive it was a long process.

 This is the laminated menu, yet the food on it still doesn't look too appealing.

 here is the paper copy of the menu I was talking about. To me this just screams cheap. I know Delux Burger did the same thing but at least their menu was in colour.

 Liana ordered a Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwhich with Fires and topped it off with a Baked French Onion Soup. I didn't have a bite of this but to me it didn't look well plated and the plates were really old looking and cheese was everywhere. However, Liana looked super happy as she ate is so it must not have been all bad.

Oh yes I almost forgot, they give you a complimentary SLAB of bread with whipped butter and whipped garlic butter. The knife is just stuck in the bread which I think can be dangerous and it really looks unappealing. The bread it self seemed fresh and warm and the butter was good. (how  could you messed up whipped butter right...) There was no plates on our table at this time so crumbs were EVERYWHERE. 

 Here is my soup in that nasty patterned bowl. The soup was actually really small and I would say equivalent to 12 normal people spoon bites.( if that makes any sense)

 So finally after seeing others get there food (about 15 min later) our food arrived. This is a picture of her sandwich. Once again their plates are nasty and it just throws me off and doesn't make me want to enjoy their food. I had a few of her fires they were ok nothing to special.

This was mine. I asked for the butter and mayo to be removed from the sandwich. Alas, the butter was still smeared onto the ciabatta bun. I was displeased but didn't say anything since I didn't want to wait for another one to be made. The yam fries were surpassingly fresh and the chipotle mayo dip was actually quite good. As you can see its quantity here not quality. The sandwich was ok nothing too special I ended up not even eating the bun itself. (note: they do not have any other alternative for the bun so if you don't like that kind of bun don't order it.) 

Overall, I see why people go. Its fast, its cheap and its food. I didn't try their signature pasta dishes so I guess I can't fully judge it yet. But yes their sandwich are nothing special and though the whole meal was under 13 dollars it wasn't really worth it.