Tavola + Nook = Ten Pounds of Pasta

Recently I was cutting weight for a fight and restricted from eating carbs for six weeks.  This was painful because I love complex carbs. I live for them, I dream about them, I plan my meals around them and one of the main reasons I work out so often is so I can consume them daily. Therefore the bread, burrata, pasta, potatoes, perogies, pastries, and pizza were all put on hold and my will power was put to the test. For six weeks I sweated my ass off for those ten pounds. The night before my fight I successfully weighed-in and BAM! I was like a fat kid in a candy store. Where did I go to carb-load and celebrate this grand occasion? Tavola. And the next night, Tavola. And two nights after that, Nook. Not even shitting you, it only took two days for my gluttonous ass to gain back the weight in pasta alone.
Previously I have raved about Nook and my infatuation with the Burrata. Coming from the same family and formerly Tapestree, Tavola has more seating, house-made pastas, sans pizza, and the kicker being - wait for it - a version of my beloved Burrata! Just around the corner from Nook, Tavola is a place you bring people you love, a place you meet with friends, share plates, and fight each other for the last heavenly mouthful. Just go, or I'll kick your ass.

The margarita pizza from Nook. Definitely making my top ten.

Cinch on Robson

Sunny day lunch on the Cinch patio!

Pan-seared Prawns and Seasonal Greens Salad. Heck Yes.

Mattchew Fong's Braised Short-Rib Sammich.

I had to hold myself back from beating him up and stealing it.

Nook

The Rigatoni Boscaiola

















The Gnocchi



The wine



Melissa's Bucatini, aka hollow and unslurpable spaghetti.



Arthur's Orecchiette, which I did not try but thoroughly enjoyed watching him lick his plate clean.

I really have to stop getting so drunk when I eat out or all my reviews will be the same:
Guys. This place is ssoooooooooo awesome. This is like the best pasta I'VE EVER HAD....EVER.
Yayaya, lets totally get another bottle of wine.

I scoped out this little place on the north end of Denman when I was ending my sushi quest, heard great things about it from friends, and was happy to use it as an excuse to go on a double date. If you know me, you know I love Italian food. Olives, carbs, and wine; and I'm happier than a pig in shit. The service was thoughtful, knowledgeable, and patient with our disastrous pronunciation. I enjoyed the wine that she suggested and will probably hunt it down to have at home.

I shared the olives and meatballs to start, both were decent but nothing to write home about. (sidenote: I didn't find the menu tiny, but sort-of like a scrawny teenager that needs to fill out a bit). I ate the Rigatoni Boscaiola, which in all seriousness, might actually be the best pasta I've ever had. The Boscaiola is this incredible mushroom sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and prosciutto. Great ingredients, rich sauce, I will probably eat the exact same thing every time I go back. No jokes. My date had the Gnocchi with baby meatballs in a tomato sauce. And I personally love the homemade gnocchi, even if the texture leans toward the side of doughy. Finished off with the chocolate puddingy thing for desert, and as far as I remember, guys, it was awesome.

Cafe Luxy

Okay so I may have had a wee bit of a stressful night-shift last night but three things cheered me up this morning on my walk home after work (if you can't already tell I'm a list-kinda person):

1. The fact that I don't have to go back to work till Monday.
2. The mild-ish-ness of my first winter in Vancouver.
3. The impending first lunch meeting of the Ex-girlfriends Club!

What I love most about Italian food, is that by the end of the meal, between the pasta and the garlic bread, I'm in a carb-coma. Downright sit back and sigh serotonin satisfaction. Today's lunch at Cafe Luxy on Davie was no exception. I havn't eaten at all of the Italian restaurants on Davie and Denman, and being a naturally impatient person I am picking a favorite before I've tried them all. I've been to Cafe Luxy now twice for lunch and once for dinner and it is definitely making my top-ten list. The dinner portions will last you several meals, the pasta list is endless, and all the options for lunch are only $7.98 with salad and garlic bread. I might not be able to hold myself back if someone dared me to try all of the pasta dishes on the menu. Today I had the Penne alla Luxy, which was penne with sundried tomatoes and assorted peppers in a rose sauce. After picking out all of the green peppers (they give me heartburn), I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning and have my leftovers for breakfast.