Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Support your local Italian restaurant

I was in Saskatoon today for some appointments I had booked. It was a beautiful day to be in the city.

As I was driving through the downtown I turned a corner in front of Johns and nearly ran into the Mayor of the city. Well, I didn't nearly hit him, although I could have if the mood was right. But he's done some good things for the city so I figured live and let live.

I found a smallish Italian restaurant for a lite lunch, and as my lunch appointment dropped out on me, I was free to go where I liked.

Now, everybody should have a small Italian restaurant in their little black book to visit occasionally.

I mean the kind of place that's still owned by an Italian family. The kind of place where you can be sitting in the dining room and hear them yelling in the kitchen. That's the kind of place I mean.

Good food. Not the kind of "Pasta" you get at some box restaurants. And good passion, for doing things well with a work ethic equal to any German family.

A place where they've been doing this for 30 years so they know their way around a pizza and a bowl of pasta, and the son or daughter has taken over for the old man who still won't get the heck out of the kitchen even at the age of 73.

You find one of those places you don't take it for granted. You keep it in your back pocket for when you're in a mood for some amazing pasta, or you want to impress a date.

Then order the spaghetti and start slurping up one end of it.
If you're a lucky dog your world will collide with the love of your life.

Everybody needs a local Italian restaurant nearby. Support yours today.

5 comments:

  1. And just what restaurant did you happen upon in Saskatoon, for those of us who live here?

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  2. Ah, family restaurants.

    There was a place called The Flamingo run by a Greek-Cypriot family in South Norwood (now sadly closed). I learned about real Greek food there, long before I first went to Greece - and it was the real thing too.

    Marie and Douglas eventually passed the business to their boys, and I believe, retired to Cyprus.

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  3. Our current favorite Italian restaurant is still going here in the big city, but their pasta even on non-cheap pasta days has a bit of a mass produced quality. I too would be interested in knowing the name of this little place.

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  4. Ah, see I knew you'd ask which place it was, and now that I've hyped it I hope they live up to the talk.

    It's the Taverna Italian Restaurant, (219 21st St E) in Saskatoon.

    "Saskatoon's 'authentic' Italian-owned restaurant. For the past 30 years, Taverna has been delighting its customers with their extensive selection of pasta, veal, chicken and seafood dishes."

    Yesterday was the first time I had been there, and though there were things I could have picked apart, I enjoyed it because it reminded me of an Italian place I used to work at when we lived in Ontario.

    I think I'll give it another go.

    Some reviews are here:

    http://chefmoz.org/Canada/SK/Saskatoon/Taverna_Italian_Restaurant1027256454.html

    positive and negative.

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  5. I have heard that Taverna has really good pizza. I have wanted to try them out for some time now.

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