More Italian Coffee

I surprised myself by finding and trying out not just one, but TWO Italian cafés this week, without specifically looking for them. The first was Caffe Buongiorno, and the second is Sciué Italian Bakery Caffe, at Pender and Howe.

I was actually headed for the Bread Garden at Pender and Hornby when I noticed Sciué and decided to head there instead. No offense to the Bread Garden, but this place actually looked Italian and there was a huge line, which I took as a good sign. I was in no hurry, so I thought I would try it out.

I didn’t try the pastries today, as this has been a pretty sweet-laden week for me already, but I did try the coffee.

This was possibly the most amazing latte I have ever had in my life. I think the best way to explain it is that normally, I take sugar in my coffee -- two packets per cup of coffee. But this latte was so divine, so frothy, and the coffee so perfect already, that I added no sugar.

I have to reiterate that I can’t even think of one single time in the past when I have not added sugar to my coffee. This latte was absolutely amazing.

My European Café

I discovered a delightful little café this week, the Caffe Buongiorno (I may be spelling that incorrectly) at Pender and Richards. It reminded me of a little European café that you might find in that French movie Amélie, with a high coffee counter, little tables and chairs with curly-cue legs and a mosaic tile floor.

I tried a chicken panini for lunch, and I was a little worried when I ordered it, thinking there might be nothing but chicken inside. Thankfully, I was wrong, and my panini had some grilled veggies and a mild but gooey melted cheese, too.

My latte was also fantastic, and it was served in a wide coffee cup with a saucer. These always remind me of Europe because when I was going to school in France, the only place you could get coffee in a paper cup (à la Starbucks) was from the cappuccino machine at the university. And I don’t mean a fancy cappuccino machine like you would find in a café; this was what could probably be considered the European equivalent of the coffee machines you can find in hospitals here.

The Caffe Buongiorno is highly recommended for the next time you feel like having lunch in a European café without actually going to Europe.

Attention Frenchies!

Just in case you didn’t know, this weekend is the Festival du Bois in Maillardville, Coquitlam (www.festivaldubois.ca). It is running on March 1 & 2 at Mackin Park in Coquitlam. This is not on any really good bus routes, but is probably not too bad to get to from either Braid or Lougheed Skytrain stations.

There are plenty of shows happening, as well as activities for kids. See their website for more information.

I mention the Festival du Bois because I will be going there for one reason – and one reason only! POUTINE! Yes, of course, that greasy, delicious, quebecois delicacy that millions of people are disgusted by!

I happen to like fries (I have the same friendship with them that I have with most deep-fried foods). I also like gravy, it is so warm and salty and comforting. And I can’t tell you how much I love cheese curds. They are chewy and melty and they squeak when you bite them.

Only one thing could be better than having poutine: Having poutine in the same day as having tourtiere and maple sugar pie.

Tourtiere is French-Canadian meat pie. Meat and pie, together in one; need I say more?

Maple sugar pie is exactly what it sounds like: sugar pie, but with maple. I have heard it compared to butter tarts, which I don’t think is entirely accurate. I would say that it is more like a pie-shell filled with home-made fudge.

So that is where I will be this weekend, in the line-up at the poutine tent at the Festival du Bois in Maillardville.

Mmm... Lamb Souvlaki!

Monday night was a delightful evening of Whitney Houston and Greek food. How could anything go wrong with that combination?

A friend and I decided to use an entertainment book coupon for Santali Souvlaki House on Edmonds (7879 Edmonds St, Burnaby). It was Monday night so it was quiet, and when we arrived we were the only guests. That didn’t last long, though. We were the first of a bit of a rush!

Whitney Houston’s greatest hits album seemed to be playing, punctuated with on Toni Braxton song, so the ambiance was set. I may have sung along a little bit. But only before the other patrons came in. And I was definitely done once someone was sitting at the table next to us!

We started with the calamari, moved on to Greek salad and then had the lamb souvlaki. There were two olives on my Greek salad, instead of the usual one, and it was also loaded with feta. There’s nothing worse than a Greek salad that is stingy on the feta.

The lamb souvlaki was delightful. It had the longest meat skewer I have ever seen in my life, and the meat was tender and perfectly seasoned. They even remove the skewer for you, to make your dining experience neater and easier. I can’t tell you how many times I have shot bits of meat across/under/over the table while I was trying to remove it from a skewer. If I could count the number of times I’ve eaten meat off a skewer, it would probably be pretty close to equal.

Our server was attentive but did not rush us, which I find so rare when I dine out these days. Usually, servers either forget about you or hustle you through your meal.

As an added bonus, once you know where Santali is, you can easily find Amorosa Pasta House, located next door. I didn’t ask, so I could be wrong, but I believe that both restaurants are owned by the same family. I have eaten at Amorosa, although not recently, and that was also a fabulous experience. This is also one of those great places where a meal can feed you for a couple of days. I could have saved some of my souvlaki for the following day, but I decided to go for it. I did have to loosen my belt. It was just so good I couldn’t bear to wait until the next day to finish it.