I had been hearing some rumours that there was a new pizza place in town that was making fresh authentic Neopolitan pizza. No, not Nicli, but something else. Next thing you know I received an email about Verace Pizzeria in Gastown opening their doors to share their pizza with the city.

Located on Keefer street right beside T&T Supermarket Verace sits with a quaint little patio outside and a beautiful new restaurant inside. It’s a nice part of town, super close to the Skytrain and downtown, but quiet and somewhat removed from all the hussle and bussle which was nice.

Chad and I decided we would try it out, just the two of us. The restaurant wasn’t very busy, but it was early on a Monday night. We were given a choice of Natural Water or Fizzy Water (so very Italian, I loved it) and of course I had to go with the Acqua Frizzante. I love that it was complimentary instead of having to order a bottle of San Pellegrino. A definite plus in my book.

They had fresh Burrata in stock and we were so excited to try it out. Somehow we never came across this in Italy. Maybe that’s because it’s from Naples and we never actually stopped in city. Fail on our part!

I first learned about Burrata while watching an episode of Lidias Italy and have been obessed with it ever since. It was a little on the pricy side for an appitizer, but then again, it is flown, over night, from Italy. It was so amazingly good we just couldn’t contain ourselves. If you are a lover of cheese you NEED to try Burrata!

I decided to go super simple with my pizza choice this time around. I could have gone with the Margherita D.O.P. which is made with mozzarella di bufala, but again, I just was in the mood for something simple.

Margherita
Fresh plum tomato sauce, fior di latte mozzarella, grana padano, fresh basil and evoo

The flavours were fresh and delicious and the touch of evoo was perfection. I love good tasting olive oil!

Chad, being the ‘Diavola’ expert that he is, ordered the Diavola.

Diavola
Fresh plum tomatoes, spicy genoa salami, capicollo, roasted red onion and peppers topped with grana padano, fresh basil and evoo

This pizza probably had the most toppings of any Diavola pizza Chad’s had before, and he really enjoyed it. I stole a little onion while he wasn’t looking and it was delicious. What a clever ingredient to add!

The inside of the restaurant was beautiful. I may or may not be stealing some of their interior design ideas for our new house (whenever that happens!). It had a very comfortable feel, like I was having dinner in someones home. I can definitely see myself bring the extended family here for a big pizza dinner. The atmosphere was wonderful.

We were going to get the limoncello layer cake, as was suggested to me on Twitter, but we were so stuffed we just couldn’t eat any more. Instead, Chad got an espresso and I a bicherin.

Bicherin. I haven’t heard that word in ages. I didn’t actually think it was a real word, but rather something my Nonna made up in dialect. I had to laugh when I saw it on the menu. We joked with the Owner, Roberta, who just happened to be serving us that evening, about how non-Italians pronounce the word Bicherin. Here’s a hint, it is not pronounced Bitch-Erin, but rather Be-Cure-In!

Here she is, in all her glory. I usually shy away from coffee becuase my stomach doens’t seem to like it, but I had to try this out. It was perfect. The hot chocolate was rich and tasty and the espresso added the perfect kick. It was so unbelievably good and it didn’t upset my stomach at all.

We had a great experience at Verace. It was nice to meet Roberta and have her serve us. She was full of information (did you know their 900 degree oven is the only thing they use to cook with? That means all their desserts are made in their too!) and provided great service (I’m still obsessing over the Acqua Frizzante on tap. Genius!)

Now, what you are probably going to ask is, how does this compare to Nicli? Well, pretty darn close! The atmosphere and ambience of each resturant are totally different. Nicli feels very up scale, and Verace feels like home so they definitely fit into different niches. Both their pizzas are amazing, but I think the edge goes to Nicli only because their crust was crispier than Verace’s. The flavours and freshness was there with both pizzas.

You can also read Follow Me Foodies post comparing the two.

I love that Vancouver finally has amazing restaurants serving up pizza the TRUE Italian way. I can’t wait to go back to Verace!

Valentines Day Farts. It’s true. Actually it’s been like Valentines Weekend Farts.

Chad went out for beers on Friday night and ever since his ass has been a trumpet band for the Guinness Parade.

3 days people.

I should probably invest in an air purifier at some point here.

Valentines Day to us consists of an exchange of cards and cookies/chocolates and dinner out. We love trying new restaurants so Valentines Day is the perfect excuse to do so.

Chad usually picks the place and this year we headed to EBO at the Delta Hotel which is 5 minutes away from our place. Since Valentines Day is usually nuts, we always try to go to a place that takes reservations since waiting for an hour in line is no fun. We made our EBO reservations through Open Table, which we love to use.

I was obsessed with the giant wine glass and Chad felt the need to give me his ‘unimpressed’ face, probably because I was using the flash.

Our meal came with complimentary Welcome drinks, which consisted of Cranberry and Apple Cyder, Oysters, and Valentines Cookies.

Since Chad hates things of the sea, particularly raw things of the sea, the Oysters were all mine. I had never had Oysters before and was somewhat nervous, but I couldn’t let them go to waste. They were placed upon this salt and pepper mixture. I tried a bit of it first and holy mother was it salty and spicy all at once. Whole pepper corns and chunks of sea salt. Talk about an explosion of flavour in your mouth!

I put a little bit of the mixture on the oyster and sucked it back. It was good, but the sea salt was a bit much for me. Kind of tasted like I was eating English Bay haha! But over all, it was a good experience!

As an appetizer I got the Tomato and Mozzarella salad.
Fresh sliced Tomato, fresh sliced Bocconcini, Basil, Aged Balsamic and Arbequino Olive Oil

It was so good, it tasted like I was back in Italy. I actually made that comment to Chad. The Mozzarella was covered in a pesto sauce and the balsamic vinegar was amazing. This was one of the best tomato salad I’ve ever had.

My camera doesn’t focus well when I take food pictures, as you can tell. I didn’t want to take a million hoping one would work, I mean, I was in a fancy place after all.

As a main I got the Tuna.
Rare Rice-Crusted Albacore Tuna Steak with Avocado Puree, Asparagus with Serrano Ham, and Chili Gastrique

Yes, it was as good as it looked. The Tuna tasted amazing and the Asparagus and Serrano Ham were crisped to perfection. The only thing I wished it had was a little sauce to dip. Yes, there was the Avocado puree, but the sushi lover in me was missing the Soy Sauce.

The Delta hotel it’s self was beautiful. Totally not what we were expecting.

The hotel has been a staple in the neighbour forever. A few years back now it went under a major renovation. I think they changed the name, added a casino and classed it up a bit.

If purple velvet couches don’t say glamourus, I don’t know what does!

We went to the restaurant straight after work, so we looked more classy then usual.

I wore another new Spring purchase. This adorable sleeveless Kensie shift dress was purchased at Plum, of course. It was too cold to go sleeveless so I wore a Kersh Ribbed Waist Cardigan over top, which covered up some of the design details of the dress, but oh well. I’m sure I will wear it again, sans sweater!

Elastic  Belt, Silver Ball Necklace, and the infamous Fleece Leggings were also purchased at Plum. The silver bracelets are from Forever 21 and the Boots are from Spring.

The colours are still very Winterish, so it makes for a good transitional piece.

Chad decided to make an Espresso at home instead of having one at the hotel. He wanted to try out the new coffee he recently purchased. Only problem is that our stove is getting more ghetto with age and it caused the smoke alarm to go off 4 times. Slightly annoying!

Chad always buys the best cards. I love how he always edits them so they are more specific to ‘us’.

He told me that he knows I love him because I put up with all his farts, and after this past weekend, there is no denying that.

Every year he buys me Chip Ahoy because they are my favorite. This year I requested the rainbow kind. Best.Gift.Ever!

A friend of my Moms makes cookies as a little side job, so I ordered a personalized one for Chad. So adorable!

Vitamin Water posted this on Facebook and I just had to steal it. I Blanche the thought of losing you! PRICELESS hahaha!

Valentines Day was a success, aside from my tummy hating me yesterday morning. I blame the sugar overload from Sunday night.

EBO Restaurant was first-class. We would definitely go again, and bring friends. I loved the food, atmosphere, decor, and the wait staff was excellent. Not to mention all the little treats we got because it was Valentines Day! The made us feel very special.

We didn’t go and gamble after dinner because Chad and I are the most unlucky people ever, so we kept our money safe in our pockets.

Hope everyone else had an amazing Valentines Day too!

Friday night we finally made the epic journey to the Salt Tasting Room in Gastown.

We actually read about it on the plane ride from Amsterdam to Vancouver. You know those magazines the airlines produce? Well, they did a feature on Vancouver and included the Salt Tasting Room as one of the must see venues in the city. Yes, that’s right, a tourist magazine informed me, a local, of where to go!

We checked it out online as soon as we got home, and made plans to indulge in a little Wine and Cheese.

Our original plans had to be postponed, so we only just made it to Salt this past Friday, but it was well worth the wait! 

The Menu Board – where all your hopes and dreams are listed.

Candle Light and Brick Walls

While you can go to Salt for dinner, the best thing to do is order a tasting plate and a wine flight.

A combination of 3 meats and cheeses, 3 condiments, and 3 wines.

You can pick everything yourself, or you can let the masters do what they do best. I chose 2 Cheeses and 1 Meat and then let them choose my condiments and wines. It turned out to be utter perfection!

I requested Reds and this is what they brought me. They paired each wine with what I had ordered.

La Frenz Moatage with Chorizo
Avalon Cabernet Sauvigan with Brie
Ft. Bera’s Pinto Noir with Taleggio

They then brought my tasking platter with the condiments they chose.

Balsamic Onions with the Chorizo
Honey with the Brie
Hazelnuts with the Taleggio

The pairings were absolutely amazing. It really is worth it to let the staff pick and arranged the choices. They know what works and how to make your experience the best it can be. You can suggest things you like and have them chose everything, or you can pick the meats and cheeses like we did, and let them pair it from there.

Things you would never think to eat together turn out to me the best things you’ve ever tasted. Add in the wine pairings and you have a mind blowing experience!

I left a little wine to taste once I was done my tasting plate and they tasted totally different on their own then they did paired with the meat and cheese, which just goes to show how important the pairings are.

Ebony and Ivory.

Alicia is still red and I have wine teeth and bushy eyebrows.

What is happening to us!?

I was high on life and kept dacning like Bill Cosby.

Chad said he found my movements offensive.

The boys indulged in things of the Scot Land.

I indulged in things of the Eng Land.

Dessert! Chocolate cake for 2.

I now want to bring everyone I know to Salt so they can share in the life changing experience that is Wine and Cheese/Meat pairing.

While the plates themselves are not substantial or dinner-esque, they do give you the perfect amount of tasting pleasure. Plus all the meats and cheeses are purchased at local deli’s/vendors, so if there is something you really love and want more of, you can ask where it is from, and pick some up for yourself!

This would be such a great place for a date or a classy late night bite to eat.

I am totally in love with Salt.

I was going to write a lengthy post about Dine Out Vancouver, but life got in the way and I decided to give myself 17 extra jobs instead of just playing it cool. But anyways.

Friday night we went to Coza! Tuscan Grill in Langley. Based on the menu alone, this place has been on our radar for two years now. We always read what they were offering for DOV, drooled, then realized it was in Langley and nix it from our list of possible dining venues. This year we decided to finally bite the bullet and check it out while inviting Ryan and Elise, since they live around the corner. I was very much looking forward to this date.

I guess I first knew something was wrong when I saw them try to pass off chicken wings as an Italian dish. As someone who spent a month dining in Italy, I never saw chicken wings on any menu, ever. Second thing that threw me off – they have a very open kitchen where you can see them do everything. A large section of it was for food prep in which they had 10 Caesar salads laid out ready to go. They were the most pathetic Caesar salads I had ever seen.

The menus came, looked just as delicious as the first time we saw them, we ordered, we ate, and this one girl left disappointed. The only thing that saved the night was the conversation. We had an amazing time with Ryan and Elise that I didn’t even realize how uninspiring the food was until after we left and Chad and I started to talk about it.

Now, this is where the Italian Food Snob in me comes out. While I will come across as a snob, I will say this. After 25 years of eating, cooking, and loving Italian food, I think I have enough street cred to give my opinion on Italian dishes.

It wasn’t that all the food was horrible. I tasted Chads and it was quite good, but my pasta (Angle Hair pasta with Shrimp in a rose sauce) left me wanting more. There was no real flavour. The overall mood to the food was very blah, not to mention the fact that half way through it I just decided to stop eating. Not because I was full, but because I just didn’t even want to bother with it anymore.

My appetizer was actually worse. Grill squid which I usually love, I could barely eat. I’m pretty sure it was partially raw, and it had zero flavour other then a small amount of dipping sauce in the corner. Totally and utterly LAME.

Chad and I both agreed that had we gone there as just the two of us, the meal would have probably been ruined because we would have sat there and realized what we were eating. Thankfully Ryan and Elise distracted us from doing so that night and actually allowed us to enjoy our evening.

Its not that Chad and I dine out at fancy restaurants all the time, but we have been to some really nice ones, and we do know our Italian food. We spend a lot of time talking about Italian food.

And there is something to be said about dining in Vancouver and not the Fraser Valley. Yes, I am going to become a ‘this side of the bridge’ snob, but it`s true. If you want amazing food, you need to come to the city, THIS side of the bridge. Granted, I don`t know Surrey and Langley all that well, but what I do know, is I see a lot of big box and chain restaurants *cough East Side Marios cough *. And this whole Dine Out Vancouver experience just proved Chad and my theory on it.

Sunday night we went to Quattro on 4th. Fancier, more expensive, in VANCOUVER, and absolutely to die for. I told Chad that if I was a food critic, I would write an article about both dining experiences and say ‘Quattro on 4th restored my faith in Italian food’.

The portion sizes weren’t huge, but the amount of flavour in them was mind blowing. Chad and I could not stop talking about it and comparing it to Cozas. Maybe it’s not a fair comparison, but it`s what we had. There is something to be truly said about spending a little more money, and getting something amazing out of it. Whats the point of spending 20 bucks and getting an OK meal, when you can spend 40 and talk about it for weeks.

Trying new things is a part of life, but I think we’ll stick to what we know next year.

We went on a date Friday night.

Chad kept moping around the apartment all week and it was pretty much the week of hell for both of us, so I felt it was only right that we got out of the house to relax, enjoy food, and people watch. Not to mention the fact that I knew Chad was going stir crazy.

You can clearly tell the pure joy that is on Chads face in all these pictures.

Some old guy kept staring at me.

Chad has finally convinced me to like Hot Chicken Wings. I am very weak when it comes to spice, but I think I’ve finally built up some tolerance. These were soo  good.

Earls West Cost Salad. I love you. Yes, I love you.

My thoughts exactly.

Speaking of eating out…

Dine Out Vancouver is way late this year all due to the Olympics, but its ok because we snagged reservations for TWO restaurants this year, which I am REALLY excited about!

We are double dating it with Ryan and Elise next Friday night, and are heading out to Langley to enjoy a feast at Coza! Tuscan Grill. The menu looks amazing and I am super excited about our dinner double date, that as Elise puts it, is a classier double date that involves drinking wine instead of beer! I fully agree with her.

Then next Saturday is Marlee’s hair show and subsequent hair show AFTER PARTY which I am very much looking forward to! I can’t wait for pink hair and up dos and beers at the Cambie.

Sunday we continue the whirlwind with dinner for two at Quattro on 4th; yet another classy Italian establishment. You know Chad, he doesn’t stray away from what he knows.

I love eating out. I love that Dine Out Vancouver gives me an excuse to eat out. I love that we try new restaurants.

I love April and May this year.

I love Birthday trips, dinners out, so many accessories on my holds rack, chunky necklaces, sunny days, the boss on vacation.

I LOVE SPRING!

THERE IS SO MUCH LOVE.