Italian Kitchen

A while back, we received two gift cards to the Glowbal Group restaurants, and due to our weakness for Italian food, the clear winner was the Italian Kitchen.

Later in the evening, we had a recital to attend, and we informed our server of our time restriction. She was right on board, and handled this and our kids' dietary restrictions adeptly.

I think we need to take better notes because all I can remember is that these are the signature Italian Kitchen cocktail and, I believe, a Limoncello Sparkle.

Given our proclivity toward tasting menus, we chose the Antipasto Misto for two and the Pesce Piatto for two. Our server was a little apprehensive about the time needed for the Antipasto Misto, so with her guidance, we instead selected the Beets and Arugula salad, and

the Caprese Salad.

Both were amazing in freshness and taste. We especially liked the four different kinds of beets, and how good the tomatoes were.

The room featured clean lines and simple furnishings, evincing a sophisticated feel, while at the same time allowing you to relax. We felt the restaurant was good for all ages, and although we didn't feel the music was overly loud, the manager even turned down the music at the request of another table.

Since we were having seafood, we contemplated getting a couple of Italian white wines by the glass, but our kind server steered us toward something more suitable for the type of dishes we would be having, a refreshing New Zealand sauvignon blanc. I don't know about you, but sauvignon blancs, especially those from the land of the Kiwi, have become our go-to varietal for any kind of seafood.

The Pesce Piatto came with crab-stuffed prawns wrapped in pancetta, along with seared scallops, on a bed of Italian bean ragout, wild salmon, and lobster tagliatelle.

I thought the crab-stuffed prawns would be too much, but the flavourings were subtle and worked together. The beans were nicely cooked and also seasoned well.

The salmon was super fresh and cooked perfectly, and the assorted seasonal (and hothouse) vegetables were a great complement.

The tagliatelle was perfectly cooked, of course, and was tossed with a generous amount of lobster.

Although the dessert menu looked appealing, with our time constraint and the lack of anything the kids could eat, we reluctantly bid farewell until the next time.