Poco Pazzo, Ottawa

I met up with my good friend, P, last week for dinner at Poco Pazzo, an Italian restaurant in West end Ottawa. The head chef and owner, Emanuele, was born and trained in Sicily, so this 'crazy little Italian eatery' is sure to bring you true tastes from Italy. This restaurant had a very cozy feel to it. It is a nice place to bring a date to.

As an appetizer, we had the tricolore salad, which is their version of a caprese salad. It was a display of vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced bocconcini, and fresh basil served with kalamata olives and red onions. The caprese salad is one of my favourite salads, so simple, yet so delicious. Their bocconcini had a nice sweet taste, and both the tomato and basil tasted really fresh. I only wished that their portion was larger....should have upgraded to the "mamma mia" size.

For mains, I ordered the vitello fiorentina, a tender veal scaloppini layered with spinach and mozzarella cheese, and oven baked in a creamy lemon sauce. The sauce had a nice citrus taste to it. This was served with a side of roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I do not normally order dishes so rich, but it was marked as a favourite so I wanted to try it. It was good, but a little too rich for me. If that's what you like, this dish is for you.

P ordered the gemelli con manzo, which was gemelli pasta with strips of beef tenderloin, mushroom, and baked cherry tomatoes in a creamy gorgonzola sauce. I love gorgonzola with pasta, so I had a bit of food envy. I did try some, and it was very good.

Our dessert was something you could only find in Canada...a dessert named after the beloved game of hockey. We ordered the Senator puck, a rich brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. We figured we could order tiramisu anywhere, but you don't see a hockey puck dessert everyday. Not only did the dessert look exactly like a hockey puck, but this restaurant is situated close to the Scotiabank place where the Ottawa Senators play, so it is a very fitting name for the dessert.

I am heading to Windsor, UK this weekend. It will be a short trip so I really hope I'll get a chance to bring back some good food pics.

Poco Pazzo

6081 Hazeldean Road

Stittsville, Ontario, Canada

Telephone: 613 836-7100

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