Spaghetti Sundays, but on a Wednesday~
Tonight we were invited to Casereccio Foods for a long table dinner, served family style.
We had a full day of Italian cuisine, having visited their new café concept in the morning for lunch, and now here for this event during dinner time. If you were to compare the two restaurants, this is their more casual concept. It hosts a smaller space and kitchen, meaning it has a limited drink and gelato menu, focusing more so on their hand and house made pasta.
For cocktails, they stock the classics. Our welcome beverage was an Aperol Spritz, refreshing with orange to jumpstart the appetite. A nice sipper as guests took their seats and commenced small talk.
The appetizer course started off with Tuna Crudo. This was unexpected, and not what I imagine when I think Italian small bites. It was a light and refreshing start that paired well with our spritz. Zesty citrus and layered flavours from an assembly of drizzled vinaigrettes and sauce dollops. I found this a lovely contrast to the heavier meatballs below.
We had it for lunch, so was happy to see it here again, but as a smaller version. You could taste the flavour of the sausage and the herbs used. Sitting in a pool of thick tomato sauce that offered great acidity to cut into the meatier bites.
Here, the basket of sliced focaccia bread was helpful in picking up any excess sauce. A little denser and dryer with a crisper crust here. Admittedly, I prefer the light fluffy version from the café more, earlier in the day.
Speaking of hard and crunchy, the Mushroom Crostini with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Burrata sat on a fairly rigid, toasted bread base. Compared to its sautéed mushroom topping, it was coarse and scraped the top off my mouth. The mushrooms itself was a little much, and I would not want more than one piece. Luckily it was served with communal honey, and a drizzle helped to balance out the one toned richness.
This course was served with white wine. It didn’t necessarily pair with everything, but instead offered a way to wash the mouth and cleanse the palate.
Similarly, our entrees came with their house red to pair with both white and red sauce, seafood and meat pastas. Served in giant casserole dishes from sharing. Three different varieties with plenty to go around.
The November feature was this Slow-Braised Duck Ragu Lumaconi topped with a cherry glaze. This was both familiar and unexpected, with large chunks of shredded duck meat that were a little dry and fibrous, but paired well with the acidity of the cherry to cut into it. Not my favourite of the three that we tried, but I did really like it for the type of pasta used. Our table joked that it resembled Darth Vader’s helmet or that of a Stormtrooper, maybe even Ninja Turtles. Its unique shape came with a built in scoop to carry extra sauce.
A more traditional offering was the Porcini Mushroom Sauce Campanelle. I would have liked the sauce a bit more creamy as it came out fairly runny, and we were without any more bread to help capture it all. Once again the type of pasta used made the dish more memorable. This was tubes with frills on one end, like a flower. The extra ridges added a nice chew, which I favoured, and was a lovely contrast to the smooth mushroom slices.
Of the three family style pastas, the Seafood Spaghetti was the lightest, in a simple butter and herb sauce; allowing the mix of mussels, prawns, and scallops to shine, seasoned with herbs. It all had a perfect texture with just enough contrast to the firm strands of spaghetti.
And for desserts it was a collaborative effort with BAK’D Cookies Cafe. A amazingly delicious chocolate and peanut butter cookie served warm and topped with a generous scoop of Caserecci’s house made James’s Gelato in vanilla. Everyone loved this, playing on childhood nostalgia. If I come across BAK’D any time soon, I would definitely be getting this cookie again. I love anything peanut butter and this one had plenty of crunchy crushed peanuts to contrast the chewy cookie itself.
This entire evening was wonderful, and we did not leave empty-handed. We were gifted a container of their take home, fresh pasta, frozen. Plus premade sauce, batched for easy assemble at home. You only need to add one into the other and heat, for an authentic Italian meal in the comfort of your own home.
This location also features a build your own pasta bar. Here, you get to choose which hand made, fresh pasta to have, and what sauce to have with it. There are also sides you can add-on. In fact, we would return later the same week to give this option a try.
l came with a girl friend who was a craving a cream sauced pasta so went with the Porcini & Cream sauce with earthy roasted porcini mushrooms, heavy cream and Parmigiano cheese. For her pasta she went with a short one. The Campanelle, which is the one with the ridges above. To it she added Burrata for an extra creamy touch.
I went for a red sauce and long pasta. Amatriciana with homemade tomato sauce, guanciale (pork cheek), red wine, and Pecorino Romano. The Bucatini pasta can best be described as spaghetti with a hole through it. This allows it to take in more sauce per square surface. It reminded me of Chef Boyardee’s beefaroni pasta, but not cut into tubes. My add ons were also Burrata for the love of cheese, and garlic bread to have it with.
Both pastas were a lot more food than the small bowl appeared to be. Both delicious, comforting, and exactly what we wanted. We couldn’t finish it all, and wanted to save room for dessert. Like everything else, this too is made in house.
We had their panna cotta and cannoli and with each had the option of toppings between fruit, chocolate, and nuts. Their panna cotta with chocolate and pistachio offered a gentle end.
Whereas the fresh made cannoli filled with our choice of the traditional Sicilian ricotta and pistachio was a more filling end. Crunchy shell and savoury cheese with one end dipped in chocolate and the other, pistachio crumb.
In conclusion, Casereccio Foods is a great spot in the West Broadway neighbourhood for authentic and approachable Italian cuisine like how Nonna makes it.
Casereccio Foods
2480 Vine Street, Vancouver, BC V6K 3K8
604-734-4440
caserecciofood.com
