I have been to Bacaro once before, I was invited to the launch of Kitchen Table’s newest promotion. There we learned that visiting a handful of their restaurants and ordering a specialty dish could win you prizes. An endeavour I recently set out to accomplish and succeed in. Recap of that feat in the link below.
That journey brought us to Bacaro on this day, the last stop on our cross-town journey, as the only restaurant to open later the Sunday we were visiting.
The restaurant’s space use to be an extension of Giovane Caffe with bistro menu items and light pasta dishes coming out of their adjacent kitchen. I have visited a few times before, so appreciated the rebranding since. The space is given an air of romance with modern finishes. Simple florals, a flickering candle, and the menu’s block type font against geometric prints.
The passport item was a starter of a cocktail and chips so we decided to build on it with a full meal. So not only will I be reviewing our 3 dishes in full, but I will also be recalling some of the small bites we had at the introductory event, during the cocktail reception a few weeks back. The latter of which, first.
During my previous visit, all the guests were raving over the Butter and anchovy on a crostini. The butter is house made and it is not like the regular rich spread. It was light and seasoned with herbs. It ate like a cheese to help balance out the saltiness of the whole tiny fish that laid across it and the crostini.
I couldn’t get enough of the Chicken liver crostini with preserved apricot. A sumptuous creamy spread of meat balanced by the fresh tang of the sweet apricot in season.
The Baccala mantecato was a new combination for me. Whipped salt cod, grilled polenta, and salsa Rossa. I melody of gentle flavours to play second stage to the soften polenta’s texture. This was a filling mosel, but not the most memorable one.
Buffalo mozzarella with preserved tomato in olive oil, basil. A simple collection of quality ingredients that refreshes the palate.
Fresh oysters in shell. Creamy and sweet for the season.
Prosciutto di Parma alone and with cantaloupe. The latter was my favourite of the night. A tried-and-true combination that does not fail to deliver and well showcases the quality in Italian cured meats and especially Italian uncooked, unsmoked, and dry-cured ham.
Soppressa Veneta, Italian aged salami produced with pork, lard, salt, pepper, spices and garlic.
Culatello di Modena, prized cured meat made from the back of the pig’s leg or its buttocks. Fantastic with the sprinkling of parm and the fresh green peas.
During our most recent visit we started with a couple of their Aperol Spritz cocktails, pre-bottled and poured table side into iced glasses. A simple solution for a popular mixed cocktail when no bartender is on hand.
Potato chips with crispy herbs. Admittedly I preferred the multiple bowls of chips we had during the cocktail reception. Tonight, I found them just as crispy and light as I remembered, but with far too much coarse salt this time around.
I was craving for a soup and sandwich, so immediately gravitated to what I could order, that would come close to a grilled cheese and tomato soup at Bacaro.
The Mortadella in carrozza is a fried mozzarella and mortadella sandwich with green tomatoes. The cheesy and meaty filling was not what I tasted, and I could not make out any freshness from green tomatoes. The even breading with its heavy-handed herb seasoning is what you get for flavour. I liked its texture, but was glad to have something tomato based to dip it into.
The Pomodoro freddo is a shot of cold tomato soup, served with pecorino frico. The former comes in a couple of sips serving, so we ordered two in a large bowl for better dip-ability. It comes with what is essentially a cheesy short bread cookie. On its own the cookie is overwhelming, alongside the soup it made for a nice slow nibble and slower sip.
We were left waiting for our entree, and were later informed that the restaurant’s printer was not working so our order was missed. By the time we got the Rigatoni al ragu di we were full. The pork and veal ragu was on the oily side, a decadent pasta with thick starchy noodles and plenty of gristle from all the meat. It left me craving a salad and wishing we started off with something less heavy.
In conclusion, Bacaro is a nice spot of simple, classic Italian in the area, and a nice casual option for those staying at Fairmont Waterfront.
Bacaro
1029 W Cordova St, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B9
(604) 687-9887
bacarovancouver.com
