Friday dinner, Campagnolo

It's a habit that we've nurtured over many years of dining at Yoshi's: we like eating at restaurant bars. Is it the high stools and counter? Is it the chance to have more casual interaction with the bar staff? I don't know, really. I just know that if we get the option, we often take it. And so it was Friday night at Campagnolo.

Busy place - we're glad to see it so packed if it's a sign that the neighbourhood will continue to develop nicely. When we arrived, we asked to sit at the bar. The backroom where the bar is had a table for four available, but not enough seats for us at the bar itself. Ah well, the table it was. And so we sat with menus and water a handful of minutes, and wouldn't you know it? The bar freed up! We moved quickly (I think the waiter was a little miffed, and I felt badly a moment or two), and soon Marie, Conrad, and I were parked with a bottle of red wine and an order of smaller plates submitted.

I like Campagnolo a lot. It's funny - we almost never go out for Italian food in Chicago or elsewhere. I'm not really sure why. But we like our little Vancouver neighbourhood place in all of its minimalism. In fact, we'll have our rehearsal dinner there this autumn, and I'm excited for that. In the meantime, though, here's a look at what we had:

Marinated Olives (cerignola, mantequilla, peppadew)
Crispy Ceci (chickpeas, chilies, mint, citrus)
Spring Vegetable Salad (crispy bread, bagna cauda)
Bruschetta (trumpet mushrooms,buffalo mozzarella, olive oil)

Conrad and Marie split the Margherita pizza (fior di latte mozzarella, tomato, basil) with prosciutto added while I enjoyed a plate of ravioli (wild nettles, soffrito, spot prawn butter). The butter was an especially sweet and delicious touch.

No dessert, we were well-enough fed (and two bottles of wine meant we were well-enough beveraged, too!). By the time we left, the bar was even more packed, and our spots were being eyed hungrily...