Culture T H E D I S H
DRINK THIS
DOUGH NUT
THE WOODS SPIRIT C O . A M A R O, $ 3 8
Fresh pasta is back, baby. Some of you pre-millennials may recall its mid-’80s heyday, when every suburban kitchen had a pasta attachment for a KitchenAid or even a stand-alone pasta machine that promised soft, eggy fettucine in the blink of an eye. And then it just sort of disappeared—maybe it was the rise of “fresh” (and I use the term very loosely, Olivieri) pasta in the cheese section of the supermarket; maybe it was the ease of always having dried pasta on hand. I frankly had forgotten its sublime joys until a visit to an upstart restaurant on a nondescript stretch of Kingsway a few years back. The spot was Savio Volpe, and they made sure fresh, hand-cut pasta was front and centre. Since then the team has doubled down, opening Caffè La Tana, which not only serves the freshest pasta in town, but also encourages you to bring the raw ingredients home for dinner and experiment with styles—like the Mandilli di Seta below—that you likely haven’t experienced before. by
Neal McLennan
photograph by
Mark Yammine
2. The name translates into “silk handkerchiefs,” in reference to its thin, elegant presentation on the plate.
1. Mandilli di Seta is native to Liguria, on Italy’s northeast coast.
I’m a judge at the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition, so trust me when I say that when craft amaro takes a wrong turn, it crashes hard. There’s a reason that most imported brands are from the prewar (as the First World War) period—finding the right alchemy is tough, so when you do hit on a recipe that works, you stick with it. So how did two dudes (Joel Myers, Fabio Martini) figure it out in a North Van industrial area? Beats us, but sub this baby into a Negroni or an americano, and taste the woods of the North Shore as they start to grow in your glass. Not literally of course.—N.M.
WILDEYE BREWING DA R K L AG E R , $ 16.50 for a four-pack
3. The classic accompanying sauce is pesto—not surprising, as Liguria is rumoured to grow Italy’s finest basil.
4. Chef Mel Witt rolls the mandilli ultra-thin and sometimes laminates the sheets with nasturtiums or even carrot tops.
5. How long does it take to cook pasta this thin? Is it in the boiling water? Then it’s cooked.
“Oh, they’re from North Van? Probably not a great look for the mayor of Vancouver to be drinking this. But it’s really good.” That’s a real quote from Kennedy Stewart, from when we spotted him cradling a can of Wildeye at Vancouver Craft Beer Week in May. And it’s hard to blame the man. Wildeye launched its (awesome) tasting room—a couple of minutes away from the Second Narrows—only this past spring but already has more than proved its worth in a very competitive North Van craft beer district. The dark lager in particular is a perfect companion to a windy fall day—crisp but not fleeting; substantial but sessionable. And the subtle chocolate finish keeps you coming back. It’s hard to find at liquor stores, but you could do worse than spending some time at the brewery. —Nathan Caddell
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