Life is sweet
Simon Osborne
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Cheers for La Dolce Vita's antipasti plate
photo: Ben Welland
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La Dolce Vita more than worthy of one last night on a patio
September started cool, and fall seemed to be nipping at our heels. But one recent Friday, the sun shone warm enough for me to make patio reservations at La Dolce Vita, at the north end of Ottawa's beloved Corso Italia, away from the weekend crush of Preston Street. The restaurant's main patio, tucked just below street level, is what Dean Martin serenades were made for. KCDC and I found the menu almost too much to take in, but we finally settled on starting with an antipasti plate loaded with crisp, homemade-tasting giardiniera, prosciutto, mild capicolla, hot peppers, pickled eggplant and black olives (I had to Google the name of my new favourite olive, Spanish Arbequinas). Feta and brie weren't the Italian cheeses I expected, but tasty nonetheless. We used the crusty panini to sop everything up. We also shared a generous serving of carciofi (artichoke) salad, with tomatoes, hazelnuts and red onions, dressed with a sweet, subtle aioli.
Then out came our mains, finished with a flourish of pepper and Parmesan by our friendly server. The Campiania pizza was layered with sauce and mozzarella and topped with thick prosciutto, artichoke hearts and creamy chèvre. I thought the thin crust was pretty perfect, crisp without killing the dough, and KCDC was pleased that the prosciutto had been torn rather than mangled by chopping - one of many little touches that showed us the kitchen was in good hands.
We loved the hearty rigatoni special with sausage, mushrooms, pitted olives and pickled
hot peppers. The dish was rife with the rich essences of olive oil, garlic and mushroom, a stunningly deep flavour that set off the meat and pasta. We could have done without the peppers - a bit too tangy as a complement. For heat, a few chili flakes would have sufficed. I spied on neighbouring tables not at all discreetly and spotted picture-perfect calamari, delicately breaded and ready for a squeeze of lemon, as well as a truly colossal calzone and a regular-crust pizza, which looked to be the rightful relative of our thin crust, rather than the puddle-of-cheese approach of so many pizzerias in this town.
KCDC got coffee afterward, and I toyed with ordering the tiramisu. But the sky darkened and the wind picked up sharply, threatening to blow over our empty wine glasses. Summer was sadly past. While paying our bill in the cozy, candlelit dining room, I pictured some chilly night soon, a bottle of wine and two bowls of rigatoni.
Ristorante La Dolce Vita
180 Preston Street
(613) 233-6239
Entrées: $11.95-$15.95
What I like the most about this place is pizza. Nothing less that one of the best one in town. The atmosphere is always good, and the staff is always very friendly. As you probably have already guessed, I definitely recommend this place to anyone going on Preston Street!
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Valerie Augier
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One of the best things about la dolce vita is that they serve gluten-free pizza crust (and now pasta and desserts I believe). This is a HUGE selling point for an italian restaurant, and certainly makes this place one of a kind on preston street (and one of few in ottawa). It would really help in the future to mention in your reviews any dietary considerations the owners attempt to accommodate this well...
Other than that, great review, I totally agree!!!
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Bob Durie
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