Pasta

First and foremost, I’m going to let you know that I have changed the name (once again) for my monthly food tours! Instead of being called StuffwithSvet Food Tours, it’s now going to be called For the Gram Restaurant Reviews. With me launching my Foodie Tour experience in October, it’s just too confusing. Hopefully this is the last name change lol! So again, StuffwithSvet Food Tours –> For the Gram Restaurant Reviews.

Back to the main program. For the month of September, my guest judge Patrick (of Midtown Kelowna) and I went around Kelowna to try a staple comfort food – pasta! Pasta is the ultimate Italian food coming in so many varieties. Because there are so many different kinds, instead of choosing just one variety, we sampled the most unique kind of pasta that each restaurant offered.

Before we recap where we went, let’s quickly discuss what makes a good pasta.

-not too mushy and not under cooked – the pasta needs to be cooked to perfection. You don’t want pasta that is crunchy, but not soggy either.

-fresh homemade noodles – this can be hard to come by. But preferably home made noodles is the best.

-the sauce – again, home made sauce is where it’s at. Nothing is worse than ordering pasta and eating a sauce straight from the jar.

Let’s review where we went!

Pane Vino:

Pane Vino is a beautiful Italian spot just outside of Kelowna in Oyama. Patrick and I had the luxury of sitting outside under the vines which literally makes you feel like you’re in Italy. Although Pane Vino is most known for their wood-fire pizza, they offer two unique pastas. One was a pesto pistacchio pasta and the other was spaghetti and meatballs. First off, both pastas were huge portions, would be great to bring home for leftovers! Actually, Patrick ended up scoring a lot of leftovers lol. But seriously, there is enough to feed a family! Definitely would recommend sharing. Taste wise, the pesto pistachio was very unique and different and I thoroughly enjoyed the flavor profile. The meatballs were quite tender and were obviously homemade. If you’re looking for a more traditional pasta, I would select the pasta and meatballs. If you’re adventurous, try out the pesto!

The Fixx Cafe:

Our second stop was at a Kelowna classic, The Fixx Cafe. This is a cute little pasta bar in the Lower Mission. Again, we were able to sit on their adorable patio. In the cooler months, The Fixx is actually quite small with limited seating so I would highly recommend making a reso. Their menu had a variety of pastas to choose from. The ones we went with were the West Coast Scallops and Usual Suspects. The Usual Suspects had amazing flavor and lots of heat. I was a little skeptical of how chunks of meat tenderloin would taste in it, but surprisingly the meat was quite tender. The West Coast Scallops dish on the other hand offered a creamier sauce. The scallops were cooked to a perfect golden brown and the bacon and peas were a match made in heaven. Both pastas had really great texture. If you’re looking for pasta with more substance, definitely check this place out!

La Bussola:

Our final stop was at a downtown fine dining Italian restaurant called La Bussola. La Bussola has been around for a while but I had actually never made my way over before! We were quite impressed. You cannot look up their menu online as it changes all the time but we were pleased to find out that most of their pasta noodles are home made in house. The owner was super gracious and actually put together a tasting menu for us so we got to sample four different dishes. The first one was a pesto dish, which ultimately ended up being our favorite out of the four. The smell of the fresh basil took your breath away. The second dish was gnocchi which Patrick and I were also very excited about. This gnocchi was unique as it was made of ricotta cheese, not your typical potato. The third dish was your classic tomato sauce spaghetti. It was also vegan! Perfect if you want a classic spaghetti dish. The last dish was a bonus as it wasn’t pasta, but their seafood ricotta. It was cooked perfectly! I would recommend La Bussola as a romantic adventurous dinner date as you’ll be served whatever is on the menu that day, how fun!

And that concluded this month’s restaurant reviews! I did want to mention one more Italian spot in Kelowna that I absolutely loved but unfortunately didn’t want to be apart of this series. If you were watching my stories you would know what I’m talking about, but I personally love Mama Rosas. I always get their one dish, the Penne Arrabiata which you absolutely need to try.

Thank you for following along and we’ll see you in October!

-Jenna xoxo