Dine Out Vancouver Festival: Glowbal Group's Italian Kitchen

As with the last two years, I was lucky enough to preview the Dine Out menu at Glowbal Group. This year, we visited Italian Kitchen, Black & Blue and finished off at Coast. We start off the preview at Italian Kitchen. Once we were seated upstairs, we were treated to a Lobster Ravioli sampler and a Calamari Salad. We also got to sample both the suggested wine pairings.

The Marinated Calamari Salad is one of the appetizers on their $28 Dine Out Vancouver menu. The calamari had a nice chew to it, and the fried chickpeas give the dish a nice textural contrast. I found the dressing a bit heavy handed, but that’s a personal preference, since I usually ask for my salad dressings on the side.

The Lobster Ravioli is one of their entree offerings, and it’s quite rich and will definitely fill you up. Each ravioli is chockfull of lobster meat but the lobster love doesn’t end there. Topping the ravioli is a warm lemon and fennel cream sauce, and a pile of lobster salad. This rounded out the dish quite nicely.

They also are offering House Cured Duck Prosciutto (on a crostini) as another appetizer. The duck is cured for 36 hours, and then dry aged for 10 days. The duck retains a bright red colour during this process.

One entree that I would try is their Sicilian Porchetta. The portion was huge and the skin looked appropriately crispy and crusty. They slow roast this for about 3 to 5 hours and, as you can see, it does retain lots of moisture.

For vegetarians, there is a Truffled Celery Root Soup for an appetizer, and a Classic Eggplant Parmesan for an entree.

For dessert, there is a Maple Roasted Apple Panna Cotta (see the top image). We tried this at our last stop at Coast, and it’s smooth and creamy, but the maple and apple flavours are quite muted.

Dine Out started January 17 and runs until Feb. 2, 2014. Details for booking are below.

Check back in a few days for my review of Black and Blue and Coast’s Dine Out Vancouver menus.

Italian Kitchen

Address: 1037 Alberni Street, Vancouver

Phone Number: 604-687-2858

Hours:
Sunday thru Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Website: GlowbalGroup.com

Twitter: @Glowbal_Group