Bordello's Italian Pizzeria - Kelowna, BC

Last week I happened to be in Kelowna, BC, visiting family, and after a long day of running around after toddlers and a dog, we all desperately needed something to eat, and fast. Given that we were feeding four adults, three toddlers (one of them mine), and a dog, picking up some pizza seemed like a good option. Luckily, my sister had noticed a place the day before while wandering around – Bordello’s Italian Pizzeria – that enabled us to avoid the ubiquitous goopy, greasy, chain pizza.

We ordered three pizzas, a Margherita, a Bernardo, and a Verdura, and two salads, the Italian Chopped, and a spinach salad (not on the website, they no longer make the one listed there) for pick-up. They said 15 minutes, but when our ‘delivery person’ arrived 20 minutes later, not only was the order not ready, she had to wait another 10 minutes. But despite the inaccurate time information, we were overall very happy with our dinner. Living in Vancouver, I actually have access to some decent Italian style pizza, so my standards are pretty high (although by that point in time, I was so hungry that I would have been happy with pretty much anything). Bordello’s is not BiBo (doesn’t quite have the right crispy to chewy ratio in the crust, but isn’t as expensive either), but it’s as good as Marcello’s (a neighborhood standby for us on busy nights). The crusts had a little too much burn on them for me, but the toppings were present in just the right amount, so all in all, quite tasty.

Notably, everyone was happy with the pizza: me, the two year old who eats anything, the two moderately picky adults, the two very picky almost two-year olds, the not-very-adventurous-eater adult who was expecting ‘regular’ pizza. Even the dog who cleaned up the floor under the children. I preferred the two tomato pizzas to the white one, but only slightly, and my preference wasn’t shared by everyone. The salads were on the small side, and pretty much just fine. Fine, as in, OK, but nothing special. If I lived in Kelowna, I would probably just make a salad to two at home instead of buying any there.

Overall then, 4 thumbs up for the pizza (I’ll just treat everyone else’s thumbs as one pair), and probably 2 for the salads. So definitely go for the pizza, but skip the salad.

Golda's Cilantro Pesto

I first tried Golda's products at the Trout Lake Farmer's Market last summer, but then forgot about them, as the excitement and demands of a new job, new house, new neighborhood, and a toddler overwhelmed me. But a few weeks back, I spotted some in the cooler at Bosa Foods. I filed that information away for use at a later date. That date came last week. I wanted something summery and local, and settled on fresh tagliatelli with shrimp (from The Daily Catch) with some of Golda's Cilantro Pesto.

I love traditional basil pesto, and I love cilantro. This pesto doesn't taste like either, but it is delicious. It is richer and has more depth than basil pesto, probably a result of the use of pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts. And those of you who don't like cilantro need not be scared away; I don't taste much classic cilantro flavor in this paste. It is just a lovely vibrant green, rich, but not too rich, and pairs fabulously with shrimp. (I have also used it as a wet rub on roast chicken. Good, but not as good as with the shrimp I think.) We had bocconcini and tomato salad, and Sumac Ridge Gewurzt along with it. Both were great pairings with the pasta dish. It was hard to not eat 2 huge platefuls of the pasta, so it may not be a great idea for a dieter - not because it's unhealthy, but because it's hard to not keep eating and eating. It was a multi-generational hit too: my 2 year old kept asking for more and more and more.

Golda's products come from Vancouver Island, but are available in various stores around southern BC. Well worth seeking out.

The Daily Catch Seafood Company at 1418 Commercial Drive

Apologies for my delinquency over the past year; it's been one heck of a year for me. Mostly I haven't been doing much worth writing about, and when I have, there's been no time to write about it. But I have the intention at least to remedy that. (We'll see how far good intentions take me...)

I may try to catch up on some of the restaurants I've been to recently, but for now, I'm sharing what I hope will cease to be one of the best kept secrets in the city - Daily Catch Seafood on Commercial Drive.

They have a wide variety of fresh sustainably caught seafood daily. They are not cheap, and I do sometimes feel guilty for being able to afford such wonderful guilt free fare, but if you can afford it, it's so worth it. It's all so fresh, let me say that again, fresh, and flavorful. It reminds me of the seafood of my childhood. I grew up on the island, and we went shrimping crabbed, fished for cod and salmon, dug for clams, the whole nine yards. Seafood had character, and taste! I had begun to think that the flavors of my youth were wistful creations of my memories, but since I started splurging at this shop, I have learned that no, seafood really can taste like I remember.

Whether your motivation is the flavor, the environment, or some of both (like me), I urge you to take a gander by this store, and take some really great seafood home tonight.



Oh, in case you're wondering, they are an OceanWise partner