So good, ‘My mouth felt like the roof of the Sistine Chapel’
Mark Laba
Province
Chef/owner of La Buca Restaurant Andrey Durbach with a plate of osso bucco, saffron rice and gremolita.
LA BUCA
Where: 4025 Macdonald St., Vancouver
Payment/reservations: Major credit cards, 604-730-6988
Drinks: Fully licensed
Hours: Sun.-Thurs., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-10 p.m.
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When I was eight years old, I once had a noodle come out my nose. I was eating spaghetti when my friend made me laugh and, due to the forces of snorting followed by sinus-cavity circumnavigation and then gravitational pull, this thing found its way back into the light of day through my nasal passage. The noodle and sauce unfortunately were of a commercial quality that left my nostril feeling like it had passed a kidney stone. I vowed that if I ever were to have a noodle come out my nose again it would be only the best, like a breath of fresh Tuscan air, only reversed.
Now, if I had to pick one candidate, this great restaurant opened by Chef Andrey Durbach, already famed for his other venue, Parkside, would be the place.
La Buca captures the best of an Italian trattoria with a bit of a New York cosmopolitan feel and some classic dishes constructed with an exquisite simplicity putting the fresh ingredients centre-stage. The same can be said for the decor of this small space: sparse, tasteful but comforting with a bit of a bustle that got the old molecules buzzing and the tastebuds yearning for the dishes that were passing by us.
Peaches and I happily found ourselves mooning over a fine buffalo mozzarella and arugula salad with tomato fondata ($11.50), which I thought was a kind of dance you did while crushing tomatoes but turned out to be this rich herbal mixture that resembled an Italian salsa.
The sweet flavour of the soft buffalo mozzarella countered with the bitter shrubbery and tinge of tomato zing created a small piece of heaven out of simple ingredients.
As well, we encountered a special of the day: Slow-roasted veal sliced carpaccio-style and spread with a tuna mayo ($11). It sounded odd to me at first but somehow the barnyard and the ocean embraced each other delicately and the four salty capers were great.
For my entree I scarfed back the amazing Tuscan-style grilled steak bunked down on arugula with mushrooms and balsamic vinaigrette topped with a pile of fresh parmesan shavings ($23). This can only be described as umami goes to Italy, as some other slumbering taste sensation was awakened and my mouth felt like the roof of the Sistine Chapel. The smooth glass of Chianti didn’t hurt either.
Peaches hit the classic tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce ($16), very tasty though certainly not as exciting as some of the other menu fare. The folks at the table next to us gave two thumbs up to the veal with lemon, capers and white wine, the spaghetti puttanesca and the Osso buco Milanese. But also check out the pan-fried calf’s liver with onions, Italian bacon, balsamic and grilled radicchio for an appetizer or the handmade chicken ravioli with chanterelle mushrooms.
This is the taste of Italy in a nutshell, an all encompassing feel for the veal, the poultry, the fish and even the bunny if your tastes hop in that direction. From Tuscany to Sicily via Vancouver, this food is like air miles for the palate.
THE BOTTOM LINE: A touch of Italy finessing the taste bud tidal pools of Pacific Northwest palates.
RATINGS: Food: A; Service: A; Atmosphere: A
© The Vancouver Province 2007
