La Cucina Restaurant is a rare stronghold for the dining values of a bygone era.
It has been in the same location and under the same ownership since 1979 and has, through its sheer longevity, certainly earned its reputation as a North Shore institution.
It has weathered the storms of deep paradigmatic change, including the ousting of nouvelle cuisine, the advent of Californian cuisine and the firm installation of sushi as the reigning culinary monarch of the North Shore.
La Cucina remains defiantly committed to a now seldom encountered approach to Italian food, specializing in classic, simple fare unmoved by the popularization of the “modern take on an old favourite” philosophy that informs most contemporary European kitchens in our city.
I visited this storied bastion one recent evening with my six-year-old daughter, Blondie, whose love of pasta and dressing up made her the perfect partner for this dining foray.
We sat at a quiet corner table near the kitchen. Seated next to us was an older married couple. It was the husband’s 86th birthday and he kicked off the celebration with a Manhattan, served up with its requisite cherry sunken into the vertex of the glass.
My imagination wandered for a few moments and I created a vivid backstory for this gentleman, picturing him years earlier visiting La Cucina soon after its opening. I visualized him as a 50-year-old North Shore businessman who sealed deals with a binding handshake proffered over a stiff cocktail or two at lunch. Those days are long gone, having been replaced by matcha lattes and PDF contracts delivered by email.
If I sound nostalgic, I assure you I’m not; I missed the martini lunch era entirely, but I am still fascinated with it as a formative precursor to the dining landscape with which I am familiar today.
Our meal began with a basket of baguette and focaccia served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, the bottles left on the table for diners to portion out as they wish. A round of appetizers followed, consisting of Crostini All Florentina (chicken livers on toast) and Bresaola (very lean, air-dried, cured beef salume).
The livers, which despite my best efforts did not win over Blondie (give her time, I didn’t like liver until I was 16), were pan-seared and served with an earthy, fragrant sage butter, a classic and tasty preparation that paired well with a glass of Langhe Rosso by Batasiolo, a medium-bodied, firm and straightforward red wine made from Piedmontese grapes: Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo.
The Bresaola was served carpaccio-style, thinly sliced and arranged in a single layer atop the plate, accompanied by wedges of marinated artichoke and a drizzle of olive oil. We made short work of the salume, its salty but delicate flavour piquing our appetites for mains.
Blondie opted for a simple and familiar entrée of Penne Con Salsiccie, or penne pasta with a simple, chunky and fresh tomato sauce studded with fennel-scented Italian sausage. The pasta traded on a currency of proven flavours and, while not virtuoso or avant-garde in its preparation, was a solid, enjoyable and filling dish.
My entrée was chosen from the evening’s specials and consisted of sliced, rare wagyu beef striploin, simply seared and served with thinly sliced buttered potato, green beans, carrot and cauliflower with a ramekin of red wine sauce presented on the side.
Thinly shaved Reggiano covered the beef and I was thankful for the thoughtful side presentation of sauce as the wagyu, true to its global reputation, was melt-in-the-mouth tender, packed with flavour, and required little support to make it sing. Given the market rate for wagyu right now, the dish was a steal at just $34.
As no meal with a child at a restaurant could possibly be considered complete without dessert, we ordered Molten Chocolate Cake, a dark dome of dense cake with an oozing liquid chocolate centre and drizzle of crème anglaise, as well as a coffee and mascarpone-rich, playfully boozy tiramisu which, I’m pleased to report, also did not find favour with the child, leaving it to me alone to do the treat justice.
Our meal, which also included an espresso, a bottle of San Pellegrino and a second glass of red with the beef, was $148 before gratuity.
La Cucina. 1509 Marine Dr. 604-986-1334 lacucinarestaurant.net
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October is host to a number of dining novelties that will hopefully help take your mind off the rapidly deteriorating weather. First, it’s B.C. Craft Beer Month, now in its fifth year, a celebration of all things related to local brew. Events around town are listed on bccraftbeermonth.com or you can check out content tagged with #BCFirst on your preferred social channels.
While Oktoberfest celebrations have kicked off across the water at the plaza near the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (harvesthaus.ca, runs until Oct. 11), the North Shore is holding its own stein admirably with special Oktoberfest plates and imported Bavarian beers offered at Swiss, German, and Austrian food purveyor Jagerhof, featuring a taster meal of bratwurst, sauerkraut, pretzel, Holsten Festbock beer and more. Jagerhof is also catering German fare this month at the North Shore Eagles Club (604-987-8815) on West Third Street, which is open to the general public for this Oktoberfest celebration.
Finally, I’d like to congratulate Deep Cove’s Bluhouse Market and Café for taking top honour in the Favourite Local Restaurant/Café category of the We Heart Local Awards (weheartlocalawards.ca). Bluhouse was chosen from 286 nominees and won amidst 15,000 votes cast.
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. A self-described wine fanatic, he earned his sommelier diploma in 2001. He can be reached via email at [email protected].
