We grabbed some dinner in Gastown just before we attended the opening of a lounge of which my friend’s the executive pastry chef of. Looking through our Entertainment Book, I decided on Al Porto Ristorante.
It was a nice little secluded restaurant, its decor dominated by brick detailing. It had a warm ambiance.
For starters we chose the grilled calamari over the usual fried. We were happy with this selection, as the grilling allowed the actual taste of the calamari to be savored. It was prepared with a drizzle of olive oil, balsamic vinager, and a salsa of capers, olives, and tomatoes. I especially liked the flower arrangement of the calamari! This was $9.95.
The Boyfriend had the Pescatore pizza. The toppings were tomato, mozzarella, shrimp, scallop, capers, and garlic. For $15.95 we expected a better tasting pizza. This was a bit bland and small. Nothing extraordinary.
My pick was even worse. It was supposed to be the day’s special. It was Red Snapper in a white wine sauce. The fish had a frozen-then-thawed, and baking soda taste to it. It was not appetizing to say the least.
Good thing we had an Entertainment coupon for it. However, even if we had it again, I wouldn’t come back. But then, Italian never really was my thing anyways…