Ragazzi Pizza

I'm always asked the question, "You've never been there before???".  Generally, this is said with disbelief and much fervor.  Okay, yes, there are some spots that I really should've visited in the past few years, but think about how many restaurants you haven't been to in the GVRD.  Yes, there is only that much time, money and effort to eat at every conceivable place in town.  So it wasn't until recently that I got to sit down at Ragazzi Pizza for a meal with the fam and also Costanza's family too (I've had it for takeout before, but it's not the same).

We ended up getting the Margherita for the kiddies which was served in a 2-tiered serving tray.  Marginally blistered (only the one you see in the picture), the crust was crispy, but not as charred as I would've liked.  However, the dough was still seasoned nicely and had an appealing chewiness.  The tomato sauce was pretty tasty with a mild tang while there was a good amount of cheese.  I would've liked to see the basil added after the fact as it was pretty cooked.  

For the adults, we ordered one each of the Spaccanapoli and Mangiacake.  They split it into 2 trays each with the Spaccanapoli on top consisting of sausage, spinach and ricotta.  This was rather mild due to the ingredients involved (sausage was not the spicy variety, but did have a nice fennel aroma).  The globs of ricotta were a treat as there was a creaminess added to each bite.  On the other hand, the mangiacake was more flavourful due to the inclusion of pepperoni, mushroom, green pepper and ground beef.  This ate both meatier and somewhat spicier as a result.  I found the crust held up to the ample ingredients quite well as no parts were soggy.  Based on my previous takeout experience and the Pizzapalooza visit shortly after this visit, I believe Ragazzi makes a solid thin-crust pizza that stands up to the other spots in town.

The Good:
- Thin, crispy and chewy crust
- Not shy on the toppings

The Bad:
- Could be charred a little more 

Rocco's Deli

Usually, I am pretty up-to-date on new movies and generally their story line. However, I had no clue whatsoever as to what Zootopia was about.  It was a kid movie and I vaguely remembered a trailer with animals walking upright and a bunny shooting a fox with a tranquilizer gun.  That was good enough for me as I dragged the kiddies and Viv out to Silvercity.  But it was also a great excuse to grab some quick eats prior to the movie at the nearby Rocco's Deli (and grocery store too).

After a quick scan of the display case, we settled on 3 sammies including the Roast Beef with provolone, roasted onions and horseradish.  As you can clearly see, the thinly shaved beef was house-made which meant the texture was meaty while still super tender.  The onions added a sweet sharpness to the sandwich, but the horseradish was not very apparent.  So much so, my son didn't even notice it!  For my daughter, she quickly picked out the Turkey with spinach, brie, cranberry and mayo (on cranberry bread).  This featured plenty of creamy melted brie and the tartness (and sweet hits) of the cranberries.  We found the turkey on the drier side, but the sammie ate well nonetheless.

For myself, I opted for the spicy Cappicollo with chipotle mayo, roasted red peppers, tomato, arugula and provolone (on ciabatta).  This was my favourite of the bunch as it was spicy and zesty.  There was enough filling that was impactful and varied so that all the different tastes were present.  I felt the choice of bread was spot on too being substantial enough to stand up to the ingredients while not being too dense either.  We also got a side of Penne Pasta with chicken just to change things up.  It turned out to be a bad decision.  As with any pasta that has been sitting in a chaffing tray, it was overdone and a bit hard in spots.  The sauce had been soaked up by the pasta which meant there was some flavour, but it didn't eat very nicely either.  Well, that really didn't matter as the sammies were good and the service was friendly.

The Good:
- Solid sammies
- Lotsa filling
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:
- Didn't like the pre-prepared pasta   

Shizen-Ya

Sometimes...  and I mean really sometimes, I intentionally seek up healthier eats.  This is especially true when I've had consecutive artery-clogging meals for the week.  Since I was in Downtown for a conference, it meant that I had been eating rather crappy already.  We were only given a certain amount of time for eating, hence Miss Y and I didn't think much about health (well, she did at least).  So for lunch, I suggested we go meet up with Whipping Girl (yes she is alive and whipping) at the neaby Shizen-Ya for "healthier" Japanese food.

Miss Y ended up sitting at another table with some of my other colleagues since the place couldn't accommodate such a large group, especially during the lunch rush. Therefore, I really didn't get to sample nor take any pictures of their dishes other than Miss Y's Assorted Sashimi consisting of 2 pieces of tuna and 3 pieces of salmon.  These were fair in size and good in terms of quality.  I knew this without trying any because Whipping Girl ordered the Ocean Quartet Sashimi Salad consisting of mesclun greens topped with sockeye salmon, albacore tuna, ebi, crab meat, avocado, cherry tomatoes, peppers and sunflower seeds.  This not only looked healthy, we felt healthy eating it.  Ingredients were fresh and vibrant while the miso dressing was just right in flavour and quantity.

The healthy theme continued with the Whole Wheat Tiger Prawn Tempura.  As much as this sounded better for us, the result was something that was doughy and not crispy at all.  In fact, I swear that it was a bit greasy (so is that still healthy?).  On the positive side of the ledger, the ebi was meaty and cooked just right exhibiting a natural sweetness.  For my main, I went for their Beef Teriyaki Combo with brown rice and spinach gomaae.  This was a fairly decent portion of lean beef that was tender with a chew.  There was only an adequate amount of teriyaki sauce that was easy on the sweetness.  I liked the brown rice for this dish because it stood up to the sauce well.

We also got 2 rolls including the Spicy Salmon Roll with avocado and cucumber encased in organic brown sushi rice.  Since the brown rice was firm and almost "meaty", it made the roll more substantial and heavier.  This could've contributed to the mild spiciness.  Otherwise, the roll continued the theme of freshness.  Nicely plated, the Sakura Blossom Roll was constructed with real crab meat, spicy tuna, cucumber and avocado with wild sockeye salmon on the outside.  Due to the amount of ingredients, the firm brown rice was less evident in this roll.  Moreover, the ingredients and the maple sauce ensured that this roll was on the sweeter side.  Despite the fairly considerable amount of food we ordered, we didn't feel bloated nor completely stuffed.  I guess that's the whole point at Shizen-Ya.

The Good:
- Organic ingredients (if that matters to you)
- Healthier option
- Fresh ingredients

The Bad:
- On the pricier side
- Some things must be sacrificed for healthier preparations