Big Taste @ Bonterra:
Bread sticks
Every time I go to Bonterra, I get this uneasy feeling that I’m actually not supposed to be eating the breadsticks. I don’t know, does anyone else get that? That just seem like they’re for decorative purposes…
So on this big taste, we were going to do the order 1 Big Taste menu and then 1 entree thing but the server bullied us into ordering another appetizer. He was saying that what we were ordering would not be enough food and recommended that we order another appetizer. Boy, was he ever wrong. I ended up packing up half of my entree and ate it for lunch the next day. I don’t like being bullied into ordering more food than needed… 😦
So we ordered the calamari off the main menu:
Calamari
I usually love calamari that’s not fried, but this dish was…odd. The flavours did not compliment each other at all, and my palate was just confused by the whole thing. I let the bf polish most of this plate off. The server said that this was their most popular appetizer too…well, it’s not in the menu anymore, so it can’t have been that popular.
Big Taste Appetizer
The appetizer that came with the Big Taste Menu was Crudo di Agnello. It was a lamb loin crudo served with shaved apples, walnuts, sopressata, cucumbers, and sun-choke chips. Now, this was good, and this is coming from someone that usually doesn’t like lamb. The accompaniments on this dish was perfect for the lamb, I especially liked the shaved apples.
This is the entree that the bf ordered off their regular menu:
Rigatoni Bolognese $18
The bf ordered the rigatoni bolognese (meal size). THIS. WAS. SO. BIG. It might not look it, but it was so much food that even the bf had to pack up half of it to go. This pasta dish consisted of beef, veal, and pork baked with the rigatoni, asiago, and grana padano. Pure meaty goodness.
The Big Taste entree was the Trota Saltimbocca:
The most delicious trout I’ve had to date
This was probably the best main I had through out the whole Big Taste event. The trout was the biggest slab of fish I’ve ever had a restaurant serve me. It came with crispy fingerlings (love) and bitter greens. The whole dish was then topped with pine nuts, ricotta salata, and a lemon saffron vinaigrette. The pine nuts added such a lovely nutty aroma to the whole dish. And the ricotta? Heavenly. Just look at how much ricotta was on this dish. Just look. Seriously, I die.
The Big Taste dessert was a chocolate dessert, and of course, since I’m not a big fan of chocolate I had to order a dessert of my own (even though I couldn’t even finish my food….don’t judge). And its Bonterra, this restaurant has the best desserts ever. There was no way I wasn’t ordering a dessert.
Torta al Formaggio $9
This is a white chocolate cheesecake with a brown butter crust. It was served with lemon zabaglione and topped with a pine nut crunch. I think I’m falling in love with pine nuts.
The Big Taste dessert was a Budino di Cioccolato:
Budino di Cioccolato
A budino is pretty much a pudding, so this is a dark chocolate and walnut pudding served with chilled Mascarpone zabaglione and Grappa date puree. Alcohol & chocolate? So not my cup of tea.
Bonterra Trattoria
1016 – 8 Street Southwest
Calgary, AB T2P 1K2
(403) 262-8480
food = life 