Fresh Feast
It’s always a feast at the Italian Kitchen, so arrive with a hearty appetite. Fresh, seasonal ingredients are presented with artistry and you’ll be tempted at every course. The pasta dishes are naturally the stars of the show with mouth-watering choices like Dungeness crab-filled ravioli, handmade gnocchi with wild mushrooms and rotollo with roasted artichoke and ricotta. There are some great ways to start your meal with a superb antipasto and insalata selection. There is also a host of pizzas, which are great to share and make a lighter lunch item. If you’re off carbs, there are also a slew of steak, veal and “from the sea” options.

Sophisticated Space
The Italian Kitchen is a feast for the eyes, as well as for the belly. The two-storey restaurant in the heart of downtown has two distinct personalities. On the ground floor, the main attraction, save the food, is the 60-foot white marble bar. At one end of the bar, you’ll find the open kitchen. Always a hub of activity, the lower level is an exciting place to enjoy a meal or even just a drink, though, be warned, the smells wafting out of the kitchen are tough to resist. At the top of the staircase, which is imaginatively anchored by a glass-walled wine cellar, is an elegant dining room lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. The room, which overlooks the busy downtown streets, is an ideal place for a private party or intimate meal.

Wonderful Wines and High Spirits
No Italian meal is complete without a glass of delicious wine. There’s a solid nod to Italian varieties and Italian Kitchen boasts some of the best bottles outside of Tuscany. There are also strong choices from California, France, Spain and boutique wineries in British Columbia. The cocktail list is also a refreshing option. Sitting up at the DOC bar and sipping on a Vino Cubano, Dolcemoto or Palermo and you feel like a model in Milano!