Restaurant Review: Sicilian Pasta Kitchen
SICILIAN PASTA KITCHEN 805 Saddleback Road ~ sicilianpastakitchen.com Instagram: @sicilianpastasouth ~ Twitter: @SicilianPasta Co-Diners: The E.A.T Crew
Like most cities, Edmonton has no shortage when it comes to Italian restaurants serving pasta. We have a wide range of options from high-end establishments to chains like Olive Garden or The Old Spaghetti Factory. There are also plenty of places in between. One such restaurant is Sicilian Pasta Kitchen, voted Best Italian Restaurant 2021 in the Edmonton Journal. They've got two locations which I believe both opened in 1995, however I don't think that the restaurants are affiliated with each other anymore. Their menus are different and they each seem to offer a bit of a different experience. (Do either of them actually focus on the cuisine of Sicily, one of the southernmost parts of Italy? I highly doubt it.) I decided to visit the south Skyrattler location of SPK because (for some reason) that one feels like the original to me. You'll find them tucked in a shopping plaza with their impressive green, white and red awnings celebrating their Italian patriotism. It's a huge brick building and surprising no one you'll find a large dining area on the inside. The expansive space is clean and modern with big, bright windows and a high ceiling. It's not too flashy but feels comfortable. There are some tasteful pieces of art around the room and I liked that the kitchen has a bit of an open concept to it. There's lots of seating, however on the Saturday night of my visit the place was busy!! I (foolishly) did not make a reservation and there was a momentary concern that we wouldn't be able to grab a table. Thankfully (whom I believe might have been) the owner moved some things around and found us a place to sit. It was very kind of him and greatly appreciated! Once settled in, our attentive server got some drinks going for us and I happily selected the Tuscan Kiss ($11.00), one of their signature cocktails.
I liked this drink a lot because it was light, bubbly, and fruity. Crisp and easy to drink, I especially loved the sweetness that the strawberry added to the beverage. This would be a great brunch drink, actually. Our server asked if we wanted some bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and of course we said yes! Who says "no" to free bread?!
This bread was also unlimited because once ours was finished we were asked if we wanted more. I remarked that it had been a long time since I've seen bread served with oil and vinegar in a restaurant and frankly, I've missed it! Two different kinds of bread were offered; one a focaccia style and the other more like a baguette. Both were soft and fresh. I loved ripping pieces off and soaking them in the oil and vinegar mixture. This is definitely a simple pleasure. Next I considered ordering a starter of some type and settled on one of my favourite salads of all-time. I am always quite pleased with an Insalata Caprese ($14.50).
Right away I could see that there was no "alternating yellow and red tomatoes," as they were only red. This caprese was under-seasoned. It desperately needed a sprinkling of some nice coarse sea salt and possibly a drizzle of balsamic. The tomato was nothing special, although at least it was fresh. It seemed like a boring grocery store beefsteak when it absolutely should have been a good quality roma. Or maybe a beautiful heirloom. The slices of fior di latte were small, almost like they cut up a tub of those "cocktail style" bocconcini that you see at the store. Overall, I found this salad to be lacking in flavour, quality and value. The menu is very large at Sicilian Pasta Kitchen, boasting an extensive list of pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, and various main course dishes. After combing though the options (and feeling pretty dazzled by the ravioli di funghi con tartufo which uses a white wine truffle butter sauce) I landed on what I deemed to be the best pasta dish on the menu. The Ravioli d'Astice con Langoustines ($28.00) which is also the most expensive pasta dish that they serve.
The plate looked gorgeously appetizing when it arrived and it ticked a huge box by offering me a wonderful-sounding lobster experience. Certainly the highlight of the meal for me, I enjoyed the plump, lobster-filled ravioli. Unfortunately, these did not taste like they were housemade but they were enjoyable nonetheless. I loved the creamy roasted red pepper sauce which was a perfect match for the dish. I was also pleased with the meaty pieces of langoustine within the sauce because they were quite plentiful. If you've seen a langoustine before, they truly do look like very small lobsters. I appreciated that they were used abundantly and I liked their unique texture and flavour. A very filling portion, this dish was easily the highlight for me.
For dessert I gravitated toward the Tiramisu ($9.00) because the restaurant claims that this is their specialty.
A perfect dessert to share! I liked this tiramisu quite a lot. I've never been a giant fan of this dessert but this version was very good and helped me to find a lot more appreciation. The layers of imported mascarpone were incredibly creamy and light, while the coffee-soaked biscuits were the ideal combination of saturated but still holding together. The dark Belgian chocolate shavings on top couldn't go wrong either. Sicilian Pasta Kitchen has some good things going for it but overall I feel that the value missed the mark. The bill was pretty high for a meal that wasn't quite deserving of the cost in my opinion. There's no shame in being a middle-of-the-road Italian restaurant - there is a time and a place for all types of dining experiences. However, I get the impression that SPK imagines themselves as "fancier" than they actually are. Their prices need to come down or the quality of the ingredients needs to go up. With a little bit of tweaking, this restaurant could absolutely harness a great balance between decent food for a reasonable price.
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