Bufala Margherita Pizza at Italian Centre

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This is the bufala mozzarella margherita pizza at the Italian Centre. Crispy crust, creamy cheese, delicious sauce - I’d share, but I inhaled the whole thing. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #yegdt #edmonton #edmontonfood #pizza @italiancentreshop

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@apaulagetics) on Nov 18, 2019 at 4:58pm PST

Just Desserts: Lemon Cake at the Italian Centre

Since I am quite frequently in the McCauley neighbourhood, I stop in to the Italian Centre often. Usually I just have a latte or espresso. Last week I had a major craving for dessert, and had a slice of the lemon cake with my cappuccino. The cake was moist and sweet, and the lemon flavour resonated.

Margherita Pizza at The Italian Centre

An evening meeting in the Little Italy area resulted in me trying the Italian Centre's pizza for the first time. Made to order, the 12-inch thin-crust pizzas are perfect for sharing. I tried the basic margherita, which was loaded with mozzarella. I definitely wished I had someone to share with, because I could not finish it myself. I only wish the fresh basil was not just concentrated on top of the pizza in the centre, but incorporated in the cheese and baked throughout it. It would have added another layer of flavour, rather than my chopping up the basil and adding it myself to bites here and there.

Mushroom Calzone at the Italian Centre

I was in need of a quick lunch at the north end Italian Centre last week. On special was a mushroom calzone. The light crust was packed with mushrooms and some mozzarella. It tasted great but was a little dry - it was lacking any sauce on the inside (or something to dip on the outside). Still, a hearty piece of calzone for $5 is a hard bargain to beat.

Flavourful Focaccia

Focaccia #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

As someone who spends a lot of time in Little Italy, I love heading to Spinelli's Bar Italia at the north end location of the Italian Centre for a quick nosh. For a number of months I have been enjoying the focaccia with black olives and ripe tomatoes. This week, I tried a new variety, with green olives, capers, and sun dried tomatoes. The flavours of the capers and green olives complemented each other perfectly (I feared together they would be too salty, but they weren't), while the sun dried tomatoes added a smokiness that added balance.

Best. Focaccia. Ever. (Italian Centre)

Focaccia, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Spinelli's Bar Italia at the north side Italian Centre is serving up a lot more than espresso and sweet treats. Now, you can get grilled sandwiches, soup, pizza, and focaccia.

Focaccia. I have had it before and never considered it a big deal. A dense hunk of break, with seasonings.

I saw some gentlemen having focaccia at Spinelli's recently, and it looked very different. First of all, it had toppings. It looked more like pizza, without cheese.

I was at Spinelli's on Monday evening waiting for a friend, watching soccer, and killing time before a board meeting - in that order. I had also eaten supper early and had the evening munchies, so I had a piece of the tomato and olive focaccia (the other choice would have been tomato and jalapeno peppers, which I can't do for medical reasons).

My tastebuds were blown away by the rich seasonings, earthy olives, and sweet tomatoes. The bread itself was light and flaky, with the fact it had been heated making it crisp. I am not even sure I can put into words how delicious the focaccia was.

I will definitely keep this in mind when I am at the Italian Centre and wanting a snack or light lunch.

Coffee Break: Espresso at Spinelli's Bar Italian

Espresso, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I have a confession: I have been doing shots. Straight shots. Often more than once a week. Sometimes, alone.

My name is Paula, and I am addicted to the espresso at Spinelli's Bar Italian (95 Street and 108 Avenue in the Italian Centre Shop).

Bold, deep, with just a slight accent of fruit, the espresso here is consistently good, never bitter, and very satisfying. I had always found straight espresso shots to be too strong, until now.

And, since caffeine is currently not available intravenously, this is the closest alternative I have found.

Coffee Buzz: Cappuccino at Italian Centre

Cappuccino, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

The Italian Centre Shop on 109 Avenue and 95 Street has a cool vibe. It's a great local place to do grocery shopping, and the Bar Italia area is a wonderful place to hang out and enjoy some fresh pastries and espresso drinks.

I go for the lattes, straight espresso shots, and cappucino (pictured). It's strong, foamy, hot, and delicious.