990 1 Ave NE
www.labrezza.ca
Went to La Brezza for lunch last week. I was a little skeptical at first after creeping the menu on the 'spoon. There was a little note at the bottom that said "As dishes are made fresh to order, please allow a minimum of 35 minutes for preparation." Thirty five minutes is a very long time... And considering my lunch break was only one hour, this could be pushing it. I crept further and decided to check it out anyway.
Located in Bridgeland and still in its original location, this little house first opened its doors to hungry patrons in 1987. Four tables were occupied when I arrived, I was quickly seated at a small table near the centre of the restaurant. After thoroughly reviewing the menu, I decided to go with the "cannelloni" alla brezza. I use the word cannelloni pretty loosely here. According to my sources (wikipedia), cannelloni is made with pasta and manicotti is made with crepe. Despite labelling it as a cannelloni on the menu, the description claims the filling is wrapped with a house-made crepe and is, thus a manicotti. But I digress. In addition to the cannelloni, I also had an order of bruschetta. Fresh focaccia bread served with a bowl of diced tomatoes with a blend of herbs, seasoning and olive oil. The bread was really good. Not as soft as that of Charcut or Teatro but delicious nonetheless. I wanted to eat the whole basket of focaccia bread but decided against it because then I wouldn't have been able to eat my cannelloni...
As I waited for my pasta, I noticed the owner was making his way around the restaurant and socializing with everyone. Except me. : ( Do I have something on my face? I like to think I'm a pretty friendly guy... I don't think I smelled bad, I showered, I swear! No matter. My dish arrived "shortly" after. Chow time! Wrapped inside the house-made crepe were ground veal, ricotta cheese, mushrooms and herbs. The crepe was very soft and had a thin layer of cheese melted on top. The filling was very flavourful. The cannelloni is then topped with a light rose (tomato) sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. So amazing.
8 Stars of out 10. I was in and out in less than an hour so it wasn't too bad. Although it's probably an exception more than anything. I would definitely allot more than an hour to comfortably enjoy the meal and not devour it like I did.
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