May The Forza Be with You! - An Italian Trattoria Review

Nestled between a tanning salon and a hair dresser is Forza!, a little Italian trattoria that opened twoyears ago in a space that another Italian pasta bar once occupied. I have been driving by it regularly after picking up a double double at the Timmies’ on Wye Road and wondered if a restaurant in this location would be worth a visit. The answer is “Yes!”

One of the things that distinguishes Forza! from other pasta bars is that once you place your order at the counter, you get the rest of your service at the table. They bring your food, drinks, cutlery,etc. to you and pick up your dishes. You can even order more if you wish and get your leftovers “doggy bagged” in a nice takeaway box.

On this particular visit, I came with my parents (seniors) and my 19 year old son. A crowd that, at the best of times, is hard to please.

Once you enter Forza!, grab some menus and pick a table. Take your time looking at the menu. It is simple but all very tempting. How it works is as follows: 1) Choose from a variety of pasta such as linguini, spaghetti, pappardelle, etc. (gnocchi and two types of ravioli are available for an additional $2.00). 2) Choose a sauce such as Pomodoro e Basilico, Rosé, Gorgonzola e Spinaci, Alfredo Ragu d’Agnelli, etc. and Voilà! That’s it.

If pasta with sauce is not what you crave, there are also five other pasta dishes (Risotto, manicotti, lasagna, polpette), stratcciatella (egg drop) soup, salads and Paninis you can order.

We were all quite hungry and so decided to have starters. Stratcciatella soup, Cesare insalata, and Caprese insalata were ordered. My father pronounced the soup to be excellent. A large, steaming bowl of egg drop soup filled to the brim with spinach and zucchini. It could serve as a lunch entrée all by itself. The Caesar salad came exactly as described on the menu “lettuce, Caesar dressing and croutons”. No bacon bits, not much parmesan but lots of garlicky Caesar salad dressing. My mom is not a fan of very garlicky things. Even my own garlic-loving palate found the garlic a tad over-pronounced. My son and I shared the Caprese salad. I was surprised to see mushrooms mixed with our tomato and boccocini. As I took my first bite of mushroom, I realised that these were not mushrooms but slices of boccocini cheese that must have been marinating in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar for quite a while.

The appeal of a Caprese salad is not only the flavour but also the eye appeal. The round snow-white boccocini slices or balls placed next to the deep red tomatoes beautifully sprinkled with drops of virgin olive oil and sweet balsamic vinegar make for a mouth-watering presentation. Unfortunately, this was not the dish presented to us. This said, close your eyes, take a bite, and enjoy the salad as it does taste quite good and is like the soup, large portioned.

Next, came our entrées: Lasagne al carne, Pappardelle with Aglio, Olio e Pecorino, and two orders of Spaghetti with Ragu d’Agnello.

The lasagna was mild, extremely tender and melt-in-your-mouth. Again, a very generous portion for lunch. My son ordered the pappardelle pasta with the aglio (garlic), oil and pecorino cheese. He was expecting chunks of goat cheese but instead, the cheese was melted in the oil and served as a buttery sauce with lots of huge slices of garlic on top of al dente bowtie pasta. They like their garlic at Forza! that’s for sure. He did enjoy the taste and said that he would order it again. (The garlic was left behind on the plate though.). My father and I both had the spaghetti with the ragu d’agnello sauce. This entrée is one HUGE, delicious serving of perfectly al dente pasta hidden under an amazing lamb tomato sauce. Loads of small, tasty morsels of lamb on almost every forkful! My father loved it. I found it a little salty. My father thought it was perfect. He likes salt, I don’t. But the lamb was tender and plentiful - that made up for the saltiness of the sauce. This was not a lunch portion; this would have been considered a large supper portion. I could only eat half and took the rest home to enjoy the next day. By the way, it did not taste as salty the next day. The pasta having absorbed some of the salt must have made the difference. My father did eat all of his. Big man, big appetite.

All in all, I would return to Forza! and look forward to trying the different sauces. But please, someone tell them to take it easy on the garlic and salt. Better to add at the table than drink lots of water.

The cost will depend on the sauce and type of pasta you choose. Prices range from $9 to $15 for pasta or salads. Average price for lunch per person with starters and drinks: $20.

~ Monique

Forza!                                      Note: This article was first published in
664 Wye Rd                                                        Strathcona Connect.
Sherwood Park, Alberta
Phone (780) 570-5449

Let's Eat Some Thai Together!

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There is a restaurant in Summerwood that is quietly nestled out of the way in a new strip mall. I have been hesitant to do a review on this place because selfishly, I don’t want to risk it getting busier.

The restaurant that I would love to keep a well-hidden secret is Thai Together, located at #70, 4005 Clover Bar Road, Sherwood Park.

As the name says, they serve Thai food. Delicious, authentic, fresh Thai food.  I can honestly say I have never had a meal there that was a disappointment.

To begin with, the decor and ambience is calming and understated. Often to get really good Thai food, you have to sacrifice atmosphere. Not here. Black leather seating, stylish lighting and simple, open air understated design contribute to this oasis type feeling. Even the washrooms at Thai Together are comfortable!

The other night was no exception. We started out with some piping hot onion cakes that were fresh and gave off a tantalizing smell. A perfect start to a wonderful meal.

 

Traditional Pad Thai

I had the traditional Pad Thai with mild spice. I am not a huge fan of spicy food so I find this is just the right amount of zip – you can taste the spice, but it isn’t painful to eat and your tastebuds aren’t overpowered. You get a large serving size that you can either eat as a meal or share with your companion.

 

The Pad Thai had lots of fresh vegetables and just the right amount of tofu – I had mine with chicken and I don’t like being overwhelmed with too much of the ‘fake’ protein. The tamarind sauce wasn’t too heavy which allowed the noodles to carry the dish

Thai Together Cashew Nut Shrimp

    

     My husband’s dish was the Thai Together Cashew Nut Shrimp with coconut rice. He was in his glory while eating and I have to say, after snagging a couple bites, I don’t blame him.

Sweet crisp peppers pineapple, onions and baby corn cooked in a tangy sauce. A sauce that was described as “Sweet and Sassy” – he is so poetic! The coconut rice was sweet and just sticky enough to soak up the sauce.

As if this wasn’t enough, we decided to try the mango and sticky rice. I don’t usually try this dish at Thai restaurants in Canada because I have eaten in Bangkok so I know how it is supposed to taste. Although it is easier to replicate Pad Thai, I have found restaurants struggle with the mango and sticky rice.

Mango and Sticky Rice

I was not disappointed. The rice was absolutely delicious! It was so incredibly sweet and succulent, I could feel my blood sugar levels rising.  The mango was presented perfectly. Because we don’t get the soft, fresh mango you find in Thailand, they sliced it into a fan shape and added a few drops of some type of mango dressing.  If they had used a lot of the dressing, it would have overpowered, but as it was, it was just enough to offset the rice. Definitely a must-have.

Bonus Tip: The Curry Grouper is to-die-for-good!

In total, the meal was under $50


- Carla


Cravings offers unique food adventures that will enable you to savour a variety of dishes prepared in unique ways. On some adventures, you may learn the regional history and traditions surrounding the dishes you are enjoying, on others you may take cooking lessons, or even sample a vintage wine you have had your eye on.

ChocoVine - A Chocolate Wine Review

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A few weeks ago I attended the Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival in Edmonton. As I meandered along between the booths, an exhibitioner smiled at me and asked if I liked chocolate. Then if I liked wine. Really? Seriously? I am a woman.

"Well, you must try this then" she tantalizingly said as she poured some dark liquid into a tiny tasting cup. What was it? 

Heaven in liquid form.

Some incredilbly intellingent person in Holland came up with the idea of blending dark Dutch chocolate with fine red wine.

A delicious mix of red wine, rich dark Dutch chocolate and Dutch cream lovingly blended together. This concoction is not quite a liqueur. Creamy but much lighter than an Irish cream and does not have any coffee notes as these do. ChocoVine is not as thick or rich as other chocolate liqueurs. It has the richness and thickness of a blended cream drink.

ChocoVine received a 90 Point Exceptional Value rating in 2009 from the Beverage Testing Institute.

It pours lightly into your glass but I would not use a wine glass as it is still a very rich drink that should be consumed in a smaller quantity than a full glass of red wine.

I recommend the following sized glasses. You may use a tumbler if you choose to serve ChocoVine on ice.

 

I prefer to drink it out of a Brandy snifter as it allows the wine and chocolate aromas to be released and swirled in your glass. I find it to be perfect for this type of "liqueur".

The chocolate flavour is not quite as pronounced as that of a dark chocolate but compared to other chocolate alcoholic liqueurs, it ihas less of a milk chocolate flavour. You can certainly taste the rich red velvety wine. Their Original blend's aroma is woodsy with notes of plum and toffee, and of course chocolate. The flavour is not acidic nor bitter. Very smooth. The sweetness is well balanced. The dark chocolate flavour is noted at first with the red wine flavour coming out in the finish.

ChocoVine is available in 3 other flavours as well: ChocoVine Whipped Cream, ChocoVine Espresso, and ChocoVine Raspberry.

ChocoVine has 14% alcohol content.

This is a very addictive wine liqueur which I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys nibbling on decandent dark chocolate while sipping on a lovely red wine.

It is delicious on its own or blended in various cocktails.

The following cocktail recipes are from the ChocoVine website.

RED CHILI CHOCOLATE SIDE-CAR

½ oz ChocoVine
1 oz Cognac
½ oz Orange Liqueur
1 dash fresh lemon juice
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a dusting of fresh nutmeg.

COCO ROJO

3 oz ChocoVine
1 ¾ red chile cinnamon simple syrup
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute. Garnish with a stick of cinnamon.

MONKEY’S TAIL

1 oz ChocoVine
1 oz Banana Puree
1 oz Gold Rum
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Serve with a stick of cinnamon.

ASPEN NIGHT-CAP

2 oz ChocoVine
1 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 shot espresso
Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously.
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with shaved chocolate and one spoonful of whipped cream.

ROCKSTAR

2 oz ChocoVine
½ oz Coco Lopez Coconut Cream
¾ oz Tequila Cream Liqueur
¾ oz Rum
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon and chocolate spirals.

CHOCBERRY BURST

1 ½ oz ChocoVine
1 ½ oz Vodka
½ oz Orange Liqueur
4 fresh raspberries
In a mixing glass muddle ChocoVine and fresh raspberries. Add Vodka, Orange Liqueur and ice. Shake vigorously and fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a skewer of 4 fresh raspberries.

CHOCOVINE SUNDAE

2 oz ChocoVine
1 oz Whipped Cream Vodka
2 scoops vanilla ice-cream
1 splash of grenadine
Combine ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a sundae glass and top generously with whipped cream. Garnish with a drizzle of grenadine and a cherry, and serve with a chocolate straw.

GINGERVINE ROSE

1 oz ChocoVine
1 ½ oz Ginger-Infused Vodka
1 fresh strawberry
1 lemon wedge
In a mixing glass muddle strawberry, lemon and Ginger-Infused Vodka. Add ice and ChocoVine. Shake vigorously and fine strain into an ice-filled double rocks glass. Garnish with a candied ginger chip and thinly sliced wedge of strawberry.

MUDDY BUDDY

1 ½ oz ChocoVine
1 oz Coffee Liqueur
½ oz Vodka
1 scoop chocolate ice cream
Combine ingredients in a blender with a large scoop of ice, blend until smooth. Garnish with chocolate shavings and chocolate-covered espresso beans.

~ Monique

An Easy Chocolate Puff Wheat Squares Recipe

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Chocolate Puff Wheat Squares, just the thought of them brings you back to the simpler times of our childhood. One bite into these chewy, chocolaty, sticky squares is like stepping back into mom's or grandma's kitchen.

Ever wonder how to recreate this recipe? Want to make foodie memories for your kids to fondly remember? Look no further. Here's an easy chocolate puff wheat square recipe to satisfy all your cravings:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 cup Light corn syrup
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup Cocoa
1 tsp     Vanilla extract
7 cups   Puffed wheat cereal ( so not put more or else squares will not be chewy )

Directions

1. Lightly grease a 9 inch heatproof pan or corning ware platter with a little butter or margarine.
2. Measure cereal and put in a large, lightly greased bowl, set aside.
3. Melt butter/margarine in a medium sized pot. 
4. Add brown sugar to the pot and mix well until dissolved.
5. Add cocoa and brown sugar. Mix until well blended.
6. Bring mixture to a boil, constantly stirring. Do not let it burn.
7. Stir in vanilla and remove from heat.
8. Immediately pour over puffed wheat. Mixing right away to completely coat all the cereal. I recommend you put the bowl of cereal in the sink to do this. This will avoid you having an extra sticky mess to clean up later.

    9.  Place cereal mixture in greased pan, packing it well.

    10. Let cool completely and cut into squares.

   
Quantity: Makes 16 to 32 squares depending on the size you choose to cut them.

E N J O Y ! !

 

 

~ Monique 

Bodega Norton Wine Tasting for the Non-Connoisseur

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Last Thursday I had the pleasure of experiencing my first wine tasting education at Sherwood Park’s newly opened Wine & Beyond. They are located near the new mega Walmart in Emerald Hills off of highway 16.
 

The Education Center

Several times a month, Wine & Beyond hosts education classes in their Education Center. This Center is designed specifically for these classes and features long narrow tables in a horseshoe layout. It is equipped with a big screen projector for presentations and a small bar area for preparation. It is closed off from the rest of the store by big glass doors that ensure the class isn’t interrupted by shoppers.

 

 

The Winery

On this particular evening, we were taking in a presentation by a representative from Bodega Norton, a winery in Argentina.

 

The Bodega Norton winery was named Winemaker of the year for 2012. In 2010, Wine Spectator included Norton 2007 Reserve Malbec in their “Top 100 best wines in the world” list and in 2011, Wine Enthusiast nominated them as “The Best New World Winery of the Year" in their 2011 edition of its competition "Wine Star Awards".

I learned some things about Argentina itself during this presentation – such as the fact is has the fifth largest production of wine in the world. It has 300 days of sunshine with hot days and cooler nights, making it ideal wine making weather. It is also a great place to visit and their wine tours provide good value for your dollar.

 
 The Taster

Before I get into the wine review, a little disclaimer. I am not a wine connoisseur. I don’t talk about a wine’s “nose” or “finish”. My tastebuds know what pleases them and I will do my best to convey to you what it was I liked or didn’t like about a wine.

 The Wine

Our first tasting was of a sparkling rosé wine called Cosecha Especial Brut Nature. It is made of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir. This sparkling wine retails at Wine & Beyond for $20.99 a bottle.

I was rather ambivalent about this selection as I am not huge on sparkling wines, but it was crisp with just a bit of a tart edge and was pleasant to sip on.
 

The second selection was Barrel Select Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was aged in stainless steel for 90% of the time, with the remaining 10% in French oak barrels. It was a nice white wine that would hold its own with many meals. It retails at Wine & Beyond for $14.99 a bottle.

 

The third wine was our first red to sample. It was a Norton Malbec ($10.99). It was described as having “friendly tannins” and I was left wondering how a tannin could be unfriendly and what the result of that would be!

This was the first wine we sampled that I had a definite opinion on. I didn’t like it. It had a very biting dry taste that I could feel on my teeth. I didn’t find it went down smoothly at all and left me wanting to reach for the bread to cleanse my palate – quickly. The room seemed to have a similar reaction as people politely told the presenter that it wasn’t really their thing.

     

 

The second red wine we tried was much better. It was the Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec. As its name implies, it is made from 100% Malbec grapes. It spends 12 months in first and second use French oak barrels and then 10 months in the bottle before it is released.

 

This wine was much smoother and there was almost none of the biting dry taste of the first Malbec. You pay a little more for this wine than the Malbec - $18.49 – but it would be well worth the upgrade.
 

What can I say about the final tasting of the evening? The Bodega Norton Privada, priced at $24.99 a bottle, was worth the wait. It was smooth, pleasant and full bodied. It spent 16 months in new French oak barrels and was bottled 12 months before release. It has a storage capacity of 10 years but most in the room agreed it probably wouldn’t last past the first week in their house! With one exception – a gentleman who preferred the Reserva – it was definitely the crowds choice!

 

~ Carla 

Note: Special Cravings Private Beer Tasting at Wine and Beyond. (Free event for Cravings members). For more info, visit our Cravings website at spCravings.com.

Table Setting Made Easy or Simple Step by Step Instructions on How to Set an Elegant Table

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The holidays are around the corner and time for entertaining is par for the course. The menu, of course, is the most important part of a dinner party. The flavour and presentation of each dish aim to impress your guests. But let us not forget how important first impressions are. A beautifully set table: fancy china, sparkling crystal stemware, polished silverware, crisp linen all create the perfect ambiance for a special dinner and will set the mood for the rest of the evening.

First, place the dinner plate about two inches away from the edge of the table. Place the knife on the right of the plate with the cutting side towards the plate. Place the dinner fork on the left side, same distance away from the plate as the knife.

If you are serving soup, place the soup spoon half an inch to the right of the knife. If serving salad, place the salad fork to the left of the dinner fork at a same distance as the spoon to the knife.

Place a napkin to the left of the salad fork and the teaspoon to the right of the soup spoon.

The dessert spoon is placed at twelve O'clock at the top of the plate and the dessert fork just above it. Be sure to have them face opposite directions with the spoon facing left.

 

 

The bread plate is then placed at the top left corner at eleven O'clock to the dinner plate. If you have bread knives, place these horizontally on the top third of the bread plate with spreading side facing left.

Water goblets need to be placed to the top right of the dinner plate, about two inches directly above the knife. The wine glass is then placed two inches above and angled to the right of the water goblet.

Tea cup and saucer are placed to the right of the water goblet to create a triangle with the goblet and wine glass. The tea cup and saucer are placed just above and to the right of the tea spoon.

If you are serving salad, place the salad plate centered on top of the dinner plate.

 

Soup on the menu? Place the soup bowl on top of the salad plate.

Et voilà! A beautifully set table for your next dinner party! Now all you need is a few mouth-watering recipes...

~ Monique

Sipping Hot Chocolate Recipe

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 My travels through the Mediterranean led me to Barcelona, Spain where on a rainy morning my husband and I ventured out onto Las Ramblas to look for a quaint breakfast spot. We had heard about the famous "Spanish sipping chocolate" and were eager to taste some.

We found a lovely little shop off Las Ramblas. And believe me, the sipping chocolate had us in epicurean ecstasy!  They served it with fresh hot churros. The chocolate itself was so thick and rich that you needed a spoon to eat it once you had finished using the churros.

The first thing I did, once we returned to Alberta, was to try and duplicate this delicious drink. I have come pretty close by adding a few of my own ingredients to achieve the same almost pudding-like consistency.

Here is the recipe:

Serves 4 - 6 in teacups.

Ingredients:

One whole, large plain dark chocolate bar such as Lindt or Cadburry. Broken into small pieces.
2 Tbsp Cocoa powder
4 Tbsp Instant chocolate milk powder
1 tsp  cinnamon powder
2 Cups milk
1 1/2  tsps Cornstarch mixed with some milk to create a paste

Dissolve cocoa powder and instant chocolate milk powder in 1/4 cup of milk. Place mixture in pot. Place pot on stove and heat on high until mixture starts warming up. Remove from heat. Add remainder of milk and stir well. Put half of the chocolate pieces into pot and place on stove top once again. Heat on medium. Stir constantly until chocolate pieces melt. Add remainder of chocolate pieces and repeat. Once chocolate pieces have dissolved, add cinnamon, stir well. Remove from heat and add cornstarch mixture stir well with a whisk. Return to heat and continue to stir with a whisk until chocolate drink has thickened to a consistency similar to a chocolate fondue. Serve with lady fingers cookies. Enjoy!
~ Monique

Come back and visit us soon for more recipes and great culinary information!
~ Carla & Monique

How did Cravings come about?

Co-adventurer, Monique MacDonald, was eating her way through Europe. Delighting in the wonderful dishes found at every corner. Tasting mouth-watering appetizers on food and wine tours throughout the Mediterranean, she wondered how she could duplicate this back home in Alberta. Unlike Europe, one cannot always walk from one eating establishment to the next in comfort...winter tends to get in the way. How could she lead a tasting tour without having to constantly put a coat on, get on some kind of transportation method, get off, take your coat off and so on, and so forth? On her long flight home to Alberta, the foodie light turned on! Who says you must visit all restaurants, taverns and trattorias all on one night? Why not make each a night of wondrous adventure? Food and wine tastings, culinary history, dish peculiarities, chef's secrets, and fun entertainment all in one evening!

She brought her idea to Carla Howatt, another food enthusiast, who was more than a willing partner in epicure! And so, Cravings was born.

If you live in the Sherwood Park or Edmonton area, visit www.spCravings.com to check out our culinary adventures and mini adventures. We would love to have you join us!

Bon Appétit!

Monique and Carla
Cravings Co-Adventurers

Welcome to  the Cravings' Blog!

What is Cravings?

Cravings is the exclusive club that celebrates the dining experience.

Eleven times per year, we will host Premier Dinner Adventures that may include off-menu items uniquely created for Cravings events’ participants. Restaurant owners or their chefs will talk about their dishes, choice of ingredients, preparation techniques, regional particularities, country of origin, and more. Some events will even include special entertainment not regularly offered to other patrons.

Each Premier Dinner Adventure’s menu items are carefully selected for their uniqueness and palate experience.

Cravings also offers independent, mini culinary adventures throughout the year. These special non-dinner events will be food-themed and may include cooking demonstrations, samplings or tastings, talks, and tours. The dates, length and costs of these will vary according to each event.

Cravings is your chance to experience the culinary side of Sherwood Park and its surrounding area in a fun, new and unique way!

We look forward to going on culinary adventures with you!

Monique and Carla
Cravings' Culinary Adventurers