Five men are seated around a table at the Poor Italian, their wine glasses half full, their conversation animated but muted so not to overwhelm the other diners at the East Vancouver restaurant.
At the head of the table is Paolo Marinelli, his white hair declaring his age in a way that his bright blue eyes almost succeed in refuting. He came to Vancouver in 1964 as a young father with far more drive to succeed than money. Seated next to him are two of his children, Tony and John, who with their sister Rose have taken over the family construction business, Con-West, and two visiting business associates.
Their platter of succulent rack of lamb has been almost wiped clean by the time another group of men come in through the back of the restaurant after one of their thrice-weekly 90-minute walks. The sound of back-slapping competes with laughter to see which is most boisterous as the newcomers exchange greetings with the Marinellis, old family friends. And its as you unravel the connections between these men that you realize how tightly woven Vancouvers Italian community is.
Most of the older ones started with nothing, immigrants to Canada who came after the Second World War to build their lives from scratch. They needed one another and knew they could rely on each other for support and friendship. They never forgot past kindness; all good-deed debts were repaid tenfold. Money was borrowed with a handshake; no need for a bankers signature. Their children all went to school with one another and their friendships are as important to them today as they were when they were kids.
Nearly all of the owners of the Poor Italian are here tonight. Missing is Tony Parsons, a well-known fixture in Vancouver because of his work with BCTV, Global and now CBC. (His father is British; his mother Italian.) Theres Tommaso Bresciani, who was made a knight of Italy for they way hes promoted Italian products both in Canada and Italy. The son of a milkman, he and his brother opened Vancouvers first espresso bar in 1969 and then founded a company that distributed and sold coffee machines to restaurants throughout Western Canada, before branching out to other restaurant supplies. Bresciani became one of his own best customers when his family opened their own restaurants, including La Piaza Dario at the Italian Cultural Centre 30 years ago, Arriva and Don Francescos.
Three years ago this November, he and Parsons opened poor Italian with Michael and Sandy Moscone, who own the building at the corner of East 1st and Rupert, just where Vancouver starts to meld into Burnaby. The brothers took over their fathers landscaping business, Moscone Bros., which is responsible for some of the citys largest developments landscaping, including Olympic Village. Sandys wife Gabriella is the restaurants operations manager. (The Moscones cousin is Michael Bublé, who sang at Sandy and Gabriellas wedding.)
The restaurants name pays homage to the owners roots while celebrating where they are today.
Poor Italian means humble cooks le tradizione culinarie delle nostre madre e nonne, the kitchen of our mothers and grandmothers, says Bresciani. These women were able to take the one chicken theyd have each week and cook it in 15 ways, using each and every part.
They had meagre scraps and created foods of beauty, adds Sandy. They were getting these scraps and made beautiful cuisine.
So if you were to count the ingredients that comprise the traditional Italian menu, the list would not be that long but each and every item would be fresh and homemade, right down to the pasta they make in the back with flour imported from Italy. Executive chef Greg Turgeon (Il Giardino, Villa del Lupo) has deftly created dishes that can pass muster with some of the toughest food critics Italians in search of the perfect meals their mothers used to make. For that is both the blessing and the curse of owning an Italian restaurant in Vancouver the Italian community is fiercely loyal but also very demanding. Cooking for the Marinellis is not for the feint of heart.
Michael Moscone laughs. No chef in the world, no matter how expensive the restaurant, will ever be able to match any Italians memory of their mothers food except their mothers, of course. But were close.
They dont play with the food its authentic, but if you want them to change it [to the way you want it], they will, says Tony Marinelli. The flavours arent infused, he says. Theyre the real deal.
The antipasto platter finds ways to make competing tastes smoked salmon, cured meats, roasted eggplant seem like old friends. The ravioli might be the favourite dish on the menu it changes every day based on whats in season and the earthy wild mushroom risotto addictive, but Turgeon also celebrates Vancouvers closeness to the ocean with beautifully prepared seafood dishes (the other night delicate pieces of halibut were offered protection with a seasoned cornmeal crust), including Ocean Wise choices.
If your mother told you to save room for dessert, its another case of mother knows best. Theres the tart sweetness of the lemon millefoglie, the deliciously not-too-sweet ricotta cheese-filled Sicilian cannoli and a heavenly slice of white chocolate and vanilla semifreddo is it ice cream or is it cake? Who cares. Its fabulous.
An evening doesnt come cheap; sourcing the freshest products, importing the finest olive oils from Italy (including the Frantoria which nicely graces so many dishes) and taking the time to cook them properly has its price. The wine list features a smart selection of Old World staples as well as some BC options, including Le Vieux Pin merlot made by friends in Oliver, but the prices are reasonable. A glass of grappa with dessert is a must, especially for many of the men.
And for those gluten-free diners who yearn for real Italian pasta, Bresciani, who also eschews wheat, has found Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta for the menu you will never want to suffer through the gooeyness of rice pasta again.
At the end of the dinner, Tony Marinelli comes over to the Moscones table. All of them are huge Bruce Springsteen fans and theyre flying to New York for The Bosss grand finale of his recent tour. (It will be Michaels 90th Springsteen concert.) Tony wants to make sure theyre staying at the same hotel in New York. Its obvious from their conversation that, like the restaurants name, they might have had humble beginnings but life is pretty good right now especially after a good Italian dinner almost like their mamma used to make
PoorItalian.com | 3296 East 1st | 604-251-1122
