Finally! A good Italian Restaurant in Nanaimo

[G-Ram]

Nanaimo, for whatever reason, has not had a truly Italian restaurant for years, and happily, there is now a very good newcomer on the dining scene. The Grapevine Trattoria in the city's old quarter (it used to be Christo's Greek restaurant) is a wonderful example of experienced people opening an establishment that understands the market. Well prepared Italian fare (not the ubiquitous "Mediterranean" we are all too often subjected to in the Hub City) is the order of the day, combined with exceptional service. I'm the guy that posted the less than flattering review of Kasira Thai on another thread, and many responded by excusing the place because it was new. The Grapevine is five weeks old, and demonstrates that if you know what you're doing, you can come out of the gate running. I had the osso bucco special which was exceptional ($16 and included a delicious salad prepared at tableside), while my wife had the platter for the undecided. It contained portions of linguine alfredo, lasagna and chicken parmeggiano. This huge platter ($19) could feed two, and although it wasn't the best we've ever tasted, it was satisfactory. A third person at our table enjoyed a cioppino (an Italian seafood stew with broth). It was brimful with crab legs, mussels, clams, scallops, salmon and halibut, and was wonderful. By the way, homemade warm breadsticks are complimentary. The wine list is adequate and fairly priced. Desserts looked fantastic, but we were stuffed and will leave more room next time. We rejoice! Try this place folks.

[riverrat]

Nanaimo, for whatever reason, has not had a truly Italian restaurant for years

I remember Maffeo's being very yummy, but my palate's so unsophisticated, they mighta served me Alphaghetti.

I think I'll have to check out the new place! My memories of eating in Italy are the stuff of my dreams nowadays. I would love for there to be more basil(ico), more radicchio, and more chianti in my diet.
I wonder if they manage to get Italian tomatoes! Ours taste like wet cardboard, and theirs taste like their name: "golden apples" (pomodori).

[G-Ram]

Maffeo's was in its death throes when I moved to Nanaimo three years ago, and I went only once. The menu had been changed to "Mediterranean", and I asked the chef why, he said he would cook any Italian meal for us, but the owner wanted a change. Milano's was similar, but a good restaurant. The lady in the kitchen was Calabrese, and it showed; simple food well prepared. I have no idea why it closed. The Grapevine should not be confused with a high end Italian restaurant (like Cin Cin etc in Vancouver), but they do a nice job, the prices are modest and the service is excellent. By the way, I couldn't agree with you more about the tomatoes we get in the grocery giants here; grow 'em fast and to hell with taste!

[Gail]

I am hoping to try this place out this weekend.Sounds delicious.

[Buongustaia]

I have eaten at the Grapevine Trattoria three times since it was open. I don't want to be too critical, but what they serve is not authentic Italian food. I am not Italian but, being married to one and having visited the country several times and spent a fair amount of time in different regions (both in cities and countryside) during the last 10 years, I feel qualified to say that the food at the Grapevine Trattoria is not authentic.

The pasta dishes are served with too much sauce, and the sauces themselves are not really Italian, but rather their Americanized version. Also, the pasta is consistently overcooked. I had Veal Marsala recently, and it had no resemblance to what it is supposed to taste like. However, I enjoyed their meat cannelloni (actually that is the only dish that I like there so far), except for the amount of sauce (again too much), which is a recipe of one of the owners' mothers, who is Italian (I was told).

Several years ago, Nanaimo had an excellent authentic Italian restaurant while Maffeo’s was owned and operated by a very nice man who is from Naples, the home of some of the best Italian food in all of Italy. Unfortunately, while he had the restaurant from approximately 1998 to 2004, Nanaimo did not really show its appreciation of true authentic Italian food. As a result, we were left once again without an Italian restaurant.

It is really sad that we do not have an authentic Italian restaurant in Nanaimo. It does not need to be fancy to be authentic; there are a lot of dishes that are quite simple and can be made without costing too much money to make them. It is just a matter of the right combination and balance of ingredients and flavours, but most of so-called Italian restaurants do not seem to understand that.

If anyone would like to learn what "real Italian" food tastes like, they should try Zambri's in Victoria. Their dishes are very reasonably priced, particularly at lunch time, and you are guaranteed to get the same quality of food that you get in Italy. I would be ecstatic if a restaurant like Zambri's opened in Nanaimo.

[krisinnanaimo]

Thank you for visiting the Grapevine Trattoria. My partner and I have had over 50 years combined experience in the restaurant industry and hope we can turn this into a success. We like to call ourselves Nanaimo's only "authentic" Italian restaurant as that is what we are specializing in. We have no Greek or East Indian dishes on our menu and very few American plates. Although neither of us has had the good fortune to visit Italy and enjoy the fare there we have based our menu on what we hope to be good quality food. I am first generation Canadian and grew up in an Italian household. My mother's cooking, although traditional, wasn't the best. My sister and I, however, took what mom taught us and tried to improve on it. Alot of the recipes we have implemented in the restaurant are based on this premise. We may not be as "authentic" as if we had actually been to Italy but our recipes are traditional based on what I grew up with. My partner received his chef paper's while training under an amazing Italian chef who is relatively well known on Vancouver Island: Wayne Nicolletti. We both hope that you come in to try our fare and enjoy the quality of the food as we know that quality and consistency is what will bring you back.

Krisinnanaimo

[riverrat]

Cool! From the horse's mouth.
Now I want ravioli. With cheeses.

[G-Ram]

I just want to comment on the concern about "authenticity" posted by buongustaia. I am from an Italian family and have visited Italy on many occasions. The food at Grapevine is not as good as I have eaten in other Italian restaurants, but the point I was making is that Nanaimo finally has a restaurant featuring Italian food. As mentioned in my review, some of the food did not measure up to the best I have had, nor to the way I prepare it. BUT...there is an effort to focus only on Italian foods, the service and hospitality is way above average, and the prices are reasonable. I have tried Zambris in Victoria on two occasions and would agree with you about the food; it is exceptional.

[JR McCarthy]

My wife and I attended the Bite of Nanaimo this year and were totally horrified by the food being served. One miserable failure that stood out was the overcooked super spicy pasta dish, served with a smile, by the Grapevine Trattoria. The Bite was an opportunity to gain new customers and you guys totally blew it. Because the food sample was so terrible we would never go to the restaurant to eat and in fact tell people not to even bother. To reply to some other posts on this site, I don't think a Nanaimo restaurant which focuses on preparing Italian food is a cause for joy...make the food good!

[E.ALister]

I attended the bite as well and find Mccarthy's comments very close minded. I'm not sure if you stayed for the whole Bite but if you had you would have realized the Grapevine received awards for Best Beverage, Best Booth and runner-up for Best Dessert. I agree with you that the pasta dish that was brought forward was not the best (it was called the Penne Arabiatta if you payed attention) it was not the best pasta I had ever had but i was welcomed with great conversation and smiles. This brought me to the restaurant where I dined on home-made FRESH breadsticks and a table-side tossed salad with the house dressing. I then was pleasured in trying the Linguine Pescatore and was floored by this full flavoured dish. My husband and I then split a Checkboard Cake that was absolutely delicious. I believe trying a sample at the Bite and then telling people to "not bother" on a new restaurant is not only rude but simply your own loss because you and the people you tell off will be missing out on Nanaimo's only AUTHENTIC and delicious Italian restaurant.