Campagnolo’s butternut squash ravioli

Well before I even landed in Vancouver on a trip back home to visit my family, some of my friends had started chattering about where we should meet for dinner. I had read a lot of good things about Campagnolo, so I wanted to give it a try. The great thing about going out to dinner with friends is the sheer number of dishes one can taste–judging by the photos I took, I’d say we worked through a majority of the menu.

crispy cici (chickpeas) with mint and citrus

The crispy cici came highly recommended by Eagranie, and were indeed quite addictive. Dinner itself on a whole, though, was a little uneven. I enjoyed their house-cured meats, and the tender, yet springy grilled octopus with fennel. The polenta, cooled and cut into rectangles before being fried, were crusty on the outside, with a creamy interior. The sweet and tangy salsa rosso was just the thing to balance out all that fatty goodness. It was easily the best dish of the night.

Margarita pizza

My friends exclaimed over the sweet butternut ravioli, and while it was good, the pasta wasn’t nearly as thin or delicate as I prefer. I was similarly disappointed by what looked to be a beautiful cut of pork that arrived cooked through and rather dry, though the cotecchino served alongside was delicious.

albacore tuna with peas, sweet peppers, and bread

asparagus with prosciutto and Parmesan

Campagnolo’s excellent housecured meats: saucisson sec and chorizo pictured above

addictive Parmesan grissini

excellent grilled octopus, though I did wish the fennel and radicchio were anointed with a little more olive oil

Sloping Hills pork (a little dry and over-cooked), great cotecchino, and lentils

Despite the over-cooked pork, and a few other lackluster dishes, the room was fun and casual. Campagnolo is a very respectable neighborhood joint serving some fairly good food, and some incredible 49th Parallel coffee. I heard that there’d been a change in chef recently, which may account for the experience there that night.

beet salad with red onion, mint, and horseradish

my favorite dish of the night: crispy fried polenta with a sweet-sour salsa rosso

risotto with preserved lemon, pesto, and tuna confit

Campagnolo has a TV in the back bar area, which was perfect since some of my friends are hockey nuts. If you go, be sure to get the polenta, and a platter of their house-cured meats.

Campagnolo is located at 1020 Main Street in Vancouver, BC. 604.484.6018