Welcome to the Vancouver Foodster Pasta Challenge. Restaurants from all over the city were invited to enter their pasta dishes into this challenge, some of the restaurants have created a special pasta creation just for this challenge and others have entered their top choice off their existing menu. Each restaurant will be featuring their pasta creation on their menu from April 22-May 17, 2015.

How Does this all Work? For the public challenge, you are invited to go out and order any or all of the pasta creations in this challenge, then you decide who you think has the best pasta creation for the People’s Choice award winners. 

Share your experiences: Tweet (and don’t forget to tweet or instagram your photos) throughout the challenge, our twitter and instagram address is @vanfoodster and the hashtag is #PastaChallengeYVR please include this hashtag in all your tweets during the challenge.

Voting criteria –  some things to help you judge your favourite pasta creations – keep these things in mind: originality, creativity, uniqueness, traditional, non-traditional, price, value and most importantly taste.

Get some friends together and make a night of it, visit 2 restaurants or more to share and taste the different pasta creations or go solo or with a friend – just remember to VOTE for your favourites between April 22-May 17, 2015. 

Here are the 10 Pasta creations in this challenge, listed in no particular order other than when they were received by us.

Frankie’s Italian Kitchen & Bar

 

Rigatoni Salsiccia

Description:  Our take on an Italian classic recipe focuses on enhancing the deep flavor of the sausage and marrying it with the pasta to ensure it eats as rich as it looks.

Price: $16

Created by: Chef Patrick Doré

Offered: all the time (11am-11pm Monday-Friday and 11am-10pm on Sundays) and will be offered on both our restaurant and bar side.

Frankie’s Italian Kitchen & Bar

765 Beatty Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-688-6368

Web: http://www.frankiesitaliankitchen.ca/index.php

Twitter: @FrankiesItalia1

 

Big Rock Urban Brewery

Between the Ferns Capellini

Description:  A light, springtime pasta with bold earthy flavours.  Deliberately different, deliberately delicious.  Pan fried fiddleheads with lardons, leeks, garlic and herbs in IPA compound butter then added to capellini pasta with a light amount of cream.  Finished with beet chips, roasted pistachios, and fresh goat cheese.

Price: $15

Chefs:  Alex Newton & Sam Omdal

Offered:  Daily 11 am until close.

Big Rock Urban Brewery

310 West 4th Avenue

Tel: 604-708-8311

Web: http://bigrockurban.com/

Twitter @BRUeateryYVR

 

Federico’s Supper Club

Romagna Mia

Description: Traditional Italian ingredients, with origins stemming from the Romagna, Toscana and Umbria regions, merge together in creating a delicious experience shared by many in Italy’s distinct history and philosophy of its food.  Enjoy Pappardelle in a beef and chicken liver ragu, accented with flavours of pancetta, vermouth, sage, tomatoes and Grana Padano shavings.  Like the song ‘Romagna Mia’ it beckons the Old Country.

Price: $17

Created by: Executive Chef Romy Prasad

Offered: Pasta creation will be offered Sunday – Thursday as part of our a la carte dinner menu, as well as Pasta Hour, which offers a special price ($15) to include a glass of select wine. It will also be offered a la carte on Fridays and Saturdays between 5:30 and 7pm, or as part of our fixed price menu after 7pm (3 course menu for $45) when guests can also remain for the evening to enjoy entertainment/dancing.

Federico’s Supper Club

1728 Commercial Drive

Tel: 604.251.3473

Web: http://www.federicossupperclub.com/

Twitter: @FedericosClub

 

Mercante

Rotolo con cavolo ricotta e chorizo

Description: Rolled pasta filled with Bechamel, Kale, Ricotta Cheese and Chorizo baked in our woodstone oven at 700 degrees and finished with arrabiatta sauce.

Price: $9.99

Created by: Chef Piyush Sahay

Offered: Monday to Friday 11am – 3pm

Mercante

6488 University Boulevard, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 827-2210

Web: http://www.food.ubc.ca/place/mercante/

Twitter: @ubcfoodie #mercante

 

Truffle Fine Foods Café

Trottole Pasta

Price: $9

Created by: George Moutsos

Description: with bacon, kale and smoked cheddar fondue. Baked in a cast iron pan, and served in a lasagna dish, garnished with parsley.

Offered: 9:30am-6pm, VanDusen Garden Kitchen

Truffle Fine Foods Cafe

5151 Oak Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-505- 4961

Web: www.trufflesfinefoods.com/café

Twitter: @trufflesfoods

And

Truffle Fine Foods Café

785 Davie Street

Tel:

Web: www.trufflesfinefoods.com/café

Twitter: @trufflesfoods

 

Ban Chok Dee

Chiang Mai Noodles

Price: $15

Created by: Executive Chef Parinya Lopston

Description:  Egg noodles stir fried with Thai herb paste,(shallots, garlic, kaffir lime skin, ginger, lemongrass) and young coconut slices lay on top of baby bok choy topped with curry sauce served with  2 chicken drumsticks and garnish with chilli oil , shallots slices , lime wedges, Beansprout, cilantro and sour cabbage slice.

Offered: All the time

Ban Chok Dee

20563 Douglas Crescent, Langley

Tel: 778-278-3088

Web: http://www.banchokdee.com

Twitter: @BanChokDeeThai

 

Pronto Cafe

Cacio e Pepe

Price: $18

Created by: Brian Fodor

Description: Cacio e pepe means cheese and pepper. This is a Roman pasta with only three ingredients: freshly ground black pepper, pecorino romano and pasta. For the challenge we will be using a tagliatelle which will be freshly made daily.

Offered: Tuesday – Sunday all the time

Pronto

3473 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-722-9331

Twitter @ProntoCambie

Web: http://www.prontocaffe.ca/

And

Prontino

3475 Cambie Street, Vancouver

Tel: (604) 722-9331

Twitter @ProntinoCambie

Web: http://www.prontocaffe.ca/prontino/

 

Salida 7 Restaurant

Fideua

Price: $21

Created by: Chef Devin Blaney

Description: from the NE coast of Spain, with baked vermicelli, baby scallops, Saltspring Island mussels, Manila clams, Pacific squid, Prawns and lemon Aioli.

Offered: Tuesday – Sunday after 5pm

Salida 7 Restaurant

52 Alexander Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604 569 3088

Web: http://www.salida7.ca/

Twitter: @salida7gastown

 

Cioffi’s Cucina

Lasagna Bianca

Price: $10.99

Created by: Chef Jason Symington

Description: with free range local chicken, sundried tomatoes, fresh pesto and bechamel

Offered:  Daily from 11 am until closing.

Cioffi’s Cucina

4150 E Hastings Street, Burnaby

Tel: (604) 291-9373

Web: http://www.cioffisgroup.com/

Twitter @cioffiscucina

 

Novo Pizzeria & Wine Bar

Novo Corzetti

Price: $21

Description: Hand made Corzetti with pesto, burrata, toasted pine nuts,  lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano, lemon zest, basil

Created by:  Carmine Paradiso and Charles Richard

Offered:  All the time

Novo Pizzeria & Wine Bar

2118 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Tel:    (604) 736-2220

Web:  http://www.novopizzeria.com/

Twitter:   @NOVOPizzeria

 

Make sure you pick up one of the Pasta Challenge postcards available at each of the participating restaurants. Remember to Vote for your favourites daily, all the voting details are at

 https://vancouverfoodster.com/pasta-challenge/

Our Media judges for this challenge are:

Joyce Lam

Food Blogger for her own http://vanfoodies.com/

Twitter: @vanfoodies

 

David Cruise

Morning Show Co-Host Z 95.3 FM

Twitter: @cruisez953

 

Laurie Logan

Radio/TV Host/Producer

Twitter: @LaurieLogan

 

Zahra Alani

Radio & Television personality. Weather Anchor at CTV News.

Twitter: @ZahraAlani