413,683

MEATBALLS AND COUNTING

413,683

MEATBALLS AND COUNTING

413,683

MEATBALLS AND COUNTING

Eating Your Content

Nice little write up from Justin.

http://eatingyourcontent.com/2014/08/29/eating-your-content-that-italian-place-cafe-and-eatery/

Or just read his text!

Eating Your Content: That Italian Place Cafe and Eatery

Justin Baisden / 08/29/2014
Eating Your Content – That Italian Place – Entrance

I first noticed That Italian Place Cafe & Eatery on You Gotta Eat Here a few months ago. I was very surprised to see a restaurant from Brampton, Ontario. I spent 18 years living in that city. To say that it’s overrun with chain restaurants is an engrossing understatement. I can’t even begin to count how many times my friends and I ate at Jack Astors, Boston Pizza, East Side Marios, and Casey’s growing up. Seeing an independantly owned restaurant not just in Brampton, but with a strong enough reputation that it drew television coverage brought me serious joy. I was in town last week and made sure to drop in.

Eating Your Content – That Italian Place – Interior

I walked in and a friendly girl at the front greeted me. I asked for a minute but I already knew I wanted at least one item. That Italian Place has a strong rep for Stromboli. It had been showcased on You Gotta Eat Here (link goes to featured episode) and I kind of lost my mind when I saw it. I’ve been on a Stromboli hunt for a few years. I had never had one before. I saw one showcased on Diners Drive Ins & Dives and knew I had to have it. Sadly, there are no restaurants in Hamilton that sell them. Panzerottis and Calzones all over the place but no Strombolis. ONE TIME! I was just about to order another dish when she warned me the Stromboli would be sufficient. I’m all “naw look at me, I can eat.” She probably thought “poor bastard has no idea what he’s getting into” and she’d be right to think it. I had to get Pasta in an Italian restaurant, so let’s start the ball.

Fettuccine Bolognese – $8

Eating Your Content – That Italian Place – Fettuccine Bolognese 1This beast of a plate is the LUNCH SIZE! Yep… I’m an idiot thinking I could double up. Co-owner and Chef Paul Fuda hooked me up with a Meatball to boot. Let’s start with that. I can honestly say I have never had a properly cooked Meatball that tender in my life. When my fork cut through, it was seamless. So much so that I was apprehensive it was under. However; the cook couldn’t have been better. The Fettuccine was a perfect al dente. It can’t be emphasized enough that your Pasta should have just a bit of chew to it. The sauce made this dish though. I’m a sucker for a good Bolognese. I’m also leery that it’ll either be too salty or sweet. This struck an ideal balance. The pasta wasn’t drowning in sauce either. I couldn’t have been more happy here. I felt like a jackass stuffing my face while shooting the shit with Gino (the other half brotherly of co-ownership) but I couldn’t stop.

So this would have been enough for just about everyone but my eye was still on the prize.

Stromboli – $9

Now THIS is what brings you to the dance. That Italian Place packs SEVEN different Italian Deli meats into this beast. Hot & Sweet Salami, Soppressata, and Capicola respectively. Then Mortadella (personal favourite) and then copious amounts of Mozzarella. Then we wrap it all up in a dough and bake it until golden. Pictures honestly don’t do justice to the sheer girth of this dish. The warning I received at the outset of this particular review made perfect sense. I only had one worry going into my first bite and it was assuaged quickly. Despite being a deli overload, this is not nearly as salty as I was anticipating. You can’t really blame me for worrying right? The dough was crisp upon bite but still soft on the chew. The meat & mozz blended well and the sauce to dip in worked well. I’ll be honest in saying I could only get through half of this after chowing down on the Fettuccine. Not only that, I was food KO’d for the rest of the day. I ate at 11:30am and didn’t eat again until the next day.

I am not a man.

I really wish I had something to complain about but I don’t. The food was delicious. The portions are enough to feed even the biggest of eaters while priced for value. The staff were on point and the owners were extraordinarily friendly not just to me but about everyone that walked in the door. The atmosphere is very comfortable, with many regulars coming for their fix. If you’re in the area, drop in and give That Italian Place Cafe & Eatery a shot.

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