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Other Food StoriesLunenburg’s Italian jobBy Sarah MusgraveFoodies are flocking to Nova Scotia to sample Trattoria della Nonna’s grappa-flambéed prawns and English toffee and raisin sorbetto.The little town of Lunenburg has big ambitions when it comes to restaurants, and so do chef Terry Vassallo and his sommelier partner Simone Mombourquette, who opened their ristorante on Valentine’s Day 2007. Certainly the location could not be more picturesque for aspiring restaurateurs. Occupying a stately three-story residence nestled between two historic working waterfronts, their Trattoria della Nonna is a love affair between old world and new. Inside, butter yellow walls set off by wrought iron fittings and punchy artwork add to a lively atmosphere for Italian cuisine.
A brick oven, fired by fruitwoods for extra flavor, turns out thin-crust pizzas featuring toppings from grilled eggplant to smoked mozzarella. Among the pastas, farfalle with duck confit, forest mushrooms and roasted garlic crema is a local favorite. Vassallo doesn’t stop there, using a hit of grappa to flambé his prawns, adding porcini jus to his pesto-encrusted rack of lamb and roasting grapes to toss with radicchio and endive under a Gorgonzola dressing. If the wine list mines Italy for labels, local ingredients like cast-iron seared Digby scallops and Country Harbour mussels bring the food right back home. For dessert, a resident ice cream maker prepares a different gelato and sorbetto each day; try English toffee and raisin or blueberry and watermelon. And at brunch, the trattoria offers Italian toast in lieu of French toast, thanks to the addition of mascarpone cheese to the usual maple syrup. Viva Italia in Nova Scotia!
Getting here Trattoria della Nonna, 9 King St., Lunenburg, N.S., 902-640-3112, nonnadining.ca Sarah Musgrave is a Montréal-based food journalist. She is the casual dining restaurant reviewer for the Montréal Gazette and the author of Resto-à-Go-Go: 200 Cheap and Fun Places to Eat and Drink in Montreal 2007. |