La Cucina per Famiglia

"My heart nearly stopped", said Shauna, "when I walked into Kingsland Farmer's Market and saw that the space normally occupied by La Cucina Italiana had been usurped by someone else".  All kinds of things go through your mind - first, regret that some perfectly wonderful people with perfectly wonderful food somehow couldn't make a go of it.  Or, maybe they got too successful and moved into the big time world of full-time restauranting and moved out of here.  And so we were resigned to maybe trying one of the other admittedly wonderful lunch vendors at this very friendly farmers market...but wait!  There they are!  They just moved down two stalls to the prime real estate 'corner lot', complete with a wraparound bar and comfy elevated chairs accommodating a good 8-10 people for lunch.

It's odd, because even though Rob Principalli's place in the market looks at first glance like a basic take-out counter - somehow, the longer you spend standing and reading the menu board, the more he makes it feel like one of those family-run Italian places in New York City - you know, the kind where they say "Hey, come in, you're family", and they mean it.  Maybe it's because there's definitely nothing more charming than three handsome Italian guys who make it plain that their business (their only business) for the next 15 minutes is to make sure you're fed, happy, and relaxed.  I couldn't tell you if the guys working with Rob are his boys, but they look like him, and they work like he does, so yeah, this is one of those great little Italian family places.

We actually started out wanting one quick order of Italian chicken and apple sausage for Shauna - no bun, because of the gluten-free thing, of course.  But as she kicked back on her barstool, waiting for it to arrive, I was looking in the dessert cooler, because last time we were there, Rob had promised that the next time, there would be gluten-free dessert.  There was, by the way, and the berry cheesecake looked every bit as delicious and part of the menu as the giant chocolate layer cake sitting next to it.  All this visual stimuli unsurprisingly produced the same stomach rumblings in Alanna and me, so Alanna got herself a sausage too (also no bun, and also garnished with just-perfectly sauteed sweet onions and a rich tomato sauce).  I thought I should have a Porchetta - a cold pork-based cold cut sandwich with provolone, fresh tomato - and an olive tapenade to die for, all stacked on a baguette bun.  Make that with an Orangina soda on the side, with some sweet pickles - yup, that's lunch.

Except that wasn't all.  Shauna noticed there was no cannoli in the dessert cooler yet, but this time she had news.  She told Rob there was a chef in Calgary, who had just published a cookbook including dozens of new gluten-free recipes, and lo! - among them was a recipe for gluten-free cannoli.  Rob immediately wrote down the name of the cookbook, and began musing aloud that maybe he could get the guy to actually make him 100 or so cannoli tubes (clearly, the filling would come from an ancient Principalli family recipe).  I have no doubt that in a couple or three weeks, Rob will be pulling in the crowds for cannoli the same way he does with his gluten-free lasagne and canneloni recipes:  "If it isn't as good as your regular lasagne - come back and I'll give you a free one".

Lunch was nearly done.  I had both Shauna and Alanna's onions along with my sandwich.  Then came cheesecake for Shauna - Rob had something to prove.  It was so good that she got worried, thinking the crust was just a bit too good to be gluten free.  With complete and calming confidence, Mr. Principalli assured her it was completely safe.  He should know - he specializes in distributing gluten-free pastas from Italy (get your orders from him at www.glutenfreepasta.ca).  And for me and Alanna?  Tiramisu.  Alanna had never had it before.  She's been completely evangelized now!  Whoever builds these for Rob, in those perfectly-sized takeout dishes, is a  genius and a credit to the profession.

Somebody around the corner was selling some apricots, and some black cherries so perfect that they stain your fingers with one touch.  They appeared, freshly rinsed, heaped on a plate between us and the next two sausage-seekers who'd joined us at the bar.  "With service like this, we won't ever have to leave!" said the gentleman sitting next to me.

He hit the nail right on the head.  While you stock up on your small-batch roasted coffee and organic farm-grown vegetables at Kingsland Farmer's Market every week, drop in at La Cucina Italiana.  Pull up a chair, belly up to the bar, and let Rob and the guys make you part of the family.  Fine linen and crystal are great, but even more important are guys who treat their food, and their customers with obvious respect.

Buon appetito.