Family Dinner at Poor Italian

A few weeks ago, in honour of my sister's arrival in Vancouver, our family went out for dinner at The Poor Italian. It's the perfect middle point between my new home, and my parent's home, where my sister is staying.
I'm not going to tell you what we ordered, you'll just have to wait and see. First, the bread basket...it looks simple, but it's not...keep digging...

And your reward, raspberry and blueberry bread, in the gratis bread basket...

Oh, and look, sundried tomato, savoury artichoke and pickled onion topped bread, awesome find!

To start, we ordered their antipasto platter for four, even though there were eight of us. As you can see below, even four orders is a LOT of food. Loaded with proscuitto, smoked salmon, capers and onions, there was also a smattering of olives, some grano pandano, as well as some chicken liver pate. Not to mention the marinated vegetables, such as eggplant and zucchini. There were some pickled onions, and artichokes and red peppers, to go along with the bruschetta. A few whole anchovies lined the platter, along with a refreshing tomato and mozzarella salad. Rounding out the whole thing were roma tomatoes and gherkins...the sourest you've ever tasted!

Another appetizer we ordered was the Funghi Pizza, filled with oyster and button mushrooms, on a thin crust pizza pie.  

Proscuitto, smoked salmon with onions and capers, with some olives, and the tomato and mozzarella cheese ...

Marinated goodness, the pate, the peppers and onions and some olives... 

Bruschetta topped with sundried tomatoes and artichokes... 

My portion of the antipasto - round one

My neice ordered the Linguine alla Vongole for herself, clams with a light garlic flavoured olive oil. There was a light lemon tang, but you could tell that the pasta was very fresh. There was a mixture of regular clams as well as a smattering of baby clams. Fortunately, the garlic didn't overpower the whole dish.

My mom ordered the Grilled Halibut, which was lightly crispy on the outside, but tender and juicy on the inside. You know my mom loved it because she didn't offer us a single bite!  

My stepdad ordered the Lamb Sausage special. Despite the fact that it was a sausage, I couldn' believe how much lamb flavour there was in each bite. It was served with a flaky onion tart and a side of grilled artichoke. A perfectly plated dish...meat and veggies paired wonderfully.

My order was a combination of their Rigatoni and their Rack of Lamb. Here is a close up of the rigatoni...precise tubes of pasta tossed with spicy Italian sausage. 

The Rack of Lamb was highly recommended by my stepdad, and I can see why. Nicely grilled on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. We had four meaty pieces of the lamb, and the smokey flavour was prominent throughout.

It was served family style with a small side of roasted veggies (which they initially forgot, but brought over once we noticed its absence). 

Although the service at this place can be stretched a bit thin at times, the food more than makes up for it. Prepare for a long leisurely meal, and just take your time. Enjoy the food and the wine, and don't expect overly attentive service. Mind you, the service is good, just not smothering.