The chef behind Pulcinella — purveyor of thin-crust Neopolitan pizza — has returned to his roots with Dolce Sapori, an almost speakeasy-like second floor with a red glow and private booths.
Chef Domenic Tudda actually grew up on this upper floor, above Stromboli’s run by his family.
Most people who’ve tried Pulcinella either love it or hate it. I enjoy everything except its pizzas.
So I love Dolce Sapori’s hearty, family-style Italian platters. It’s no gimmick. They’re really big platters, for passing around to people you enjoy sharing things with, and I don’t mean splitting bites from teeny tapas plates either.
The spaghetti comes in a big serving bowl, enough to feed at least two people. The Caprese salad, presented on a long, heavy platter, makes it around our table of eight with more to spare.
Crunchy slices of Bosc pear play against salty blossoms of prosciutto ($18.95) full of whipped gorgonzola cheese blended with roasted garlic.
By the time we passed around the heaping bowl of spaghetti alla pomodoro ($16.95), conversation and good vibes were in full swing.
Gigantic ravioli ($24.95), stuffed with sweet butternut squash, mascarpone and pistachios, are cleaned off our plates along with the burnt butter sauce. No one passes up butter sauce.
— From this week’s review in Metro Calgary
I’m still craving the veal chop ($37.95): a huge, thick, juicy cut, smothered in semi-dried Pachino tomatoes next to crispy leeks with a luscious veal reduction sauce. There’s no way just one person can polish this off.
For now, Dolce Sapori (which means “sweet flavour”) is only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings — like heading over to a favourite aunt’s house for dinner at the end of a stressful work week, the one who insists you eat and eat some more until you can’t move from the table.
Dolce Sapori, 1147 Kensington Cr. N.W., upstairs, Calgary, (403) 283-7793. Open Thursday-Saturday evenings.
Tags: dinner, Italian, pasta, ravioli, sharing, spaghetti, veal chop
Andrew on 
are you gonna eat that? on 
Erica B. on 
jWo on 
November 13th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Huh!
And I thought we are in for a special dessert place, judging by the pre opening advertising.
November 13th, 2009 at 11:54 am
Sounds like a nice place for a date, but yeesh, those prices! At least there is something special about the Pizzas that you can’t replicate at home (I like the pizzas but I don’t want to argue with you because you might ruin them for me! It’s voodoo I say!).
November 13th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Vlad: Pizzas are very subjective and I would never argue with you.
… As for prices, I went with eight people and we were all full with two salads, a bruschetta, two pastas, and two main meat dishes. With a bottle of wine, and a few cocktails, the total tab actually came out to about $35 for each of us, and that’s including the 18% automatic gratuity for the large table. Remember, the platters are for sharing and aren’t so much priced as a main entree for one person.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
How big is the plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce that costs $17? That seemed crazy to me, but if 2 people can more or less share one bowl that becomes a bit more reasonable.
November 14th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Vlad: Good question. I revised my post to include more indication of portion sizes. The spaghetti came in a big serving bowl, and is definitely enough for two people or more.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Katherine and I were left a bit confused by the place, though we didn’t stray much from the pasta. At $16-$18 per pasta, they are charging less for a two person meal than quality italian restaurants charge for one person. I struggle with the economics of a place that could conceivably have two people fed for under $30.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Jonathan: But isn’t that a good thing?
January 17th, 2010 at 2:34 pm
Okay, I wanted to weigh in on all these comments. I went to Dolce Sapori on Jan 16, 2010 with three others in my party. We had 5 dishes in total: the arancini appetizer (rice balls stuffed with cheese and coated in breadcrumbs), the caprese salad (tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and herbs), the ravioli stuffed with butternut squash, the veal chop, and the chicken wrapped in pancetta and stuffed with fig. Our total bill came to $130 plus tip (there was only one beer added to the tab).
First, I would not say this is overly cheap. Second, yes most dishes are large, but unless you just want to eat a plate of meat, you will probably want to order another dish between 2 people. The ravioi was much smaller than I expected considering the price and what we got for the appetizers (there were 5 pieces in total for $25). On the upside, the appetizer and salad was fabulous and were generous portions. The veal chop was difficult to share between four people because it was on a bone – we each got one bite.
Overall, it’s a great concept, beautiful atmosphere, and they do a good job of appetizers. Not all dishes have equivalent portions, so it takes some trial and error. Will I go back? Probably not, as the quality just wasn’t what I’d expect for the equivalent price at another restaurant like Da Guido’s, which is still my favorite Italian restaurant in Calgary.
Oh, and on a side note, make reservations well in advance as it’s currently only open on Friday and Saturday nights!