Whatsa Kissa Tanto?

I am enjoying a few days in lovely Vancouver Canada with my California BFF Claudia. And we have snow.

I would try to explain to you the stunning dinner we had tonight but there are no words or pictures to fairly describe it. Suffice it to say I will probably dream of this meal for the rest of my life and hope to good God if there’s a heaven, that pasta (yes, pasta) and that dessert (we ordered a second one in complete euphoric stupification) must surely be there. 

The place is Kissa Tanto in Chinatown, up a staircase and into an interior of ‘raspberry-sherbet barstools and ice-blue walls (with a) time period hard to place but strongly suggestive of the 1960s.” (Pete Wells, NY Times food critic). The menu is described as a Japanese-Italian fusion. Kissa refers to Japanese jazz cafes of that time period and Tanto is Italian for ‘so much.’ Seems like an odd combination but be assured, it works here. Very amazingly well.

We came in early without reservations and snagged a seat at the bar for our dinner. It filled up quickly. Reservations highly suggested except when you are lucky like us. Actually, we had planned on this for awhile -,Claudia was the social director for it - but cancelled when we decided we didn’t want to eat at 9:30, even though they do that in France and Italy, ya know. So glad we forged ahead with plan 2.

The fact that we didn’t know most of the words did not deter us.

That sauce. Oh, that sauce❤️ Chicken was embedded with chicory and was moist and yummy.

Too good to be described as mere “pasta.”

Our dessert. It didn’t look like much at first but ZOWIE! the first bite will send you to the moon. To get back, you need to have another helping. It’s true; we tested that out.