Pasta, olive oil, bread…oh my!
Commercial Drive is located in the east end of Vancouver, a short 15 min drive from North Vancouver and 10 min by sky train from downtown Vancouver. It is like stepping into a unique little urban village complete with trees, character homes, wonderfully diverse people and delicious food! With the vast array of cultural backgrounds, you are likely to find just about any food experience you crave. From Ethiopian, Spanish, Belgian and beyond to sushi, bakeries and authentic Italian cafes.
There is one reason that I must take trips to Commercial Drive out of necessity and that is to get my hands on the only place I know of to date that sells Baccalou (salted cod) for a salad my friend Andrea got me completely addicted to. Actually, there is also a second reason, a perk if you will. If I am feeling particularly dowdy, and like a thirty something cave woman, walking by those Italian bakeries and café’s is enough to get any woman feeling like a saucy minx. I know it is desperate but any hoot or whistle I get now, (unlike in my twenties when I had to fake disdain), makes me want to stop, turn around and give a genuine heartfelt thank you….”no really, THANK YOU”(tearing up).
The little grocery store is called ‘Santa Barbara’. It is one of those grocery stores that feels so good when you walk inside. It has just about everything you need for Italian cooking and a whole lot more. In the pasta section, not only do they have spagettini, but different sizes of spagettini. In the back of the store is a killer deli that is always so busy that you have to take a number and wait. What is nice about the baccalou is that you can head straight in behind the counter and get the fish without having to wait.
Did I mention the bread? The bread is heavenly.
Chose from so many varieties of freshly baked bread. It is an eclectic store with cans and bottles of things I have never seen before. If you want your choice of olive oil or balsamic vinegar, this is the place to go. Just like wine has many ranges of prices and quality, so does balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
I needed to go yesterday to get the fish that Andrea will use for the Puerto Rican salad that we are making today. There is boneless baccalou and bone in, I accidentally got the bone in and apparently have to spend some time picking out the bones. So if you make this salad once the recipe is up, make sure you get the one with the bone out!
If you are on Commercial Dr. and need some inspiration for cooking, head to Santa Barbara and you won’t be disappointed.
6 Responses to “Pasta, olive oil, bread…oh my!”
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I’m happy to hear I’m not the only one who loves Baccaula! With black olives, pimento peppers, olive oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar – delicious!
Have you been to Bosa Foods? Talk about having every kind of pasta, this store has an entire aisle devoted to it! You can also find the baccaula in their fridge section. It is just off Boundary, and you can find their address at the website: http://www.bosafoods.com/
Check it out, I think you will love it!
Awesome, thanks. I am definitely going. And they have baccalau??? yes!
This blog site is INSPIRING! Well done, BJ,I can’t wait to make some of the recipes, I am not a big fan of cooking but you make it look fun and fantastic! The photos are fabulous, and I need ideas for dinner tonight!
YOU GO GIRL!
hope you’re having fun cooking Puerto Rican today! fyi ~ I’m making your Chicken Spaghetti for dinner tonight.
Tidbit of information, apparently the sausages at Santa Barbara are supplied by Jolly Foods in good old North Vancouver.
Other great things at Santa Barbara:
Provolone cheese in 3 strengths
Guarana (the soda)
many, many kinds of prosciutto (cheap, Bosa is pricey in comparison)
Great imput! Thanks Carolann.