La Vita es Dolce, Indeed - A Restaurant Review

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Ottawa’s Little Italy is never disappointing. With so many great restaurants, you can’t go wrong by strolling through the neighbourhood and choosing one at random. But if you really want that wow factor, I have a place for you.

La Dolce Vita is an Italian restaurant on Preston with all your favourite classic dishes: pasta, pizza, and calzones. But this is definitely the place for you if you have a gluten allergy or Celiac disease. As a certified gluten-free restaurant, La Dolce Vita offers nearly all the classics we usually miss out on.

It’s a cozy little restaurant romantically lit by real candles. Italian music plays throughout dinner, making the ambiance all the more enchanting. Each table has thick, white linens and intricately folded cloth napkins. The enchanting decor and anticipation of aromatic food make it easy for the rest of the world to make like cheese and melt away.

I came with a big appetite and wasn’t disappointed. The waiter kindly greeted us and asked if we would require a gluten-free menu. It was separate from the main menu, but still had plenty of options. I was most excited about the variety of gluten-free appetizers—garlic bread, bruschetta, and even calamari. I was in heaven.

We ordered our drinks. Though I’m usually a white wine kind of girl, I felt that the occasion called for a nice red. I decided on the Chianti from Chianti (and absolutely butchered the pronunciation). It was deep and delicious; I highly recommend it if you’re as clueless about red wines as I am.

I’m no fine dining expert, but something about the glass of red in my hands, the classy instrumental music, and the divine smell that wafted from the kitchen made the restaurant immediately impressive. By that point, I was ravenous.

The allure of authentic Italian pasta that I could actually have drew me in. I ordered the Manicotti, which they describe as “fresh oven-baked noodles stuffed with ricotta, feta, tomato sauce, and mozzarella.” It was also served with a garden salad and garlic bread, which I knew would fill me up. When the plate arrived, I practically had to stop myself from drooling. It was drenched in cheese and sauce, just the way I like it. 

My first bite was stupendous. The cheese and sauce were rich in flavour, and each bite was *chef’s kiss*. Switching between the pasta, the salad, and the garlic bread was truly a delight. I loved all the different flavours, and by the end of it, I was the most full I’d ever been. We didn’t even have room for dolci. But rest assured, there are many options for those of us who are gluten-free. When I inevitably go back to La Dolce Vita, I’ll be sure to leave enough room to try one out.

Usually, at restaurants, a good meal and nice servers are enough for me to give it at least four stars. But when the head chef came out to talk to my partner and me as we finished our drinks, I was pleasantly surprised. He commented on how happy he was to have people dining in at the restaurant again, and reminisced about how the restaurants had closed due to lockdowns right when they got their gluten-free certification. 

We told him how much we had enjoyed our visit and assured him we would come again. That one small interaction was enough for me to fully appreciate this little Ottawa establishment. Delicious food is one thing, but the personal connection made La Dolce Vita all the more memorable.

Amanda Monterroso ⁠— is a 2nd-year Professional Writing Student who will try (mostly) any food at least once, has a bookshelf full of unread books, loves writing poetry, and hates writing bios. Follow her on Instagram: @quietsonginthenight

In Defence of Food Service Jobs

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Retail and the food service industry are two necessary evils in this world. The work is tasking and sometimes downright miserable. I say this from experience. But it’s an experience that teaches you invaluable life skills. During my time as a food service worker, I learned things I might’ve never otherwise.

Despite what some people say, it’s not an easy job. The smell of food permeates your skin until you don’t even notice it anymore (but trust me, other people do), you become sick of meals you never thought you would, and clopen (close-open) shifts are all too prevalent.

Not to mention the physical and emotional toll it takes. Your feet hurt after every shift, your hands peel after washing dishes all day, and the kitchen heat is borderline suffocating. On top of that, customers are very comfortable tasking you with ridiculous requests, the constant flow of customers means little downtime, and the revolving-door nature of the industry means you’ll often be short-staffed.

I’ve heard countless stories of the abuse food service workers have endured— from both customers and management. It’s an often thankless job that employs 7% of the country’s workforce.

For an industry with such a large effect on the economy, you’d think food service workers would be shown a little more gratitude. You learn that people have a tendency to demand a service from you while simultaneously degrading you for it.

But it pays the bills. And although the work was labouring, I’ve managed to have some amazing experiences in my food service jobs.

You become close with the most random assortment of people— people you would’ve never talked to otherwise; the only people in the world who understand your job. The casualness of the work environment is liberating, and if you’re cool with your manager, you can basically do whatever you want.

I’ve never had that sort of freedom in any of my office jobs, and I can honestly say I miss it sometimes.

It’s not a free-for-all, though. Having that level of freedom made me a better worker because I had to be. The environment is chaotically fast-paced, and unless you want to fall behind, you have to be an effective multitasker. You also have to learn how to organize yourself, build routines, and learn how to communicate with others.

Most of all, you learn how to be likeable. I think that’s the most important skill of all. Before this experience, I was painfully shy, didn’t know how to stand up for myself, and was really bad at approaching people. But that didn’t really get me tips, and made the job harder than it had to be.

So, I had to let go a little. I had to become a little more fearless. I had to learn when it was necessary to politely rush a customer, call a co-worker out when they did something wrong, and confront my manager when he messed my schedule up (which is inevitable).

I’ve always had a good work ethic (thanks, anxiety), but my food service job improved that immensely.

People tend to look down on food-service workers for having what’s seen as a ‘lesser’ job. While it’s true that it starts at minimum wage, is often entry-level, and doesn’t usually require complicated qualifications, the audacity to treat food service workers as though they’re lazy and not hard working is unwarranted— and wrong.

Food service workers are more valuable to society than most people realize. Who else is gonna make your burrito bowl when you’re too tired to cook after work? Who else will give up their evenings, weekends, and holidays? Who else provides the services that allow us the luxury of being a little lazy from time to time?

A food service worker. So tip what you can and say thank you.

I’m more of a hard worker because of my food service job. And more importantly? I’m a better person because of it.

Amanda Monterroso ⁠— is a 2nd-year Professional Writing Student who will try (mostly) any food at least once, has a bookshelf full of unread books, loves writing poetry, and hates writing bios. Follow her on Instagram: @quietsonginthenight