After a delicious
breakfast at Q At The Empress, we went to The Butchart Gardens then the Hatley Castle. By the time we're back in Downtown Victoria, it's past 2:00 PM, and I am starving. We planned to have lunch at Pagliacci's, and that's where we went.
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| The patio at Pagliacci's on a beautiful sunny day. |
Honestly, Victoria is such a delicious city (meaning a lot of amazing restaurants). I thought Barb's Fish and Chips yesterday was going to be the highlight of the trip, then I tried Pagliacci's pasta, and I just can't stop
grinning from ear to ear.
Focaccia
Let's talk about the free bread they give out while waiting for your order.
It's fluffy yet chewy - it's so delicious, and only after doing a Google search did I find out that it's Focaccia. The only reason I am familiar with the term
is because a mobile restaurant game I played has focaccia on the menu.
But this is the first time I am trying it, and I can't believe how good it is.
The focaccia is such a great way to start the meal.
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| Focaccia from Pagliacci's |
The Previews
Deciding which appetizer to get is so difficult when there's a lot of options.
We thought of ordering Ocean's Eleven, but hubby said that according to Google
Maps, the Crab Cakes are popular, plus I wanted to try Minnesota Fats
(risotto), so instead of Ocean's Eleven, we got both crab cakes and crispy
risotto balls.
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| Edgar Allan Poe's Crab Cakes and Minnesota Fats |
Edgar Allan Poe's Crab Cakes
The Crab Cakes is amazing! To be fair, I don't remember having a memorable
crab cake, and this is packed with A LOT of crabs - none of those extenders.
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Edgar Allan Poe's Crab Cakes Dungeness & rock crab, panko, and lemon aioli |
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| Admire the shredded crabs |
Minnesota Fats
Meanwhile, I prefer the Minnesota Fats as is (no marinara sauce). The outside was crispy, while the inside is creamy and cheesy. It's the perfect
combination.
The marinara sauce was perfect for the focaccia.
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Minnesota Fats Crispy risotta rice, asiago & mozzarella cheese balls, marinara sauce |
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| Look at the cheesy goodness inside. |
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| Minnesota Fats topped with marinara sauce. |
The Pasta
Hubby relied on Google Maps to see what people are saying, and he got the lasagna while I know what I want - I am turning into a seafood in white sauce monster. 😂 At any restaurant that specializes in pasta, I order the one with
seafood in a cream-based sauce.
Dempsey's Lasagna
It arrived at our table pippin' hot. The cheese was melted, and it's truly
beefy.
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Dempsey's Lasagna AAA Angus beef, mushroom, ricotta & mozzarella cheeses, marinara |
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| Layers upon layers of beef and cheese |
Sophia
This is the best dish I have had in Victoria, BC, so far. The next time I come back
to Victoria, I will come back here and order this again.
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Sophia Canadian Dungeness & rock crab, shrimp, white wine cream sauce, smoked salmon, fettuccine |
The Sophia is LOADED with seafood. The white wine cream sauce is not too heavy like Olive Garden. It's much better than the one from Vancouver Fish Co. in Granville Island, and it doesn't even deserve to be compared to the
seafood pasta dish from Bridges Restaurant.
As you know by now, on a normal day, I would order desserts. But by the time we're finished with our meal, we're food coma. I haven't been this food coma
in a long time.
I am already looking forward to the next time I come back to Pagliacci's.
