Vida Cucina Italia — Restaurant in Winnipeg

UPDATED REVIEW: 27May2024: Our second visit was wonderful. The service was friendly, attentive and expert and the dishes we tried from the new menu were wonderful. The calamari and scampi starter had a light batter and the calamari was firm but not chewy. It was served with lemon and a garlic aioli, which was the right sauce for the dish. I tried the cannelloni stuffed with crab and scampi and a light rose sauce, and it was wonderful. The pasta was cooked perfectly this time. My husband loved the rich wild boar ragu, and our desserts (the Neapolitan cake and a strawberry /pastry with whipped cream) were the perfect end to the meal. I would certainly go back again!

UPDATED REVIEW - 3April2024: The management of the restaurant reached out last week and I had an excellent conversation with one of the leadership staff, who addressed many of the concerns I originally noted below. I appreciate the time they took to talk to me and how they accepted the criticism with a mind to quality improvement. I will be visiting again in the future and will provide further updates after my second visit.

ORIGINAL REVIEW - March2024: There were many things that were great (the decor, the use of space, the wine list and the recommendations from the sommelier), but there were also some disappointments.

No one was at the front stand when I arrived (although someone came within three minutes), nor when the rest of my party arrived. While I was seated relatively quickly, they came in and seated themselves as no one was there and they knew I was inside.

The waiter had other tables to attend to while waiting for my friends, but overall, the service seemed slow. At one point, he had not been to our table for at least 10 to 15 minutes, which delayed the ordering of cocktails and getting a better understanding of the menu. After that, though, he was able to be more attentive.

While the majority of the dishes we ordered were delicious (the octopus, the gnocchi and the carbonara in particular), I was very disappointed with my main, the Rigatoni alla Genovese Napoletana (rigatoni, braised beef brisket and onions, Provolone del Monaco, carrot chips, extra virgin olive oil). The pasta was slightly too al dente for its size and I found it to be underseasoned, bland, oily yet sauceless. The beef was fine, but flavourless. I left most of the pasta behind.

I emailed them to let them know about my disappointment, but after two weeks, I never received a reply.

All in all, I've had better meals and better service elsewhere in Winnipeg. And at these prices, there needs to be some upgrades...

I am a member of the French dining Society, Le Chaine de Rotisseurs, and dine At fine dining, establishments here and abroad. I find Vida Cucina to be an oasis of intelligent and thoughtful Italian cuisine in a city dominated by the usual uninspired pizza joints.. Firstly, the room itself is designed to be elegantly contemporary ,while maintaining a sense of cosy calm. Everything from the table settings to the interior decor indicates Italianate modern style…..

The service is attentive and personal, With an extremely competent sommelier, Mr. Dan King on hand to guide you through the wine pairings with your original and truly gourmet food selection.

The last dinner I had there included a pasta designed by executive Chef Rosanna Marziale , and it is the best I have had since dining in Florence. As a starter, I sampled the Insalata di Mare… of octopus, squid, prawns, scallops, cuttle fish, vegetable mirepoix and a white wine, lemon vinaigrette.It was spectacular in its briney freshness, And balanced citrusy flavour.

Whether you choose a Prosecco, Brunello de Montalcino, or Chianti , sommelier Dan Will suggest and oblige with the utmost of professionalism.

For my main course, I had the Branzino and spaghetti….. which was seared Mediterranean Seabass with spaghetti and asparagus with lemon. It brought back memories of me sitting on the edge of the Mediterranean with a dinner cooked at a family trattoria and wines from their personal vineyard. There was nothing commercial about the flavour in this dish.

For dessert, I had the Torta Della Nonna….. Which was redolent With the flavour and scent of fresh lemons from an orchard in Tuscany.

This restaurant is a true gem, and I would suggest that you not waste your time on inferior restaurants and substitutes. Attend this wonderful location in the Fort Garry Hotel, and you will not be disappointed, as the authenticity of the flavours will make you want to return again and again.

As a post script …. Don’t forget to have a cocktail or after dinner drink in the wonderful Oval Room Bar, adjacent in the lobby to the restaurant...

Went there for dinner on Friday, was given bread sticks that are literally as thin as chopsticks. Would’ve rather have a loaf of bread that they gave everyone else, but us.

Ordered Insalata di Mare or seafood salad that literally came out of a jar, and was so salty. Boyfriend ordered Cannelloni di Pasta, and again initial bite was so salty. Asked the waitress to take the food as he could not take another bite.

Ordered La Pizza Al Contrario in place of the Cannelloni and it was like eating rubber. I tasted it, was so chewy, we were scared to swallow them thinking we might choke!!! Waitress saw we were not happy with that order, and was giving us the sour face after that! I’m pretty sure we were the ones paying and not her!!!

I ordered the Pappardelle Fresche alla Bolognese and it literally had chunks of salt on it. It was probably the most tolerable item we ordered off the menu, so we finished it together, because we were so hungry and frustrated at that point. For dessert, we ordered the Limoncello ice cream and Zuccotto Colorato Con Mousse and were just tasteless. Both for $20 each!!!

I cannot justify eating at a place where the food portion was so small, salty, some tasteless, and walking out of there starving. Server was not friendly at all. Sommelier even agreed that the food was salty, but only poured out wine twice, and was not seen again after that!!!

$300 later, we had to sit at the Oval Room after that horrible dinner, and had something else to eat there, because we were starving. Prices there were less than half what we paid and portions were so much more, compared to Vida Cuccina.

Never going back there. Not as fancy as others made it out to be. Worst experience at what was thought to be a 5...