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

Ode to the Gluten-free Diet Fad

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When I was younger, I had no idea what gluten was. I’m sure many people still don’t. If that’s the case, great! I’m glad there’s no reason for you to know about it. But if you’re like me, you either have celiac disease, a gluten sensitivity, or know someone who does.

In recent years, diets like veganism, keto, and gluten-free have become trendy among people looking to boost their health. And I have to admit, I cringed at those hopping on the bandwagon.

But then I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

A basket of bread and wheat beside salt and pepper shakers

It was hard to adjust. I was never someone who watched what I ate. I liked eating whatever I wanted. I liked not eating what I didn’t want simply because I didn’t like it— not because I couldn’t have it.

Before I go on, I should tell you what gluten is. It’s a protein found in foods that consist of wheat, rye, barley, and most oats. When I explain it to people, I just tell them I can’t have ‘bready’ things. I can’t have gluten because it makes my body literally attack itself. If I do, my small intestine can’t digest the vitamins and nutrients I need to, you know, survive.

So it’s safe to say my world was rocked when my food options became so limited.

As someone with zero sense of discipline, I allow myself to ‘cheat’ now and then. But this doesn’t come without consequences. Short term, my stomach gets super bloated and cramped. Long term, I’m looking at a “2x greater risk of developing coronary artery disease, and a 4x greater risk of developing small bowel cancers,” according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

You’d think I’d take it more seriously. I don’t say this to discredit the severity of celiac but to prove how hard it is to live with a dietary restriction.

A group of people in motion around a dinner table.

As a Latino, food is a massive part of my culture and identity. Trying to explain this change to my family was hard. Did you know there isn’t even a Spanish word for ‘gluten’?

Transforming your lifestyle doesn’t come without struggle.

And I struggled.

If it weren’t for the rise of fad diets, I don’t think I would have as many options as I do today.

I’ll qualify here— there’s definitely an element to these diets that can be unhealthy, especially the ones based on losing weight fast. Diets like this are a scam and utterly detrimental to our well-being. There’s no diet out there that’s going to cure cancer, I’m sorry. Please seek professional help.

But when eating gluten-free suddenly became all the rage, I witnessed an increase in things I could buy at grocery stores and, to my immense relief, restaurants.

I know it’s mostly a trend based on nothing other than marketing ploys and a lack of scientific basis. I know people who hail their gluten-free diets as the pinnacle of health are mistaken. And I know that eventually, the fad will phase out, and people will go back to their normal, non-restrictive diets.

But damn it, don’t I deserve to have my bread basket at the restaurant too?

Gluten-free foods have gone from an obscure diet to a lifestyle trend. According to the CCA, “The Canadian gluten-free food market is the fastest growing food intolerance category estimated to be $811.5 million and forecasted to grow 10%.”

This trend has been a lifesaver for me. With more demand comes more supply. Now, I get to enjoy foods that most other people get without question. Cereal, pizza, pancakes. I have options that I wouldn’t have had ten years ago.

So I say keep the trend going. While gluten-free diets don’t make you biologically superior, you can still indulge in gluten-friendly foods every now and then. Many foods naturally don’t have gluten anyway.

Do as restaurant servers do when I ask for a gluten-free substitute and embrace the “allergy or preference” mentality.

The worst that can happen is that we raise more awareness and maybe, hopefully, more research for celiac and gluten allergies.

The best that can happen is that people who struggle with these dietary restrictions get to enjoy more of the foods we miss out on.

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