By Sherman Chan,
Special to The Post

At Cafe Il Nido, I dug into the Polpettine in tomato sauce with grated pecorino cheese. The sauce  was well-seasoned. The Calamari sauteéd with jalapeno had squid rings that were chewy, but tender. It had a spicy aftertaste from the jalapeno.
The 24 month-aged Prosciutto with cantaloupe melon was smooth and chewy, but in a pleasing manner. While the meat was mildly salty, the melon’s sweetness balanced it out. We had the Funghisauteéd with garlic, scallions, thyme, jalapeno and lemon. It had enough seasoning. The lemon’s acidity helped.
The Caprese Salad with vine-ripened red and yellow tomatoes, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil, basil and arugula had a conservative amount of dressing, but could have used more impact.
I sampled the Risotto with asparagus, zucchini, Italian sausage and grated Parmesan cheese first. I enjoyed the sausage’s spiciness and the veggies. I enjoyed the Pesto Penne with green beans and potatoes. The potatoes were soft and soaked up the pesto. The green beans were crunchy.
Despite my doubts, the homemade gluten free potato Gnocchi with tomato sauce and ricotta salata was decent. It had a soft and crumbly texture. The tomato sauce was fresh and tangy. Although the Capone di Mare or red snapper pan seared and baked, served with salsa verde, looked good, it was overcooked. Flavours were nice with a touch of acidity.
Lastly, we shared the Vitello or veal breaded scaloppine served with Marsala mushroom sauce. Although the breading was thick, the veal was tender and well-seasoned. The mushroom sauce was creamy and earthy.

Sherman Chan is the #1 ranked food blogger on the Vancouver portal of Urbanspoon.com. Read more of his reviews at www.shermansfoodadventures.com.

Cafe Il Nido
780 Thurlow Street, Vancouver, BC

The Good:
• Cute little spot with a garden hidden right on Robson
• Decent eats

The Bad:
• Decent but can be even better
• Pricey but it is Robson