Pretty much everyone loves Italian food and all cities have an abundance of pizza and pasta chains, yet it can be tricky to find a restaurant that serves authentic Italian cuisine. Ristorante Dona Onesta recently opened in the last couple of months and has been touted as such a restaurant. The owner, Safwat "Adriano" Bakhit, owns similar restaurants in two other cities, Venice and Cairo, before setting up shop in Winnipeg. Intrigued by the promises of what this restaurant has to offer, I braved a blistery cold winter night, and brought along an Italian food loving fellow resident.
Located on Lombard Ave, we had to search a bit to find the restaurant. Instead of a flashy sign, there is a simple plaque on the building wall to mark the restaurant's location. Once inside, you notice the high ceilings, large windows, paintings on the wall, and classical music playing in the background which gives the restaurant a classy and upscale feel. The menu has many options for salads, starters, pastas, pizzas, meats and fish. As with other Italian restaurants, the menu can be a bit tricky to navigate if you are unfamiliar with the Italian terms. However, under each menu item, there is a list of ingredients and the helpful service staff is quite knowledgeable. I was also impressed by the service staff who thoughtfully separated each course onto two serving dishes making it easier for my dining companion and myself to enjoy the food.
Insalata Caprese is a classic Italian salad: fresh mozzarella, juicy tomato slices seasoned with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and basil. This version also included arugula as its base. This summery salad was a refreshing way to start the night. However, it was a bit heavy on salt that overall unbalanced the flavours.
Walking into the restaurant, one of the first things you notice is a wood-fire oven and so we knew we had to try one of their pizzas. Our choice was the
Basilico: tomato sauce, pesto, chicken, caramelized onions, and provolone. The picture does not do this pizza justice, but it was a perfect combination of ingredients. The saucy tomato base did not overwhelm the remaining ingredients, while the perfectly melted provolone cheese held everything together and had that pull-apart stringiness that everyone loves. The slices of chicken were tender and complemented by the caramelized onions. Delicious!
From the pasta part of the menu we opted for the
Risotto di Pesce, ie: seafood risotto. This dish was creamy and rich, and tasted of the sea. The seafood included shrimps, mussels, and chewy bits of squid all infused in the creamy risotto. I was impressed by the depth of flavour found here with the rice taking on the tastes of all the seafood. A dusting of parmesan adds a layer of salty flavour to fully compliment the dish. Delicious.
The final dish for the night,
Salmone alla Erbe: translates to grilled salmon in a creamy sauce with herbs. The thick slice of salmon had a nice grilled flavour to it and was topped by a creamy, buttery and very rich sauce. The salmon is served with your choice of side and we selected the
Tomato Pasta. Perfectly al dente, the spaghetti was tossed in a light coat of tomato sauce. At other restaurants, pasta dishes are often served with much more sauce, but tomato sauce was so flavourful that the spaghetti was not lacking in anything.
The fresh ingredients, perfect cooking techniques, and authentic dishes are all strengths of Ristorante Dona Onesta. Whether you are looking for a nice night out with family, friends or your significant other, consider Ristorante Dona Onesta. It is a gem among what Winnipeg has to offer in Italian cuisine.
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