Remember La Vita e Bella? It’s Been Reinvented as a New Italian Restaurant Called Cardinale

For a decade, La Vita e Bella was the perfect spot for a pre-Saddledome Italian meal. Tucked in next to Cowboys Casino, the restaurant had a prime location, but after 10 years the owners wanted to give it a refresh. Riding high on the success of his Kensington barbecue joint, Hayden Block Smoke and Whiskey, co-owner Jared Kichula decided it was time for a make-over when the lease came up last fall.

The lease stipulated that the space remain an Italian restaurant, but Kichula and his partners decided to renovate and turn La Vita e Bella into a hipper, more comfortable Italian spot with a strong cocktail focus – the restaurant is actually named after the cardinale cocktail, a boozy mix of Campari, vermouth and gin. In addition to other concoctions like Sage Advice (a gin-based cocktail that gets its bright green colour from sage and peas), Cardinale also boasts a handsome list of Italian wines.

Chef Steven Dowdell was around for the La Vita e Bella days, but he’s overhauled the menu, going for a more casual vibe. Pasta plays a big part, with must-trys like the mezza maniche with a carbonara-style sauce made with bone marrow and bacon from the Hayden Block smoker, and the pappardelle with slow-cooked veal shin ragu and burnt chicken liver. More traditional entrees such as veal rib-eye steak and pork braciola are also available for those who prize protein over carbs.

401 12 Ave. S.E., 403-264-6046, cardinale.ca