“So one of my good friends and fellow broadcasters Jack Michaels talked about this place many years ago, saying, ‘There’s this great Italian spot, just off Whyte — and Tony, you’d really love it.’ And I never really followed up with it, to be honest. Then another friend and I, we were kind of hungry one day and she’s like, ‘Hey, we should just hit up a local spot.’ We were feeling Italian, so we googled ‘local Italian food’ and Ragazzi came up. A couple years had passed at this point, but I was like, wait, that’s what Jack was telling me about.
“Unfortunately, it was closed, because they actually have authentic Italian hours — like all the stores back in Italy, they always close during a certain time during the day. But we really wanted Italian, so we ended up going to get a couple of beers, and waited for the spot to open. That’s how much we’re looking forward to some Italian food.
“We ended up getting there a lot later than we anticipated, and the [Mazzotta] family was so beautifully accommodating. They’re big fans of the Oilers, so that helped me build a rapport with them immediately. And it was just such a magical moment — I met the whole family, and I stayed there for probably four to five hours. We talked about hockey, we talked about life — I immediately connected and bonded with them. It was a very impactful first impression, and it’s a big reason why I love going back there.
“So Jack was right, and now we’re both regulars there. Italian has always been my favourite cuisine, next to Indian, and I love pizza and pasta. So after talking to Jason [Mazzotta] and describing what I like, he said he thought I’d like the Spaghetti alla Carbonara, and he was right. Since then, outside of once when I got the pizza, I get the Carbonara every time. I just love it so much.”
Idylwylde | 8110 82 Avenue NW | 780.414.0500 | ragazzibistro.ca
