Bold Italian Eatery - Restaurant Review

 

I originally started posting on Facebook and Instagram when my partner, Kirk, and I began taking fun little road trips and exploring new places to eat. Our friends and family were always asking about the restaurants we visited and what we thought of them.

That gave me the idea to start blogging about our restaurant experiences. I wanted to share as much helpful information as possible: what we ate, what we loved, and what we thought was worth knowing so others could decide whether a particular spot might be worth trying for themselves.

My first review is on Bold Italian Eatery. 

Bold recently transitioned from Bold Pizzeria to Bold Italian Restaurant, expanding their menu beyond pizza.  We never had the chance to go there when it was a pizzeria, but we have been several times since they changed over. 

There’s something to be said for a restaurant that has been around long enough to become part of the community - according to their Facebook page, this year marks ten years for owners Karly and DJ at the helm of Bold Italian Eatery. 

My partner, Kirk, and I first stopped in to see what Bold Italian Eatery was all about after I joined the Facebook Kamloops Foodie group and many people raved about it. One thing I loved right off the bat was the atmosphere. The décor is eclectic and beautiful, with plenty of character, and it gives the restaurant a warm, inviting feel. It’s not overly formal or pretentious - it’s casual, welcoming, and clearly a place where the focus is on good food and enjoying yourself.

Located in Sahali Centre Mall in Kamloops, Bold Italian Eatery has built its reputation around Italian-inspired food, with pizza and pasta taking center stage. Their menu gives you plenty to choose from, whether you're looking for a casual meal, sharing a few dishes with friends, or simply craving a really good pizza. 

Let me tell you about the dishes we tried. 

The Garlic Cheese Bombs are exactly what they sound like—and they’re delicious! Made with pizza dough, oregano, garlic butter, and plenty of mozzarella, these are wonderfully cheesy and surprisingly filling.

They come on their own, but you can add a dip to take them up another notch. We highly recommend the garlic dip! The combination of the warm, cheesy bites and that garlicky dip is hard to resist.

Another appetizer we’d definitely recommend is the Bruschetta.

It’s served on focaccia with whipped ricotta, balsamic reduction, and pesto. The combination of flavours works beautifully together, and the focaccia makes it a little more substantial than your typical bruschetta.

You get four pieces per order, so it’s also a generous appetizer—perfect for sharing, or for keeping all to yourself

This is the dish we always tell people to try if it’s their first visit: the Chicken Parmesan.

It features a house-made breaded chicken cutlet, baked with San Marzano tomato sauce, mozzarella, and fresh basil. It’s served with your choice of spaghetti bolognese or fettuccine alfredo. We went with the spaghetti bolognese, and we were definitely not disappointed!

And when I tell you this dish is MASSIVE, I mean it! The portion is easily enough for two meals, unless you’re really hungry. It’s one of those dishes that arrives at the table and makes you think, “Okay... how am I supposed to eat all of this?” 

The chicken was delicious, the pasta was generous, and the whole dish made for some very good leftovers the next day.

Another tasty pasta dish we tried was the Lobster Mac. It’s made with lobster knuckle and claw, pangrattato, caramelized leek, Grana Padano, and aged white cheddar, all tossed with rigatoni.

This one was very rich and decadent, which is pretty much exactly what we expected from a lobster pasta dish. The combination of the cheeses and lobster made for a seriously indulgent meal.

That said, I felt like it was missing something. I honestly couldn’t tell you what that something was, though!  There was nothing wrong with the dish, and I did enjoy it. I just found myself comparing it to some of the other pastas we’ve tried here—and those are the ones I’d choose first.

So, would I order it again? Probably not. Not because I didn’t like it, but because there are other pasta dishes on the menu that I enjoyed even more. And when there are so many good choices, sometimes you have to pick your favourites!

The Calabria Steak Sandwich is a great choice if you’re looking for a good red-meat option. It features a 6-ounce top sirloin, spicy Calabrian aioli, arugula, house-baked focaccia, and Grana Padano cheese. We chose the Caesar salad as our side.

I’m not sure if they still offer this one, as it was from our first visit, but it was pretty darn tasty. The steak was cooked medium-rare as requested, and the combination of the spicy aioli, arugula, and Grana Padano worked really well together.

Would we order it again? Probably not. At its price point, we felt there were other options we’d choose first. Of course, steak prices everywhere seem to have climbed these days, so that’s something to keep in mind when ordering any steak dish.

Of course, we had to try a pizza! Bold started out as a pizzeria before expanding the menu to include pasta and other Italian-inspired dishes, so we couldn’t visit without seeing what they could do with a pizza.

We chose the Leek and Lobster pizza - hand-stretched dough topped with aged white cheddar, lobster knuckle and claw meat, roasted garlic, freshly squeezed lemon, and lemon crema. It was truly a feast for the senses.

The smell, the textures, the flavours... everything worked beautifully together. What really stood out to us was how well-balanced it was. Each subtle flavour was noticeable without overpowering the others, and nothing competed for attention. Every bite brought something a little different.

It should be noted that gluten free and vegan options are available for their pizzas! 

I’m including this next dish even though I never actually got to try it myself. My nephew was with us on this visit, and this was his meal. He said it was delicious!

The Forno Wedge Salad features charred romaine heart, Grana Padano, bruschetta, crispy pancetta, house Caesar dressing, and balsamic reduction.

I have to admit, I’ve definitely added this one to my list for our next visit. I’m practically drooling just thinking about it!

Besides the Chicken Parmesan, Kirk’s go-to is the Estate Ravioli. Loaded with lobster knuckle and claw meat, prawns, basil, and roasted garlic, it’s served with a lemon beurre blanc sauce and ricotta and Romano ravioli.

I can definitely see why this one is a favourite of his. I sampled a bite from his plate and, I have to admit, he may be on to something! The combination of the seafood, roasted garlic, and creamy lemon sauce is delicious.

 I may have to stop stealing bites from his plate and just order my own next time.

I’ve saved the best for last. At least in my opinion.

The Carbonara Tesa is, hands down, my favourite dish at Bold Italian Eatery. It’s made with pancetta, Grana Padano, cream, a soft-poached egg, and spaghetti - and it is ridiculously addictive.

It’s salty, but not too salty, wonderfully creamy, and then there’s that soft-poached egg. Break the yolk and let it run into the pasta, give everything a good toss, and... oh my gosh. It takes the whole dish to another level.

This is a very rich pasta, so I usually get two meals out of one order, which makes it a pretty great option when you’re looking for something indulgent that you can enjoy again the next day.

If you asked me what I would order at Bold Italian Eatery, this would be it. Hands down.

One thing I learned about Bold Italian Eatery after visiting is that they make their desserts in-house too. And if you’re a cheesecake fan, you’ll want to pay attention to what they’re up to because they introduce new cheesecake flavours every two weeks.

They even use their social media to poll their followers and get suggestions for which flavour they should bring in next. I love little touches like that - it gives their customers a chance to have some input and keeps the dessert menu fun and ever-changing. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram at Bold Italian Eatery to see what flavour is coming next.

On our last visit, we tried the Dirty Chai Cheesecake. And yes, it was every bit as intriguing as the name sounds!

It starts with a gingersnap crust layered over a chocolate drizzle, followed by a creamy espresso chai-spiced cheesecake and topped with espresso whipped cream. It sounds like it has a lot going on, and it does, but in the best way possible.

It’s a dense and filling dessert, so it’s perfect for sharing after a big meal. Although, if you’re a cheesecake lover, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to keep it all to yourself!

On an earlier visit, we tried their Chocolate Covered Cherry Cheesecake. I didn’t take any notes on this one because we were busy chatting with friends, so I’m going strictly from memory here!

I do remember that Kirk enjoyed this one more than I did, which probably won’t surprise anyone who knows him. He’s a big fan of chocolate-covered cherries, and there was even one sitting right on top of the cheesecake.

If you’re a crème brûlée fan, I can very confidently say that Bold’s Crème Brûlée is one of the best I’ve had.

It’s silky smooth, perfectly creamy, and not too sweet - which, for me, is exactly what a good crème brûlée should be. And really, who doesn’t love that satisfying little crack when you break through the bruléed sugar on top?

Fun to eat and delicious too. It’s a win-win!

Our Final Thoughts

Price-wise, I’d say Bold Italian Eatery falls somewhere in the moderate to slightly more expensive range. However, the portions are generous, and we often have leftovers to take home, which definitely helps make the price feel more worthwhile.

If you’re looking for a great spot for a date night, I’d definitely put Bold on your list. The atmosphere is beautiful and eclectic, the servers are attentive and have a great sense of humour, and the food is consistently flavourful and satisfying.

So, how would we rate it?

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, Bold Italian Eatery gets a 9/10 from me.

And Kirk agrees - he gives it a solid 9/10 too.

Between the atmosphere, the service, the generous portions, and all the wonderful dishes we’ve tried, it’s easy to see why we keep coming back. There are still plenty of things on the menu we haven’t tried, so I have a feeling our Bold Italian Eatery food adventures aren't over yet!

Where do you think we should visit next? 

Plum Hand Pies

 

This time of year, we are always looking for plum recipes to use up the many, many plums that show up. 

If you search "plums" in the search bar at the top left, you can see how many plum recipes we have so far. We do have a Plum Pie recipe - HERE, but these hand pies are just different enough to warrant their own post. 

You can make as many or as few of these as you like - the recipe is super easy to adjust. 

Plum Hand Pies

Ingredients

Crust 

One recipe Never Fail Pie Crust HERE

Filling 

plums, sliced

brown sugar

butter

1 egg, beaten - for brushing on dough

Drizzle

plums, sliced

icing sugar

milk

Directions

Prepare crust as per directions in recipe (HERE). *You can also use a store-bought crust, or your own favorite recipe.* Our recipe makes enough for 3 double-crust pies. For this recipe, I used enough crust for 1 double-crust pie. If you use our recipe, freeze the remaining dough for later use. It freezes beautifully. 

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. 

Roll out dough to 1/8 to 1/4 inch (3mm to 6mm). Use a 6-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter to cut the hand pies. 

Brush the dough circles with egg wash. Place a few slices of plum on top of the dough, on one side. Top with a sprinkle of brown sugar and - approximately - 1/8 tsp of butter (a little pinch). 

Carefully fold the dough in half to cover the filling. Lightly press down to seal. Use the tines of a fork to go around the sealed edge and press down to seal more securely. Repeat with all of the circles. Reroll the pie dough once and repeat with the remaining dough. 

**I got 10 pies from pie crust that would normally make 1 double crust pie. **

Place onto prepared cookie sheet. Prick all of the hand pies with a fork so steam can vent. 

Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. 

Place in the preheated oven. Cook at 375 for 5 minutes, turn down the heat to 350, and continue cooking until pies are done - crust should be golden brown and filling bubbly - about 20ish minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool completely. 

Prepare drizzle. 

Place 8 medium plums, sliced and pitted, into a saucepan; add in 2 Tbsp water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, then simmer until the plums thicken to a jam like consistency. Remove from heat and let cool.

When cool, beat in a little (about 1/4 cup) icing sugar and (about) 2 tsp milk. This is going to vary wildly depending on the size of your plums. If the glaze is too thin - add more icing sugar, if the glaze is too thick - add more milk. You want it to be about the consistency of white glue. 

Drizzle over the cooled plum pies. 

Let the pies sit for about 15 minutes for the glaze to set. 

These are just the right size for a snack. 

You can freeze these for up to three months; otherwise, these are best eaten the day they are made. 

If you freeze them, wait until you are going to be serving them to add the drizzle. This will keep the dough from getting soggy. Pop the frozen pies into the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes, then let them cool and add the drizzle. 

I realize this recipe doesn't have amounts for the ingredients. I would say it's about 1 plum per hand pie, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/8 tsp of butter - BUT I didn't actually measure. I used pie crust that would do 1 pie with a double crust and got 10 hand pies using a 6 inch cutter. This will all change if your cutter is bigger/smaller, if your plums are bigger/smaller, if you like your pies sweeter/less sweet.....

See the issue?

Use my measurements as a starting point and go from there. It's pretty hard to mess it up. 

Elote Corn Ribs

 

My love and I went out to dinner in Fort St John with his mom. She took us to this lovely Mexican restaurant called Broken Spanish. One of the things on the menu was elote - something I have been dying to try FOREVER. 

The above photo is from the restaurant. Sooooooo good!

 I knew I had to try and recreate it when I got home. 

My version isn't nearly as good as the one from the restaurant BUT I'm still happy with it. I was expecting it to be harder to make. It's pretty easy AND can be prepped ahead of time, which is perfect for dinner parties or family gatherings. 

I'm also going to try it as a corn salad next. :) 

Elote Corn Ribs

Ingredients

3 ears of corn

2 Tbsp mayo

2 Tbsp sour cream

1 Tbsp jalapeño, diced fine

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika (or smoked paprika)

1/4 tsp chili powder

salt & pepper

2 - 3 Tbsp oil

1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (or feta)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

Mix together mayo, sour cream, and jalapeño. Set aside. 

Mix spices together in a small bowl. 

Cut corn in half diagonally. Then cut each half in half again, vertically. Place the flat sides down and cut in half again. If your corn is large, cut into thirds instead of halves. (You can do a quick Google search for videos on how to do this safely. It can be a bit tricky if your corn cobs are large!) Each cob should yield 4 - 6 ribs. 

Place each "rib" onto the prepared cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little oil. Sprinkle with about half of the seasonings. 

Bake at 400 for about 20 - 30 minutes, flipping the ribs halfway. 

When they have reached your desired level of doneness, remove from heat and slather the sauce on them. 

Sprinkle the remaining spices on top, then sprinkle generously with the crumbled cheese and cilantro. 

Serve immediately. 

Cotija cheese is the cheese traditionally used for elote. I was unable to find any near me, so I used plain feta. It is a good substitute in a pinch. 

If you don't like cilantro, then you can skip it, but it will change the flavour of the corn. 

Next time I make this, I will definitely add more spices. That was the biggest difference between my version and the restaurant version. Of course, you can adjust the spices to how you like them! Use my recipe as a jumping-off point. 

I am going to try this on a full cob of corn AND as a salad. I love the flavours so I am pretty sure I will like any combo of them. 

Also - you can, of course, cook this on a grill/BBQ. I don't have one otherwise I would have tried it. :)

Dad's Stuffed Tomatoes

 

I am super excited to share the recipe for these stuffed tomatoes. Our dad came up with this recipe years and years ago and, of course, didn't write anything down. I have guestimated the amounts but there is some wiggle room for personal taste. 

Our dad always made it super garlicky, and we tend to as well! 

Since our dad passed, we try to make this at least once a year to let him know we still enjoy and appreciate his creativity. One of the other recipes he shared with us, his Cucumber Salad (recipe HERE), went viral and he was thrilled. We'll see if we can't get him famous for this delicious appie recipe too. <3 

Dad's Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

cherry tomatoes

4 to 8 oz cream cheese, room temp

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 to 1/3 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

salt & pepper

Directions

Cut tops off the cherry tomatoes and gently scoop out the insides. Turn tomatoes upside down on a few pieces of paper towel to dry slightly. 

Place 4 oz cream cheese, garlic, basil, and salt & pepper into a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. If it is too strong with garlic or basil, blend in a bit more of the cream cheese. (Start with 4 oz and go from there). Scrape sides as necessary. 

*Start with the lesser amount of the ingredients and add as needed. It is easier to add more than to try and take something out!* 

Scoop out the mixture into a piping bag or Ziplock bag with the corner snipped off. 

Pipe filling into each tomato. 

Keep chilled, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. 

I like to place them on spinach or lettuce leaves to make them look a little fancier, and to help them not slide all over the serving tray. 

This recipe is perfect for Canada Day, Christmas, pretty much any family gathering, or if you just have a lot of cherry tomatoes from the garden to use up! 

If your garlic is weak, then feel free to add more! 

We only ever make it with fresh basil, so I don't know that it would work with dried. 

You can use flavoured cream cheese - if you like. 

If you don't feel like scooping out cherry tomatoes, then you can use slices of large tomatoes. 

It can be used as more of a spread/dip with other veggies too. 

Be sure to give this a share and help our dad go viral! :) 

Jalapeno Popper Soft Pretzels

 

I have to give credit where it's due - Sue was the one who had the genius idea for these. 

We have several jalapeno popper-related posts already on the blog - check out our Jalapeno Popper Garlic Pickle Rolls (HERE), or our Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers (HERE), or even our Jalapeno Popper Mummies for Halloween (HERE). 

Needless to say... we enjoy jalapeno poppers. 

We were making up some of our delicious soft pretzels and were discussing how to top them. The original version can be found HERE - Cheesy Soft Pretzels. 

Originally, we just topped them the "normal" pretzel way - with coarse salt. We have also done them with cinnamon sugar, with pizza toppings, and with extra cheese. Sue suggested trying a jalapeño popper filling with a little extra cheese, and it turned out SO GOOD. 

Any other ideas for how to top a pretzel? We'd love to hear your ideas in the comments below.

Jalapeño Popper Soft Pretzels 

Ingredients

Topping

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 jalapeño, finely diced

2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup aged cheddar, shredded

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Pretzels

1 recipe Cheesy Soft Pretzels found HERE  (makes 8 large)

Extra shredded cheese for sprinkling on top

Extra diced jalapeno, if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. 

Mix together the softened cream cheese, finely diced jalapeño, garlic, cheddar, and bacon until combined. Spread the mixture evenly on 6 to 8 cooked pretzels (depending on how thick you want it).

Place pretzels on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. 

Sprinkle with extra jalapeño and cheese, if desired. 

Place into 350 oven and cook about 5 - 8 minutes. Just long enough to heat through and melt the cheese on top. 

Serve warm.

If you have extra bacon bits, you can sprinkle those on top too. You can never have too much bacon!

The filling should be enough for 6 - 8 pretzels that our recipe makes. 

I can't remember exactly but I am pretty sure we did 6 pretzels so it would be a little thicker on top. You don't want to skimp on the topping. 

You could use store-bought pretzels for this recipe. Any cooked, soft pretzel will work!

Caramelized Onion Seafood Pasta

 

I first saw the caramelized onion pasta on Instagram just last week. It is a viral recipe that apparently has been making the rounds for a while now. I am a little late to the game BUT I am glad I stumbled upon it. 

It is super easy, super flavorful, and inexpensive. We added our own twist by putting in some seafood and fresh herbs - the original recipe does not have any meat so feel free to leave it out OR I feel like this would also be delicious with a shredded rotisserie chicken if you want the extra protein.

We used spaghettini, but you can use whichever pasta you prefer. It's a pretty easy recipe to adapt. 

Also - we used the fresh herbs we had available from our garden but you can switch them up for dried or leave them out or change them up to what you have on hand. 

Caramelized Onion Seafood Pasta 

Ingredients

3 large onions, sliced

1 head garlic, top cut off

1 jar of sundried tomatoes, with oil (about 1/2 cup)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup fresh parsley

2 Tbsp fresh chives

4 cups cooked pasta

2 cups scallops, cooked

2 cups prawns, cooked

Garnish

parmesan cheese, grated

garlic chili oil (or similar)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. 

Place sliced onions in a 9 X 13 pan. Place the head of garlic in the middle of the pan. Spread the sundried tomatoes over the onions, making sure the oil is drizzled evenly. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic and onions. 

Cover with tin foil and place in 400 degree oven for one hour - stirring half way. 

After an hour, add in the herbs and stir again. Shut oven off and place covered onions back in while you cook the pasta. 

If onions are not caramelized at the one hour mark, add the herbs, remove the tinfoil and place back in oven while you prepare the pasta. Do not shut the oven off. 

Prepare pasta by boiling according to package directions. Drain and set aside. 

Remove onions from oven. Squeeze out the roasted garlic into the onion mixture and stir. 

Toss pasta into the onion mixture. 

Add your cooked seafood or chicken, if using. Toss well. 

Pop back into oven for about 10 minutes to make sure everything is heated through. 

Serve immediately. 

You can enjoy like this...

Or you can top with parmesan cheese or chili garlic oil (or crispy chili oil) if you'd like to spice it up a bit.

I love the addition of fresh herbs like basil and parsley, but they aren't in the original viral recipe, nor is the added protein.  I am adding this to my "make again" list. For how flavorful it is, it is really quite easy to whip up. 

**You can make the pasta ahead of time if you want; it is easy enough to reheat when you toss it with the onions.