Vincenzo’s moved from Belmont Village in Kitchener to the Bauer market place in Waterloo so I finally had a chance to visit. Its a locally owned Italian grocery store with a small cafe at the side. There are hot and cold options, serving sandwiches, salads and hot soups with daily features.

I went on a random Thursday after 2pm but it was still packed with the lunch time crowd. The queue system is interesting. You have to grab a number from the sandwich counter and they will beep the number when its your turn. Perhaps its meant to reduce overcrowding at the counters and customers will also be able browse around other sections while waiting in line. Might be a little confusing for first time customers but I think its a great idea. You also pay at a separate counter.

Easy steps to build your sandwich.

Heard a lot about their amazing breads and sandwiches. The variety available amazed me. They seem to have everything! I tried the Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($4.95).

After all, its just a sandwich so nothing much to comment about. Good ole’ comforting sandwich with generous servings of salmon and cheese. What pleased me was the effort put into making the sandwich. The server building my sandwich even replaced the original slices of cheese after trying several times because they did not fit well into the perimeter of the bread. Woaaah!

It is highly recommended check out the desserts if you have a sweet tooth like me. There is such a wide selection that I had to spend a looooong time analyzing all of them before deciding. The exorbitant prices of desserts always annoy me but once again, I had to order the Apple Caramel Cheesecake ($2.99) after getting bitten by the cheesecake-craving-bug.

Apples & Caramel bonus!

It was amazing. Two thumbs up!

It wasn’t too sweet, rich but not heavy, cheesy but not dense. Awesome. There’s apple filling in it too!

Vincenzo’s is definitely a place worth visiting. Might be a little crowded at lunch but the great sandwiches and excellent desserts are worth the wait. Get some exotic cheeses and freshly baked bread while you’re there!

Blak's in Windsor is the Champion of Ontario

Why Pastries? What are Pączki?

The idea is that Catholics used to give up things like lard and sugar for Lent, so they would splurge and make a whole ton of sweet things to eat for Tuesday thru Thursday.  The most popular of these desserts, at least in North America, are pączki.

If you’re wondering where there are Polish bakeries in Kitchener/Waterloo:

• Nougat Bakery on Queen, east of Highland. Just the best fancy deli/cafe in town.
• Mike’s Deli, Lawrence near Victoria and Belmont. Never been, but the butcher in me is curious.
• Glogowski Euro Food on Highland near Westmount.  It’s a very large grocery store that carries a lot of Eastern European bread, deli, pastry, dairy, etc.

If you’re in Guelph, there are several there as well:

• Klops Meat & Deli – 500 York Road, 519-837-8705
• Romex Deli & Meat – 11-130 Silvercreek Pkwy N., 519-836-0307

If there are any other sources for good paczki in town, on Mardi Gras or otherwise, feel free to comment!