Quatro Staggioni: bursting with local colour
Great food, incomparable entertainment value
Ben Poggemiller, Staff
Some people are picky eaters. They know what they do not like, or more accurately, they know exclusively what they do like. They must know exactly what they are eating to enjoy it. Some people like dining comfortably. They like to be waited on by people who treat them, sometimes falsely, as superiors. There seems to be a standard in North America regarding waiter and waitress protocol, and some people like to see it observed. Quatro Staggioni is not for some people. Dining there is not just eating; it is an experience.
Located at 1521 Pembina, Quatro Staggioni (QS) was previously on University Crescent. Their menu boasts that they are a “South European Specialty Food Market and Deli.” This description does not do their establishment justice. QS can most easily be described as a Bosnian mom-and-pop restaurant and it is as informal as humanly possible, complete with typos on the menu. The dining area is extremely small, so reservations are recommended. Don’t expect typical cordiality, though. The woman answers the phone with a curt “Hello?” and gives no indication that the caller has actually dialed correctly. Also, be sure to bring as many people as the reservation was made for, or else she will sternly verbalize the discrepancy. The man is a stark contrast to his presumed wife. He is striving to please, and his friendliness is unparalleled.
The menu contains a wide variety of European dishes, including goulash (beef stew), lamb shanks, and veal schnitzel. A word of warning, though: their supplies are variable and not all menu items will be available, so it is best to ask what they have that day and pick.
There are many entertaining features of Quatro Staggioni that will entertain while waiting an imprecise amount of time for food to arrive.
Here is a checklist of things to look out for:
1. If not all of the lights are turned on, the red neon “Open” sign will light up most of the dining area, giving everything a red tinge.
2. Not all of the light fixtures match.
3. The strange “flea-marketesque” clock on the wall has not been adjusted according to daylight savings time.
4. There are fake flowers throughout the restaurant.
5. There are mismatched and eccentric pictures hanging throughout the restaurant, including one of a bouquet of flowers.
6. Roughly 10 seconds after asking for a glass of water, the tap can be heard running for enough time to ensure maximum chill.
The most interesting part of dining at QS is what my father likes to call the “local colour.” This is an accurate phrase, since walking into QS is like walking into another country. QS is quite popular among immigrants, and there is a constant flow of “local colour.” There is a steady stream of incomers to pick up food, sit at the counter and have a beer or Five Alive, or meet friends for a chat. There is always an eastern European language being spoken in Quatro Staggioni.
The portions are continuously generous, and continuously delicious. The veal schnitzel, served with French fries and an unassuming salad, is especially good. For lovers of simple food, the chicken kabobs, served with rice and a salad, are excellent. The goulash is a European classic, is served on rice, and is bursting with flavour. It is definitely worth the wait.
At Quatro Staggioni, there is no obligatory “So, how are you folks doing?” five minutes after receiving food, nor is there cutlery or dishes any nicer than at the average home, but the experience is not in the service or the decor. These things only add to the enjoyment of QS. The experience is partly in the food, which is very good, but the food is not the whole of it. The experience is in stepping into another world, to a different time and place familiar to the cozy folk.
