When it comes to dining, we like options that cater to our quickly changing whims.

Mercato is a little bit city with its popular Mission location and a little bit country with its new West Springs location. The Italian market and restaurant’s new location has the same boisterous social vibe as its inner city sister with an open kitchen, sleek tables and windows with a view to forest on one side and the sidewalk on the other. Order a bottle of wine (or two) and antipasto to share and hang out in the restaurant to catch up on conversation with friends. Or, if you prefer to hibernate for an at home dinner party, gather goods including fresh pastas, sauces, meats and cheeses as the market next door.

The burbs just keep getting better. —Jaelyn Molyneux

Mercato, 5000, 873 85 St. S.W., Calgary, 403-263-6996, www.mercatogourmet.com

Tired of that drab old salad?  Give it a whole new lease on life with Nonna Pia's Balsamic Reductions.

Like every great balsamic, the story of Nonna Pia’s vinegar begins in Modena, Italy where it’s cultivated. But once it arrives to Whistler, B.C., it's aged for six years, and then slow-cooked for hours while infused with fruits like figs and strawberries, herbs and all things delectable through the process. And Nonna Pia herself? She is the family’s matriarch and culinary inspiration behind the recipes.

Oh, la dolce vita! —Anya Georgijevic

Order online here; for a list of retailers, click here.

From the owners of Sugo and located right next door, the newest addition to the city’s impressive pizza repertoire is Without Papers Pizza.

Grab a slice of the Hogwild pie (wild boar sausage, prosciutto, braised rapini, friulano and roasted garlic white sauce, $18) or the Baby Doll (chicken, eggplant, artichokes, tomatoes and goat cheese, $18) while enjoying classic flicks (think Barbarella and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) projected on the walls.

And afterward, leave room for something sweet. The eatery serves house-made ice cream ($7) and Grizzly Paw Floats ($7), because nothing finishes off a pizza night like a Black Cherry Cola float. —MG

Without Papers Pizza, 1216 Ninth Ave. SE, Calgary, 403-457-1154, www.wopizza.ca 


Even without the moon hitting our eye, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria’s pies were enough to make us proclaim, that’s amore. 

Housed in a window-clad round space (how fitting) in the heart of Mission, the Edmonton-based company just opened its first Calgary location. With a laidback vibe (you order at the counter) and little fuss, the eatery focuses on the authentic Neapolitan pizzas (from $11) and New World pizzas (same hand-stretched base with more modern toppings like ham and pineapple (from $13.50). Pop in for a lunch pizzetta (half the size of a regular pizza, from $7) but be prepared for a wait as the staff is still finding its groove.

But that Nutella pizza with banana ($10) is well worth it.

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, 105-2303 Fourth St. SW, Calgary, 403-455-3839, www.famoso.ca

Una Pizzeria has taken the long, narrow space formerly occupied by the Wicked Wedge (our 3 a.m. post-bar spot) and turned it into a chic eatery with a well-edited menu inspired by the owners’ favourite international dining spots.

Appies like sautéed prawns ($9) and Serrano ham with olive oil and minted melon ($10) are made right at the bar while veal and pork meatballs ($13) and flatiron steak ($19) come steaming hot out of the kitchen. Go for the pies (from classic margherita, $13, or a potato with provolone and alfalfa honey, $15). While you nosh,check out illustrations by Calgary artist Wilford Barrington on the chalkboard walls; the sketches are of actual people roaming around the 17th Avenue neighbourhood, so you might just see yourself on the wall.

Una Pizzeria, 618 17th Ave. SW, Calgary, 403-453-1183, www.unapizzeria.com
See photos from the opening of Una on today's Editors' Diary.

It’s not delivery, it’s not frozen…it’s Giuseppe’s.

The new Giuseppe’s Italian Deli and Market is the go-to for imported and domestic cheeses, Italian deli meats and olives galore but it’s the take-out pizzas that have us popping in weekly for a pie fix.

Choose from 10 different pizzas ($9.99 for a 10") including the Funghi (garlic, oregano, mushrooms, chevre and mozzarella) or The Giuseppe (hot pancetta, red onion, sundried tomato, chili flakes and mozzarella).

Any way you slice it, we just can't get enough.

Giuseppe’s Italian Deli and Market, 1207 First St. SW, Calgary, 403-232-6230.

We know some neighbourhood gems are best kept a secret but we can’t keep Niko's Bistro to ourselves any longer.

This charming, family owned Italian eatery is small and cozy but boasts a large menu at modest prices. Start off with the Calamari All’Inferno with spicy tomato sauce ($9) and the bruschetta packed with garlic ($5). For a main, the Spaghettini Frutti di Mare is filled to the brim with shrimps, clams, mussels, prawns and calamari while the Gnocchi Caprese with bocconcini and garlic is a tad sinful.

Our secrets we'll spill, but our wine? Never!

Niko’s Bistro, 1-1241 Kensington Rd. NW, Calgary, 403-270-0082, www.nikosbistro.ca

A last-minute scramble for dinner reservations has its perks. Sometimes, you end up at an eatery you’ve been meaning to try forever.

Located in the heart of Victoria Crossing, La Vita e Bella is one of those stumbled-upon gems.

Housed in the 1906 Dafoe Terrace, the Italian bistro’s décor has preserved its original flair including the gorgeous brick façade. The dining room is cozy and romantic while the bar area is perfect for a girls night.

Try the Limone al Forno, a lemon stuffed with buffalo mozzarella and served with arugula and crostinis, $15. Stuffed lemon? Oh yes. And the gnocchi with double smoked bacon ($17) is divine.

On Sundays and Mondays the restaurant features a selection of its premium wines at half price.

We’ll toast to that discovery.

La Vita e Bella, 401 12th Ave. SE, Calgary, 403-264-6046, www.lavitabella.ca