by SARAH MUSGRAVE

The ill chill of winter is almost upon us, which means that Jean-Talon Market is teeming with hearty souls, all reaping the autumnal harvest in order to create wonderful slow-cook recipes back at home. But if, like me, you’re too busy to buy raw ingredients, you might want to instead head to a shop where a cornucopia of ready-made Italian meals awaits. Just a stone’s throw from the market, Motta is a haven for those suffering from culinary laziness.

This Little Italy institution is roughly two thirds store and one third restaurant. The eat-in area was recently redesigned to increase seating space, and there’s a pleasant covered terrasse in summer. It’s still basically cafeteriaesque, with people lining up in a permanent state of semi-confusion and bumping into each other with plastic trays—especially at lunchtime when you can get a full meal for $6.95. For the most part, the hot preparations in the trays—always a few pastas, parmigianas and vegetables—are authentic, well-executed and fairly mild. Be warned, however, that the stuff on offer can get a bit bedraggled by late afternoon.

The news is that over the summer, Motta added an evening table d’hôte to its roster, available on Thursday and Friday. It costs $9.95 for pastas, such as gnocchi with gorgonzola, cannelloni, manicotti, or penne in rosée sauce. That goes up to $11.95 for meats like the excellent veal parmigiana or grilled chicken accompanied by roasted veggies and pasta. Prices include a vegetarian antipasto (salad and provolone cheese) or an antipasto misto (prosciutto and other cold cuts).

On Wednesday, by the way, it’s pizza party time here, with specials on several kinds. There’s a wide range of slab pizzas, with toppings like bocconcini, spicy calabrese, onions and cheese, fresh tomatoes, rapini and the all-dressed Motta special ($3.99–4.99). They also make the round, thin crust type, as well as calzones stuffed with spinach, ham and cheese.

In addition to yummy pizzas, Motta does a brisk business in other take-out orders from the enormous glass display case. One of my favourites is the seafood pie ($3.50 half/$6.99 whole), made with scallops, shrimps, fish and that fake crab stuff elusively referred to as goberge, in a thick, creamy base and lightly layered crust. An equally creamy version with chicken is available, as well as veal or spinach pies. Another savoury pastry-coated dish is called the Cristino, a loaf of veal, spinach and potatoes ($5.99) that reveals its layers when sliced. The meatballs here are delicious, too. They come alla cacciatore, cooked up with tomatoes, olives and peppers, or Milanese style with tomato sauce on the side.

To round out the meal, there’s a whole salad-by-the-gram section, where you’ll find chilled pastas like pennine with pesto/feta sauce, grilled vegetables with balsamic, and a marinated mixture of artichoke hearts, marinated eggplants, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and huge, green, meaty olives.

Okay, now for dessert. The baked goods here would almost put your nonna to shame—but you’d never want to do that, would you? Try the Florentine cookies made with chewy fruits, nuts and chocolate, the creamy and crusty cannoli, and the sfogliatella, a ridged pastry that contains baked ricotta ($2).

The one complaint I have about Motta is that anything you get to go is covered in way too much cellophane and styrofoam. It’s absolutely out of control, to the point that it’s not uncommon to get triple wrapped packages. On the plus side, though, the wrapping is so excessive that it makes you think twice about over-ordering—something that’s very easy to do here. :

Motta
Address: 303 Mozart E. (@ Henri-Julien)
Phone: 270-5952
Hours: Mon–Fri 9am–9pm; Sat–Sun 9am–7pm
Best features: Instant gratification
Alcohol: Yes
Vegetarian friendly: Yes
Credit cards: Visa, Interac
Wheelchair access: No
Price: $8/person before tax, drinks or tip
Rating: **1/2 out of ****