Wow the last couple days have been fun, am I right? For those of you lucky enough to get a spot at our coveted Long Table Dinner the last two nights I want to start by saying thank you! You were all absolutely wonderful people to have at the dinner and made our romantic ambiance very enjoyable.
The region of the month was Umbria and the food was phenomenal. Also, in cooperation with BC Hydro, we reduced our energy consumption and lit the dining room with only candles!
To kick off the dinner, we started with a
Piatto di Salumi. On the plate was house-made bread and butter pickles, oven roasted roma tomatoes, house-made dried fig mostarda, house-made quince paste, spicy cappicollo and lomo from Choux-Choux Charcuterie, with lardo salami and cacciatore from The Whole Beast. A good salumi plate really is a thing of beauty. Paired with this lovely mix of goodies was the wine Est!Est!!Est!!! Di Montefiascone by Falesco. A great wine with a great name!
Next on the menu was what most people considered to be the best dish of the night, the
Trota e Funghi. It was an elegant presentation of rainbow trout with chanterelle mushrooms and fingerling potatoes. Served with the trout was a white wine some loyal customers might remember, the Orvieto Classico from Ruffino.
The third course was a
Minestra di Farro, which is a house cured ham and spelt stew complete with braising greens. A nice hearty dish for the cold weather outside. It was paired with a wonderful Merlot by Falesco.
And last, but certainly not least, dolci! The dessert of the evening was a
Zuccotto which is a sponge cake dome soaked in liqueur and filled with chocolate and hazelnut ice cream. And yes, it is as delicious as it sounds.
Next month will be our last Long Table Dinner of 2011 as we will not be doing one in December. But have no fear, we saved one of the best regions for last. The November Long Table Dinner Series region will be
Tuscany! Known for its great wine and amazing food, it will surely be a great meal. Also, because we want to showcase some of the outstanding wines Tuscany has to offer, November's dinner will cost
$60 before tax/tip. To book your place for the Tuscany Long Table please email
longtable@primastrada.com. Grazie!
Next on the busy To-Do list is visit a vineyard (talk about tough work!) And while Andrew is all business it appears his wife Vanessa has the right idea.
They all get a hands on lesson on the milling process and watch the bags fill with flour. These are the exact same bags we use in Pizzeria 
And it looks like 
There's more work to be done, the gang is heading out for pizza in 
From Napoli they hopped on a bus headed for their temporary home in Piano di Sorrento. Along the way, Cristen managed to snap a picture of the Italian coastline near the city of Meta. When they arrived, their hosts Anna Maria, Emma, and Maria showed them around and made them a true Italian caffe. 
The next day they explored the markets and the beautiful city of Sorrento. And after a long day of walking they returned to the Villa Jenny to prepare a pork roast with fresh rosemary from the garden, fennel with honey and walnuts, and some rapini (aka broccoli rabe). And what else is there to do while dinner is in the oven than bring the ping pong table into the living room for a couple games?
I'd like to invite you all to join my vicarious trip to Italy as we follow Kathleen, Matt, Geoffrey, Cristen, Vanessa, Ben, Andrew, and the children explore the birthplace of pizza. I will be posting updates about their journey (and pretending that I'm the one holding the camera!) I'm excited, are you?
The party began with a little socializing at Bridge St. The team suited up in some 
Thanks to some Driftwood beers and the guys at 
After having our fill we all hopped on a bus and headed down to Sidney for some five pin 
All in all, the night was wonderful. Bowling with buddies is the best way to spend an evening! To see more photos of the evening please check out our 
