Tuscany Long Table Recap!

For the last Long Table Dinner of the year, we decided to go big! Tuscany is one of the most recognizable regions of Italy and is well known for its delicious food and luscious wines. This past Wednesday and Thursday we gathered to celebrate, Tuscan-style.
The meal began with a house made Crostino of chicken liver served on toasted bread. The velvety smooth chicken liver was paired with the aromatic white Vermentino by Poggio Morino.
The next course consisted of a hearty vegetable bread soup called Ribollita, which was a perfect companion for the stormy island weather beating at the garage doors. The soup was served with a traditional Tuscan style bread, which is made without using salt. While it is uncertain why the Tuscans did not use salt in their bread, many believe that it is because of a high salt tax. Either way, the end result is a wonderfully crisp crust with a dense, surprisingly sweet interior. This course was paired with a Prima Strada favourite, a classic Chianti by Castiglioni Frescobaldi.

The soup was followed by what was, in my opinion, the best dish of the evening. Pappardelle alla lepre e chanterelle is house made pasta with braised rabbit and chanterelle mushrooms for those of you not fluent in Italian. The tenderness of the rabbit and the meaty quality of our local chanterelles created an unbelievable dish. And not to be overshadowed, the meal was paired with a knockout wine. The Bolgheri DOC from Tenuta Argentiera Donoratico was simply outstanding. After decanting for hours, this wine was one of the smoothest reds I have ever tried.
And finally, the dessert course was a Panforte Senese. Unlike any other cake I have ever had, this can only be described as a pepper cake done Siena style. Full of hazelnuts, candied orange zest and spices, it was both crunchy and chewy with a rich caramel taste. Served with a scoop of gelato, it was the perfect way to end our Tuscan tribute.The Tuscan dinner was our last Long Table of 2011. But have no fear, the Long Table Dinner series will resume on January 25 & 26, 2012! You don't have to wait until January for another special meal at Bridge Street. We are putting the finishing touches on a very special multi-course Italian New Years Eve menu. Details soon.

To stay updated on all of our events, visit http://pizzeriaprimastrada.com/ to subscribe to our newsletter. It takes only a few seconds and guarantees that you will be the first to know about Prima Strada news and events.

The Prima Strada Gang Goes to Italy: Finale

And so ends our pretend journey with the Prima Strada crew as they gallivanted around Southern Italy. From the wine tastings to the ping pong tables, it has been quite the ride. Luckily for us, they saved the best for last!

A couple of months ago, a lovely man named Peppe came to Victoria and deemed our pizza VPN worthy. For those of you who are not sure what VPN means, it stands for Verace Pizza Napoletana, or "True Pizza of Naples." Similar to the DOC label you find on that beautiful bottle of Chianti, the VPN certification is awarded to those pizzerias who follow the traditional method of pizza making that has been used in Naples for hundreds of years. And just to give you an idea of how strict the regulations are, only a handful of VPN pizzerias exist in Canada. It only made sense that we received our VPN certificate in the motherland of pizza, Naples.

The gang headed to Ristorante Umberto in Napoli for an unforgettable dinner. Seeing as how the restaurant is run by Massimo Di Porzio, the President of the VPN, you can bet his pizzas taste pretty darn good! After the certificate presentation, the guys couldn't resist jumping in the kitchen to show the Italians their skills.

All in all, the trip was a success. I didn't even leave Victoria and I feel like my life got a little more exciting! If you want to see more photos (they only took around 800) please check out our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pizzeriaprimastrada. Grazie!

The Prima Strada Gang Goes to Italy: Making Fior di Latte

When the Pizzeria Prima Strada gang went to Italy, they learned how to make fior di latte (fresh mozzarella) from an Italian primo! At Prima Strada, we use only fresh mozzarella and fresh buffalo mozzarella on all our pizzas. Ever wanted to know how it's made? Now you can!

Bridge St. Will Be Closed Tomorrow at 7PM

Thursday November 10th we will be closing our Bridge Street location at 7PM for a private function. We will be open for dinner as usual until 7PM, so please feel free to come for dinner before the private function. Also, we will still be open for take out orders until 9PM. I encourage anyone who is interested in a late dinner to head to Cook Street as they will be open until 10PM.

Thank you all for understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

Join the List!

Are you wondering what will be on the menu for the next Long Table Dinner? Join our mailing list! Just go to www.pizzeriaprimastrada.com and sign up on the right hand side of the page. It takes seconds and will give you the latest news about our amazing events, like the Long Tables. The newsletter with the Tuscany Long Table menu has yet to be sent, so sign up now to see what will be featured at our last Long Table of the year. Grazie!

Throwing a Holiday Party? We Can Help!

It is almost that time of the year when everyone gets together to celebrate the holidays. And whether it is a large corporate office party or a family dinner, Pizzeria Prima Strada on Bridge Street can help!

With a holiday menu available, booking an amazing party is as easy as telling us how many people are coming on what day. Let us take care of the rest. The menu offers two different price options and is available for groups of 8 or more. Also, our Bridge Street location features long family-style dining tables making it comfortable for large groups to sit together.

If you are interested in booking a holiday party with Prima Strada please email Andrew@primastrada.com for availability and menu options. Grazie!

Umbria Candlelight Long Table Dinner Recap

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!