Necessity is the mother of all invention

What is one to do while trying to get a table at Pizzeria Prima Strada on Cook Street (other than gaze longingly)? The answer is simple: head over to Pizzeria Prima Strada on Bridge Street! Now open for dinner, we are serving delicious food in a room that's nearly twice the size as our Cook Street location- we've even got a licensed patio! It's less than an hour's walk from Prima Cook to Prima Bridge (perfect time to build up an appetite) and only 10 minutes by car! While we have some key features in common(wood burning oven, fabulous staff, lovely wine offerings) there are some added features the new room: fresh pasta, roasted meat dishes and daily soups to name a few. Large party reservations are welcome. Please call for availability!


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PPS featured on Get Fresh with the locals

Get Fresh you ask? Indeed. Get Fresh with the locals connects eaters with the growers, producers, suppliers and supporters of fresh, local food + drink on Vancouver Island. With a focus on farm fresh food and animal products grown and raised locally and sustainably, Get Fresh also features local businesses supporting local agriculture and the rural lifestyle by using these products. Think Pizzeria Prima Strada, Driftwood, Sea Cider, Fairburn Farms (to name a few of our favs). Along with a growing blog & facebook fan page, a guide is also in the works!

Check it out: http://www.getfreshguide.com/blog/

Communal Dining - trend or tradition?

My first memorable experience of communal dining occurred years ago in Florence. Hungry, my sister and I happened upon Ristorante Il Latini. We were ushered into the busy restaurant, sat between Italians (locals)and Germans (fellow travellers) and had a great evening sharing food, wine and conversation with our dining companions. I can think of many other restaurants - in Italy, New York, Vancouver, San Francisco - where communal dining as been the standard or an option for years. We offer a communal table at Cook Street and all of the tables at Bridge are meant to be shared. Trend or tradition? Is there a better tradition than joining others to share a meal? Nope.

http://insidevancouver.ca/2010/04/07/communal-dining-catches-on-in-vancouver/