Foodies on Foot Chef Series Dinner at Vertical Restaurant featuring Chef Giacomo Pasquini – July 24, 2012
On July 24, 2012, we were pleased to host the first of our Chef Series dinners at Vertical Restaurant, featuring the delicious local cuisine of Chef Giacomo Pasquini. The night began with a signature green Foodies on Foot cocktail, created for the event by in-house mixologist Stefano. Called the ‘Cumbersome’, the cocktail consisted of Hendricks Gin, lime juice, cucumber, mint, rosewater, and bitters. The perfect drink for a meet and greet and cocktail reception on the patio on a beautiful summer night. Delicious hors d’oeuvres were passed along to wet the appetite before the meal began.
When dinner was ready to begin, the food lovers proceeded into a private dining room at Vertical, for the feast that ensued. Chef Giacomo Pasquini expertly worked his way through 5 courses specially designed for the Foodies on Foot™ Chef Series Dinner, with optional wine pairings which matched to perfection. Dish after dish of expertly presented cuisine worked its way into the room, with Chef Giacomo presenting and explaining each dish, and, Joe Alberti, owner, describing the wines. The menu was as follows:
Course 1: Beef Tartare | Crispy Quail Egg | Summer Black Truffle
Wine Pairing: 2009 Pinot Noir ‘Cuvee County’ Rosehall Run (Prince Edward County)
Course 2: Grilled Octopus | Cous Cous Salad | Chilled Ontario Tomato Gazpacho
Wine Pairing: 2010 Carta D’Oro ‘Cataratto’ Rallo (Sicily)
Course 3: Risotto | Ontario Peas | Garlic Scapes | “Ricotta Infornata”
Wine Pairing: 2010 Sauvignon, Fantinel (Fruili)
Course 4: B.C. Sable Fish | Lemon Puree | Charred Broccoli | Chick Pea Farinata
Wine Pairing: 2010 Gavi ‘Il Doge’ Broglia (Piedmont)
Course 5: Chocolate Mousse | Ontario Starberries | Rhubarb
Wine Pairing: 2005 Recioto Della Valpolicella, Villa Monteleone (Veneto)
We enjoy nothing more than hearing food chat fill the room, as new friendships were formed, and, old friendships bonded further together, over food. In true food lover style, the room was filled with chat and laughter all night, except when the dishes were presented and it was time to eat, when it became “as quiet as church”, as all the attention turned to the food, before the conversation resumed in between dishes.
At Foodies on Foot™ we love to bring people together over good food, good fun, and good chat, and we did just that with the great food lovers that turned out to this event. We thank everyone that attended the event. We could not have done this without the amazing team at Vertical Restaurant who were instrumental in putting together this great experience that we were able to share with fellow food lovers. The team at Vertical are consummate professionals who worked hand in hand with us every step of the way. They are the epitome of how a dining establishment should be run, with great attention given to service, personable staff, and, the finest creations coming out of the kitchen.
Stay tuned as we roll out more and more food related events and continue to bring people together through our social dining experiences and food tours.
In the delight of food,
Steven Hellmann and Gloria Czomko
Foodies on Foot™