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Queen Margherita Pizza Communal Dinner – September 18, 2012

On September 18, 2012, we hosted our first communal dinner at Queen Margherita Pizza. Around 5:30, the first of our guests began to roll in for a cocktail hours, featuring $5 Negronis and Prosecco, and, a social meet and greet.

We were able to chat and get to know all of the guests as they arrived one by one. In chatting with the guests, one of the common themes that arose was how much everyone enjoyed coming to a social dining experience which brings people together, with a common appreciation of food, in an unpretentious setting. New acquaintances quickly became friends over a drink and a conversation at the bar.

A few of the guests asked a great question during our happy hour. How did the restaurant get its name? John Chetti, one of the co-owners, quickly responded and gave us the story of Queen Margherita (yes, there actually is a Queen Margherita). Long story short, Queen Margherita was one of the first royalty to eat pizza, which was, at the time, considered “peasant” food. In fact, the Margherita pizza was named in her honour and created with red, white, and green ingredients, evoking the colours of the Italian flag. You can read more about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_pizza

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margherita_of_Savoy

At 7:00 PM, we moved the party to the wonderful venue space on the upper floor of the restaurant, which has spectacular high roofs with exposed ducts, bricks, and large south and east facing windows. We had 3 tables of 10 set aside, side by side, to evoke a communal dining experience. The food began to roll out within a few minutes of being seated, starting with the first course which consisted of the most succulent, melt in your mouth, porchetta and bread, and, the second course of a large arugula salad with pine nuts, dried cranberries, and Parmeggiano-Reggiano.

In the spirit of communal style dining, all of the dishes were served in large platters, and, shared amongst the table. What better way to make new friends than to share food?

As the night progressed, and everyone got to know one another better, great conversations filled the room. In fact, after the first two courses were served, it was so loud that is sounded like a typical dinner in an Italian household, with everyone laughing, sharing life stories, bonding, and, of course, discussing all of their best food experiences.

Course three ended up being course three, four, and five, as Queen Margherita pizza rolled out three of Toronto’s best Neapolitan pizzas, specifically the Margherita, Spicy Italian Sausage, and Capricciosa. The Margherita was perfect in its simplicity. The Spicy Italian Sausage pleased anyone who loves some heat. The Capricciosa blended the best of mushrooms, ham, and mozzarella. With the pizzas taking only 90 seconds to bake, they came out hot and fast. This was too much food to handle, and, some of our guests took home what remained for lunch the following day. Coupled with our take-away (see below), this was the meal that kept on giving.

At this point, the sentiment was shared that the food was delicious, plentiful, and filling, however, there is always room for dessert, and, it did not disappoint. Queen Margherita Pizza delivered with their signature Nutella Mousse with fresh ground hazelnuts and ladyfingers. It was only fitting to end the night with the Italian staple that is Nutella, integrated into a delicious mousse.

We also took the chance to celebrate the birthday of one of our guests, Viviana, and the wedding anniversary of one of the couples, Maureen and Jeff. We wish you all an amazing year ahead and we thank you for celebrating your special days with us.

The meal ended around 10:00 PM, but the conversation continued with the final guests leaving around 11:00 PM, closing out the restaurant. As a take-away, we were grateful to be able to provide all of our guests with a delicious cupcake from Desmond and Beatrice and a homemade cookie from Cookie Friday Co.

The first communal dinner was a success. It brought together people of all ages and walks of life to experience an unpretentious social night out, over good food, good fun, and good chat. New friendships were formed, existing friendships strengthened, and, a positive experience was had by all that attended. We truly appreciate everyone that came out to support us and become part of the Foodies on Foot family. We would also like to thank Peter Visima for sharing some of his great pictures and allowing us to use them for our blog and Facebook page. You should all check out his amazing food blog when you have the chance. Finally, a heartfelt thanks to Queen Margherita Pizza for the great food and hosting the event, and, to Desmond and Beatrice and Cookie Friday Co. for making our tummies happy the following day with your treats.

We will be rolling out our October and November events starting in the next few days, so, make sure you stay connected to us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or by signing up to our mailing list using the subscribe button on the upper right hand corner of homepage and entering your e-mail address when prompted.

In the delight of food,

Steven Hellmann and Gloria Czomko, Co-Founders

on 19 September, 2012