With spring on the horizon, Gastown’s Di Beppe will once again be celebrating with its popular ‘Festa della Polenta’.
For its fifth year, Di Beppe will be showcasing the versatile Italian culinary staple with a special multi-course ticketed dinner for one night only on Thursday, March 16.
The family-style feast pays homage to a centuries-old Tuscan tradition when members of the nobility offered polenta to hungry townspeople to help fight a famine sweeping through the region.
The celebration still takes place across Italy to this day, drawing friends and family around the table to enjoy a variety of dishes made with humble cornmeal.
Guests will be welcomed to the ‘Festa’ with a celebratory beverage – their choice of spritz (Aperol or Cynar); a glass of Prosecco; Oddbird non-alcoholic Prosecco; or Di Beppe’s signature Tiny Bubbles Spritz – to be sipped with the first course, a snack of crispy polenta to begin the meal.
Following the antipasti course, guests will be awed by the main event — atop communal tables, piping-hot pots of polenta are poured ‘sulla spianatoia’ (on a wooden board) and topped off with tantalizing accompaniments such as tender ossobuco with bone marrow, roast chicken in a creamy sauce, and roasted winter vegetables and parmesan.
The dinner ends on a sweet note with a dolci course of polenta cake with raspberry sauce and guests are welcome to linger over a digestivo and conversation in Di Beppe’s caffè.
There are two seatings available at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., with 38 highly coveted spots available at each seating.
Priced at $95 per person (plus tax and gratuity), tickets can be purchased in advance online (5:30 p.m. seating and 8 p.m. seating).
Suggested Northern Italian wines will be available to complement each course, available by the glass, half-litre, or bottle.
For more information about Di Beppe, visit dibeppe.com, become a fan of /dibepperestaurant on Facebook, and follow @dibepperestaurant on Instagram.