On September 10th, Nicli Antica Pizzeria is teaming up with Quebec’s iconic Unibroue to present an evening of ‘beer and pizza’ like no other. Hailed as Vancouver’s ‘Best Pizzeria’ (Vancouver Magazine Awards, WestEnder, Georgia Straight), Nicli continues the century-old tradition of creating Neapolitan pizzas the proper way – by hand and using only the best seasonal ingredients. An early leader in the craft-beer movement, Unibroue has gained Canada-wide recognition for its ‘on the lees’ Belgian-style of beer.
Nicli’s Chef Dave Tozer has created a five-course dinner that is sure to incite praise – be it in Italian (‘splendido,’ ‘fantastico’), French (‘magifique,’ ‘formidable’) or ‘Foodie (‘yum’). The menu features four pizzas plus dessert – each course carefully paired with one of Unibroue’s distinctive brews. The dinner is value-priced at $45 – a good bargain in any language.
First course starts gently with an EVOO-based pizza of Pecorino Romano, goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes and arugula napped with a balsamic reduction. This has been paired with Unibroue’s Blanche de Chambly, a delicate wheat beer that will subtly complement the pizza’s garden-fresh flavour.
Second course pizza features caramelized onions, fresh thyme, fennel sausage with PEI smoked cheddar. This has been paired with Ephémère Apple with its delicate balance of sweet and tart undertones and Granny Smith profile.
Unibroue’s golden ale, Fin du Monde, is the brew of choice to complement Chef Tozer’s pizza highlighting late-summer ingredients – roasted local corn, zucchini and organic grass-fed strip loin with grana padano and fiore de latte finished with an arugula and gorgonzola fondue drizzle. Just the description of this pizza should make your mouth water.
The final pizza of the dinner features the robust flavours of sopressata combined with roasted chilies, tomato sauce, pecorino romano, oregano and fresh basil finished with chili-infused EVOO. It is paired with an equally robust beer, Unibroue’s multi-award-winning Maudite – a flavourful amber-red ale with an assertive crisp finish.
Stone fruit cobbler accompanied by vanilla bean gelato ends the evening on a sweet finish. Beer with dessert? ‘Mais oui’ say the French contingent and the Italians concur ‘naturalmente,’ as Ephémère Cherry, with its refreshing taste reminiscent of a dry rosé with cherry undertones, provides the perfect flavour counterpoint to the cobbler’s fruit.
The dinner starts at 8:30 p.m. Unibroue’s Kelsey Atkinson will be in attendance to talk about the pairings and the beers. The very reasonable price of $45 per person includes the meal, the pairings, tax and gratuity. Tickets must be purchased in advance and can be obtained on Eventbrite.
Multi-award winning Nicli Antica Pizzeria is the first VPN (Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana) certified Neapolitan pizzeria in Vancouver. To date in 2013, it has won Gold, ‘Best Pizzeria’ at the Vancouver Magazine Restaurant Awards, ‘Best Wine List’ at Vancouver International Wine Festival, ‘Best Pizza’ from the WestEnder’s Best of the City and ‘Best Pizza’ from the Georgia Straight’s Gold Plates.
