The GOODS from Ask For Luigi

Vancouver, BC | Aperol hit the scene in 1919 at the Padua International Fair. Its low alcohol content and rich, complex taste helped it to quickly become one of Italy’s favourite liqueurs. The original recipe of high-quality herbs and roots has remained unchanged and a secret to this day. In Northern Italy, the Aperol Spritz, a mix of Aperol, prosecco and soda, became a popular ritual that people enjoyed from late morning onwards, but in recent years it has become fashionable to drink it as an aperitif before dinner. Light, sparkling and refreshing, the Spritz is the ideal drink for any occasion – it has become a symbol for the liveliness and traditional spirit of Northern Italians.

Ask for Luigi wants to share this tradition with Vancouver!

The team at Ask for Luigi has proudly created a house-bottled Aperol Spritz.

“It looks beautiful in the bottle and it just plain tastes better than any other version we’ve tried. This is not just a fast and efficient way to get a drink to our guests, in our opinion, it’s also the best and most consistent way to serve a Spritz. If we didn’t believe that it was, we wouldn’t be doing it.”

Try it for yourself and see what you think! Join us for brunch, lunch, or dinner and enjoy a bottled Spritz at any time of day.

DETAILS

305 Alexander Street | Vancouver, BC V6A 1C4
Telephone: 604-428-2544 | Email: [email protected]
Web: www.askforluigi.com
Dinner: Wed-Sun 5:30pm to 10:30pm (11pm on weekend)
Lunch: Wed-Fri 11:30am to 2:30pm
Brunch: Sat-Sun 9:30pm to 2:30pm
Closed Monday & Tuesdays

PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER FLETT

Gallery

The People

Chef and Co-Owner – J-C Poirier
General Manager – Matthew Morgenstern

ABOUT ASK FOR LUIGI

Ask for Luigi is a casual and intimate Italian-inspired restaurant, specializing in fresh hand made pasta.* The service is family-style: all dishes are meant for sharing and food arrives to the middle of the table, as it is ready. The antipasti usually arrive first, with pasta dishes close behind. We also have amazing house made gluten free options available daily. All menu items are available for dine-in or take-out.

We have four beverage selections available on tap – one beer, one white wine, one red wine and one prosecco. We rotate the specific product as we find things that we are excited to share. We also have filtered still and sparkling water on tap. Proceeds from each bottle purchased go to our favorite local non-profit or charity organization – we choose a different cause every month.

Our dishes are best enjoyed with wine. Our modest white-forward wine list consists of fourteen whites and six reds. We really enjoy white wine and we hope that you will allow us to share our love of it with you! All of our wines are available by the glass and a new bottle will be opened based on a two-glass commitment. As soon as a new bottle is opened, you will hear a bell. That means it’s time to check the board to see what is now open and pouring. As time passes, we look to slowly build our reserve list – for those that want to sample something a little more rare.

A friend of ours from Treviso, Italy, once asked us what it is that Canadians customarily drink before they eat a meal. When we told him that it isn’t necessarily a custom to have a specific “aperitivo” in Canada, he assumed we didn’t understand the question and proceeded to rephrase and ask again… six more times!

So, to observe the “ritual” of Italian eating, we bring you, “The Spritz” – Easily the most popular aperitivo in Italy (well, at least in the Venice/Treviso area it is). We’re pretty sure we had about 15 per day while in Venice! Further to the spritz, we always have three amari and three types of vermouth available on rotation to help get the appetite going before your meal begins or as a digestivo at the end.

Of course the Italian eating ritual is never complete without a nice coffee at the end of the meal to finish off the experience. With our two-group Synesso and a rotation of our favourite beans each week, we strive to give our in-house baristas all the tools they need to execute an espresso drink on par with the local coffee houses. Don’t forget to ask our service staff about the “rimorchio” or “trailer” when you get to the bottom of your espresso… it’s the perfect finish!

If you would like a nice Grappa for sipping to end the evening, we always have three of our favorites on rotation as well. This usually consists of one fairly approachable Grappa, one a little more obscure, and an aged offering to choose from. Ask Matthew for some recommendations.

Finally – What’s in a name? “Ask for Luigi” is the idea that we are always more inclined to have a better experience when we go where we know somebody, or when a friend sends us to see someone they know. We hope to create an atmosphere where each guest feels like they were sent over by a mutual friend.

So go to the little Italian joint at the corner of Alexander and Gore and ask for Luigi. Tell them Paulie sent you. They’ll take good care-a-ya!

*Fresh pasta is only available during dinner service. We serve a wonderful, artisanal, dried pasta during lunch service. Gluten free is always an option.