Starting a Conversation at Capeesh?

On Monday nights at Capeesh? in Brooklyn, the pizzas may be half-price, but they are full-quality, I discovered as my dish was set before me… As is the conversation promised in Capeesh?’s slogan! I was out having dinner with strangers again, this time with the Pretoria Social Club, who I also met through Meetup.com.

This event turned out to be very different to the Lemberg Wine tasting at De Kloof that I enjoyed with the Pretoria Wine Lover’s Club, which had been centred around David Sadie’s presentation of his wines. At Capeesh?, our meetup was far more social, with discussions varying according to each person’s interests.

As I arrived at Capeesh?, after getting a bit lost, as usual, I realised that I hadn’t double checked our hostess’ name before leaving the house. I told the friendly manager at the desk that it was a reserved table, but seeing as Monday is such a popular night at Capeesh?, it turned out that most of the tables were reserved.

“It’s a big table,” I offered, “of about 8 people, I think?”

That did the trick, it seemed, since the rest of the reservations were for fewer than six. The restaurant certainly was busy, I noticed, as I was led to the back where the table was situated. The five strangers (not 8!) seated there stared at me as I approached, and I seriously hoped I wasn’t approaching a private table by mistake – that would be embarrassing!

Luckily, they quickly informed me that they were indeed all members of the Pretoria Social Club, two merely hadn’t arrived. Our hosts, Adam and Julie, did a great job of guiding the conversation through dinner. Having only moved to South Africa five weeks ago from the States, they amused us with their fresh perspective of South African culture.

Adam admitted that it had taken a good deal of convincing before he agreed to visit dangerous Johannesburg, but he had loved visiting the organic market there. He and Julie are keen to do a lot of travelling during their two year stay here, with Cape Town next on their hit list! I promised to supply them with a list of “must visit” estates based on my own experiences.

Also at our table were two ladies that both worked in the field of education. Nadia, a tiny teacher (in both senses – she is a tiny thing, and so are the kids she teaches), filled us in on the joys and terrors of trying to educate young children from opposing walks of life, contrasting hardened refugees with the privileged children of diplomats.

Erna, on the other hand, works as a specialist consultant in the Client Service Centre of Tuks, helping young adults decide what direction their lives could take. The quietest member of the group also works at the University of Pretoria, Alex, as a researcher. Originally from Iran, Alex informed us of the experiences he has had as a foreigner in our Beautiful country.

While it may be the place to “start a conversation,” Capeesh? is also the place to enjoy good pizza! (I reckon they should work that into their slogan somewhere, too). I enjoyed a generous portion of the Carnito pizza, lavishly topped with green peppers, olives, onions, mushrooms, artichokes, and garlic (well, not too much garlic, luckily), on a thin and crispy base. It was hard not to polish it all off in one sitting, but I managed to save some to take home and enjoy the next day as well.

Perhaps the best part was that the pizza was half-price, making it exceptional value for money! I see there are half-price pasta evenings on Tuesdays at Capeesh?, with live entertainment, and I am mighty tempted to give that a try as well. Their menu boasts a wide range of Italian delicacies and an impressive wine list.

Even though the dimly-lit restaurant was bustling with patrons, the staff members were attentive and friendly. Good service is something I’ve sometimes found lacking in restaurants that serve great food, so it was wonderful that, despite the tons of orders placed that night, we didn’t need to wait long for our food and drinks.

Unfortunately, what with it being a school night (quite literally, in Nadia’s case), we headed off home fairly early in the evening. Even over the course of only a couple of hours, though, I got the sense that our little ragtag group of strangers were leaving as friends. And Capeesh? lived up to everything we expected, including its promise to “start a conversation.”