Queen Elizabeth set for city visit
The City of Manchester is gearing up for a royal visit this week with MediaCityUK, BBC Media City, University Hospitals and the Town Hall all penciled in for a visit from Queen Elizabeth!
Queen Elizabeth’s reign of 60 years is the second-longest for a British monarch, the only monarch to have a longer reign is Queen Victoria, who reigned for an astounding sixty-three years and seven months. Queen Elizabeth’s Silver and Golden Jubilees were celebrated in 1977 and 2002, with her Diamond Jubilee celebrations taking place throughout 2012.
Queen Elizabeth’s most anticipated engagement of 2012 is the opening of the 2012 Summer Olympics on 27 July and the Paralympics on 29 August in London.
Accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth begins her visit by opening the Central Manchester University Hospitals on Friday 23rd March, followed by the opening of MediaCityUK and BBC Media City at Salford Quays, all on the same day.
Later in the afternoon Queen Elizabeth will attend a lunch in Albert Square at Manchester Town Hall, located just a five minute walk from Pesto Italian Restaurants Deansgate – ideal if you’re out Queen-spotting and you fancy a scrumptious lunch with a taste of the royal treatment for yourself from our super team at Deansgate!
There’s also talk of the Queen traveling through Deansgate past Pesto Italian Restaurants en route to lunch at the town hall – why not reserve a front-row seat at Pesto Deansgate now with our simple online booking form?
- Guess who else loves a bit of Reiss?
The Pesto Italian Restaurants Deansgate team will also be busy tonight at the rather swanky VIP Reiss evening taking place at Whitewall Galleries from 6pm – 9pm.
Reiss will be showcasing their new collection along with Tom Ford Beauty, Molton Brown and Sugar & Spice! To reserve a place at this special one-off event call the Reiss Manchester store on 0161 831 7994
www.bbc.co.uk/rd/contact/mediacitylocation.shtml
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine,_Duchess_of_Cambridge
www.manchester.gov.uk/info/514/listed…/manchester_town_hall/1
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria
www.direct.gov.uk/diamondjubilee
Mario Balotelli pops into Pesto!
Extrovert Man City star Mario Balotelli popped into Pesto Italian Restaurants Trafford Centre yesterday for a pre-match meal with a friend.
The controversial star, who scored Man City’s winning goal against Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon at Etihad Stadium (3-2), visited Pesto Trafford Centre last night for a tasty meal before heading off on a shopping spree.
The goal marked Mario Balotelli’s 22nd goal for the team and his 50th career goal to date.
21-year-old Mario Balotelli started his career at Italian football team A.C Lumezzane at the age of just 15. In 2006 Balotelli was signed by F.C Internazionale Milano where he scored a whopping 28 goals until his 2010 transfer to Manchester City.
The promising young striker is a set-piece (deadball) specialist and is often referred to as ‘Super Mario’.
For all you budding footballers out there wondering what champions eat before crushing the competition – Balotelli enjoyed our delicious Calamari, pepperoni pizza and Pesto favourite Arancini with a (rather healthy) fresh pineapple juice – definitely a winning combination!
Needless to say, Balotelli didn’t need £5,000 in his pocket to cover his afternoon treat at Pesto, nor (thank goodness) did he at any point require a bib.
Balotelli recently made headlines after setting fire to his own kitchen in a misguided attempt at creating a fireworks display, but has since become the face of a local campaign endorsing the responsible use of fireworks.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Balotelli
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/after-house-fire-balotelli-backs-firework-safety/196377-5-21.html
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/the-mole/The-Mole-column-Revealed-why-Manchester-City-signing-Mario-Balotelli-had-5-000-in-his-back-pocket-when-he-crashed-his-car-article571765.html
http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/oddballs/858477-mario-balotelli-versus-the-training-bib-a-battle-to-dress-or-be-dressed
Pesto’s Picks September
Well, the month of August has been and gone, and what an ass-kicker of a month it was! The tail end of the month saw Formula 1 legend and all-round handsome devil Jenson Button doughnut his F1 car up and down Deansgate – right outside Pesto! We were all just a tad excited, so excited in fact that we put up balloons…and flags…and took pictures….and may have made a Jenson montage video! Pics are also available on our Facebook page - http://facebook.com/pestorestaurants
<click me!> Jenson Button in Manchester August 2011 < click me!>
Now, on with September – though after the August we’ve had, it’s going to take some beating!
First up, a bit of trumpet blowing on our part; as the long-awaited (and somewhat overdue) Pesto Glasgow opening draws ever closer….
Originally set to open in August, the grand unveiling of the biggest Pesto Italian Restaurant yet, has been nudged back a few weeks to Monday the 12th of September at 12pm. While we couldn’t blame you for thinking we’ve been so distracted by our tasty food that we’ve frittered away the summer dining al fresco on our Deansgate and Liverpool terraces and kicking back at the Trafford Centre – we can assure you that hasn’t been the case…well, not entirely.
In short, we wanted to make sure that all three glorious floors on our new St Vincent Street site were every bit as stunning as the food and fine wines on our menu, and to do this takes time and patience, lots and lots of patience! Remember folks, patience is a virtue, and in just ten days time Pesto Glasgow will at last be open – we reckon it’ll be well worth the wait!
In Manchester this September we have Tottenham jazz, blues and all round good-egg Adele bringing her latest bag of hits to the Manchester Apollo on the 16th and 17th.
If jazz and blues isn’t really your cup of tea Tennessee’s greatest export after Jack Daniels, Dolly Parton rolls into town on the 11th at the MEN Arena. Tickets have been sold out for some time, so you might need to employ a little creativity to blag your way into this southern spectacular.
In Liverpool this month we’ve got a world premiere of the exhibition Wallace and Grommit at Spaceport. The exhibition has been specifically designed for Spaceport and features a collection of crazy inventions and fascinating facts about the moon, the history of space and our solar system. This is one for the whole family and is definitely not to be missed!
Finally we head north to Glasgow, where at last the foray of Brad Pitt’s upcoming zombie epic World War Z has just drawn to a close after a fortnight of A-list chaos!
The tragically short life of Celtic goal-keeping legend Johnny Thomson runs for five days this month at the city’s Kings Theatre, a brilliant show for football fans and for anyone who enjoys an emotive tale steeped in melancholy. The Johnny Thomson story kicks off on Monday September 5th at the Kings Theatre and runs until Thursday the 10th September.
Our personal highlight for September in Glasgow is the Midweek Magic show at the Corinthian. Two of Scotland’s most respected magicians Liam McLaughlin and Douglas Cameron present an evening of illusions, mind reading and, er, magic. Hosted in an intimate venue tickets will surely be snapped up fast at only £10 per person. There’s said to be strange happenings at this event, so perhaps head to Pesto for some cocktails first to settle your nerves!
http://www.pestorestaurants.co.uk/location/deansgate/
http://facebook.com/pestorestaurants
http://www.pestorestaurants.co.uk/location/glasgow/
http://www.o2apollomanchester.co.uk
http://www.spaceport.org.uk/content/Exhibitions.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thomson_(footballer)
http://www.atgtickets.com/King’s-Theatre
Bonkers Bank Holiday!
Ordinarily bank holidays are an opportunity to kick back and relax, chillax, if you will. However, this August bank holiday is set to be anything but laid back, with Manchester Pride taking over the city and Jenson Button bringing his F1 car down the city’s gorgeous Deansgate.
Pop heavyweights Alexandra Burke and Pixie Lott are just a couple of the many artists performing at this years Pride Festival.
Local talent, including Corrie’s Bruno Langley and Hollyoak’s Abi Phillps will also be performing at the Big Weekend in Sackville Gardens, while authors, including bestseller Louise Rought will be delivering talks in Deansgate’s Waterstone’s book store.
The Parade starts on Deansgate at 1pm on Saturday through St Ann’s Street, Cross Street, Albert Square, Princess Street and finishing on Whitworth Street – why not get yourself down to Pesto Deansgate for noon and kick off the day with some of our delicious cocktails? Noon isn’t too early for cocktails, surely…?
Our personal highlight of the Pride weekend is the Pink Dog Show (yes you read that correctly) Manchester & Cheshire Dogs’ Home has teamed up with Barking Barbers for this camp canine carnival – not one to be missed!
As all the Pride excitement draws to a close, Formula One champion Jenson Button will be setting pulses racing as he brings his F1 car for a spin down Deansgate on Monday afternoon! If you’re making your way into town to catch a glimpse of Jenson, why not take the best seat in the house on Pesto Deansgate’s leafy terrace?
If you’d like to share your bank holiday weekend photographs with Pesto, why not head over to our Facebook page and pop them on there? If Twitter is more your bag, you can follow us at http://twitter.com/pestorestaurant
http://manchesterpride.com/
http://jensonbutton.com/
http://formula1.com
http://alexandra-burke.us
http://pixielott.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Langley
http://abiphillips.com
http://manchesterpride.com/whatson/bigweekend/sackvillegardens
http://louiserought.com
http://pinkdogshow.co.uk/
http://dogshome.net
http://barkingbarbers.co.uk/
World War Z or World War P?
- World War Z star Brad Pitt on set
OK, so we’re just a little excited; Brad Pitt’s upcoming zombie flick is set for action right outside Pesto Glasgow!
Alongside Pitt, one half of Hollywood’s most powerful super-couple, Mireille Enos of The Killing and veteran actor Bryan Cranston will star in the Max Brooks adaptation World War Z.
World War Z author Max Brooks has penned a number of zombie books, including the bestseller The Zombie Survival Guide and graphic novel Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks, World War Z has been praised by fellow zombie writer and acclaimed comedy actor Simon Pegg.
Now, we hate to brag (well, hate is a strong word), but at Pesto we’ve had a slew of celebrity diners in our Manchester and Liverpool restaurants recently, from Heather Morris and the Glee crew to 70′s pop icon Debbie Harry – we reckon our unique piattini menu might well be delicious enough to draw in the Worlds Sexiest Man. If you fancy your chances at star-spotting, or just want to check out a great place to dine out any night of the week, why not peruse our menu?
Naturally we got our knickers in something of a knot when we spotted the Hollywood crew assembling some very flash props on Pesto’s beautiful St Vincent Street – check out this fan vid!
We’ll be updating the blog regularly with news and pics of all the excitement, but if you’re in Glasgow and you spot a some Hollywood hoo-ha why not post it on our Facebook or Twitter pages?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_Z
http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/zombiesurvivalguide/index2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mireille_Enos
http://www.amctv.com/shows/the-killing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Cranston
http://www.facebook.com/PestoRestaurants
Giggling with Glee at Pesto Deansgate
The Pesto team were treated to an unexpected celebrity visit this week when Heather Morris of Glee fame stopped by for dinner and drinks with fellow cast and crew team from Glee at Pesto Deansgate.
The Glee stars enjoyed our light and refreshing Peroni by the pint and a selection of cocktails, including Cosmopolitans and Frangelics and our brand new Bloody Mary’s. Our gorgeous barmen Marcus and and Stuart were also very popular!
Pesto manager Anthony and assistant Vicky were lucky enough to have themselves papped with our celeb diners and after a few hours at the restaurant the Glee team lured Anthony away to act as a tour guide for the remainder of the evening. We shan’t be posting those pictures! Keep your eyes peeled for more pics of the celebs giggling with Glee at Pesto Deansgate!
The two night run of Glee live at the MEN ends this evening and Pesto is only a short walk away from the venue; pop in later and you lovely Gleeks might be fortunate enough to spot a celeb at Pesto!
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