Lucky 13

>> Italian-based cuisine takes Tredici
out of regular café territory

by MATHILDE RABBAT

Whoever said that the number 13 brings bad luck definitely hasn’t paid a visit to one of the Mile-End’s latest additions, Café Tredici on Fairmount near Jeanne-Mance. It’s the one with the huge picture windows and the illy sign prominently peeking out of its side. Thirteen has actually proven to be quite lucky for the eatery, whose name stands for the same number in Italian.

Somebody is up bright and early enough to make sure the breakfast crowd needn’t go without their morning coffees. Then, it’s the buzzing lunch crew’s turn to invade the premises, hungry for a variety of sandwiches, salads and more coffee.

Forget your Timmy Ho’s soup in a bread bowl, there’s no doubt about it, this is quality grub. How about some focaccia done right, flat oven-baked Italian bread seasoned with olive oil and herbs, to whet the appetite? It’s brought to the table with a red-hot, four alarm, chili pepper paste, just as good slathered on bread as it is in soup. One dollop too many and you’ll be sticking your tongue in your acqua minerale, hoping for an ice cube to float by.

Besides a good selection of sandwiches, everything from grilled veggies to Italian cold cuts and classic tuna, other specials of the daily variety are more filling and elaborate to prepare, but worth every minute. Most of those hover around the $14 mark and include a soupe du jour or salad.

The mesclun salad got my main meal off to a good a start with a thoroughly enjoyable mix of young greens, including lamb’s lettuce (mâche) and lollo rosso. Not a drop of my balsamic drizzle—the real McCoy that resembles chocolate sauce—went to waste, nor did the chickpea-zucchini potage I sampled next.

Whatever permutation figures on your visit, it’ll most probably be a hit, like the delicious sage-mushroom concoction I had the good fortune of laying taste buds upon. A smidgen of cream, no more, ensured that the tummy wouldn’t be too full to enjoy the rest of the feast—a perfect antipasto.

When you check out the chalkboard menu above the counter, you’ll also notice that though the cuisine is decidedly Italian based, there’s room for fusion, as elements like humus and couscous have worked their way into recipes. My grilled shrimp, calamari and asparagus dish is a prime example of how this modus operandi can work well, if done right.

The seafood is grilled and artfully displayed over asparagus, which in turn lies on top of cold couscous, interspersed with finely chopped carrots and onion, and then topped with a tangy salsa made up of diced red onion, cucumber, tomato, parsley and a hint of mint.

“Grilled to perfection” may have a trite ring to it, I’ll admit, yet it’s appropriate for my oregano sporting shrimp trio and asparagus quintet. As for the calamari, no complaints with reference to flavour, but one beef with regards to texture, on the chewy side, I’m afraid. A breaded veal cutlet, served with chlorophyll-laden rapini, another of the daily offerings, hit all the right notes. The rapini’s bitterness is drastically undercut with a healthy squeeze of lemon that, incidentally, nicely complements the tender cutlet.

As for dessert, you can’t go wrong with one of the homemade cakes. The not-too-sweet carrot cake is a real winner, with the pineapple cake as a close runner-up.

Even the most dedicated triscadecaphobic would no doubt appreciate the attention to detail in both the prepping and presentation of dishes. Neither light nor space are lacking in this tasteful, foliage-filled, open environment, sandwiched between an industrial cement floor and a high, beamed ceiling. An immense wooden table that runs half way down the Jeanne-Mance side is a good way to meet people, or seat 20 of your closest friends.

Misanthropes, on the other hand, can simply park it at the window with laptop in tow, browse the shelves stalked with gourmet Italian goods, or garner a few cooking tips from the Barefoot Contessa and other aficionados courtesy of the Food Network.

Whether for a full meal, or for coffee and cake, Tredici wins hands down in both the café and resto categories. Pity the eatery isn’t open longer for dinner!