Tredici is anything but ordinary Italian food

• Name + address: Tredici, 105 A Clarence St.

• Diet: Meat, vegetarian

• Appetizers: $5-$17

• Mains:$22-$30

• Wheelchair accessibility: No

• Website: www.instagram.com/tredici.ottawa/

A few weeks ago I received an invitation to dine at a new Clarence St. restaurant, in the ByWard Market. 

It turns out that I had met the two chefs/owners, Matthew Bishop and Barry Moore, almost two years ago at a culinary competition in Orleans. 

At the time they were both head chefs at the two El Camino restaurants: Barry in the ByWard and Matt on Elgin. They had also created one of the nicer dishes at that competition. 

The sign above the door may read Guillotine Street Food, but once inside, pull on the black wooden bookcase ahead of you and walk downstairs.

Tredici (meaning 13 in Italian) is advertised as an Italian Goth restaurant and there’s no mistaking the decor: it’s atmospherically dark. The playlist featuring music by the likes of The Cure and Depeche Mode, along with the lit candles, only further enhances the retro feel and I’m old enough that it evokes memories of those old Hammer horror films.

The colour palette (for lack of a better term) is black and even extends to the dishes and flatware. It’s all very effective, but some diners may need assistance from the flashlight on their phones to read the menu.

Both Barry and Matt have worked at well-respected establishments throughout the city and bring proper techniques, but they also have a flair for twists on Italian classics. 

Their smokey Caprese salad for example, adds a seasoning you might not be expecting but not only does it add a bit of theatre, it actually works. 

The salad is brought to you under an opaque glass cloche which, when lifted, releases clouds of cherry wood smoke. The sweet and flavourful tomatoes had been slightly blistered on the grill and the cheese picked up a modicum of that smoke that worked so well with the lovely balsamic and olive oil dressing.

As a kid it was common for my mother to prepare roasted beef bones which I would then scoop clean of marrow with my dedicated tiny spoon. My love of bone marrow has never left me, but this evening, I would try a slightly different way of eating it.

The half bone comes roasted and topped with grilled vegetables alongside crostini made from their baked fresh daily focaccia. It was a treat, and you can add a shot of Jameson Irish whiskey for five dollars more to turn it into a “luge.” Hold one end of the bone to your mouth and pour the shot so it slides, releasing the remaining marrow. It worked like a charm.

Tredici offers a number of house cocktails, some of which are interpretations of classics but as far as I could determine, the Numero Fortunato was one of theirs. A deliciously refreshing blend of rum, limoncello, Aperol and egg white dusted with a basil/sugar powder for dramatic effect and a beautiful finishing accent.

The guys appear to enjoy putting their takes on some of the pasta dishes and with Matthew Bishop's Italian heritage, it’s perhaps understandable that, at this point in his career, he wants to be a little playful.

The menu has something called a smashed lasagna which is really deconstructed lasagna served with hand-torn pasta sheets. 

One dish we selected we upgraded to squid ink noodles which came served with chicken parmesan (again deconstructed) but was also described as coming with aglio e olio. Ordinarily this is a separate pasta dish of remarkable simplicity and deliciousness but here it was married to chicken and cheese.

While I generally eschew protein other than seafood with my pasta, the dish as a whole was tasty and delivered quality ingredients.

Another traditional Roman classic cacio e pepe (literally just cheese and pepper), while a very nicely done recipe, was just a little too outside the norm of what I was expecting.

This is another simple pasta dish involving plenty of black pepper, Pecorino Romano cheese, salt and butter. The cheese is finely grated and added to the cooked pasta with some of the remaining pasta water to form a creamy sauce. This is a dish about the quality of the cheese and pepper and it’s about technique.

The Tredici version was made using farfalle (bowtie) noodles as well as marsala wine and cream. Don’t get me wrong – add marsala to cream and pasta and I’m there seven days a week. 

In fairness the menu does indicate marsala cream and while I have a particular fondness for this Roman classic, I did inhale the Tredici interpretation and it was delicious. I think in this cold weather, the comfort of warm cream made me forget about tradition. This was also a fine pairing with the Bollini Pinot Grigio on their wine list.

We closed with a dessert of tiramisu and I added a martini latte (local Vodkow vodka, kahlua, espresso and panna) to complete the meal. 

The drink was perfect with the tiramisu, which may well be the least sweet and densest version of my life. It was incredibly satisfying and is rich enough for two to share.

Matt and Barry operate out of a small kitchen/bar space and it takes chefs of experience to know how to make these restrictions work. Where to store ingredients for easy access, what kind of prep to do before service, what kind of menu to build based on a limited space and many other considerations come into play to keep things efficient.

In an area dominated by food service restaurants Tredici, with its focus on clean cooking and a unique goth theme, is a very welcome addition to the culinary landscape.