RON SWARNER: OPENING NIGHT >>>
il Trattoria di Merende is a wonderful restaurant but before you make reservations for tomorrow night, you need to know one thing. Jeff Bishop and Ian and Julia Martin-Lombardi’s brand new place offers Italian rustic cuisine, not Italian-American food. You won't be able to order overloaded platters of red sauced spaghetti and meatballs. Don't ask for lasagna. There's no grated cheese shaker on the table and you probably won't go home with tomorrow's lunch.
Daniel Blue and I stopped by Merende (meaning “small bitesâ€) opening night â€" Thursday, Dec. 11 â€" in downtown Tacoma (former Vin Grotto space). The menu is, of course, Italian â€" flat breads, pasta and carne with special emphasis on small plates to be shared. They offer locally produced, organic ingredients as much as possible inside a sleek decor with straw and terracotta colors, brick down the north side, blue under-lit bar and modern lighting.
Merende's small bite plates are designed to drive your taste buds wild. Warm mushroom risotto ($6) is so creamy it's like a sauce. Other small bites include top-notch sautéed calamari calabrase, white bean salad and garlic seared white prawns.
Merende does serve tagliatelle with ragu alla bolognese ($16) but the dish is deep, complex, and delicious. We "oohed" and even "aahed" over the fig jam, Rogue Valley Gorgonzola and proscuitto served on a crackery flat bread ($12) â€" sweet, yes, but balanced with the salty proscuitto.
I composed my next dinner visit mid meal: Sicily's eggplant dish Caponta with the arugula and frissee salad, followed by the Barolo beef short ribs. Be still my heart!
The wine list isn't encyclopedic â€" what a relief! â€" but it contains true gems among the 15 whites, 19 reds and 11 limited wines. We chose the Barolo "Castiglione" 2004. It sang an aria so moving it stopped our conversation mid-sentence.
Merende is a treat because you don't have to face any odd architectural wonders or bizarre ingredient pairings: just thoughtfully presented dishes that ring clear and pure. As Mr. Blue remarked, "Man, this is so goooood!"
There's room for the generally light desserts ($5-$7), but we skipped the seven items for a nightcap. I have my eye on the Caprese torta for next time.
[il Trattoria di Merende, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, 4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 4-10 p.m. Sunday-Monday, 813 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.722.1993]
