If you’ve been dining on and around Main Street for a few years, you would have heard of – and have likely eaten at – Habit. Long popular for casual dishes like the carrot and brie pierogies, there was a collective sound of dismay when the resto closed down early last year. Sister restaurant Cascade next door was always more watering hole than eatery, and, for a while, the blank windows gave rise to speculation that (horror) a Starbucks might take over the space.
Luckily, owners Nick Devine, Wendy Nicolay and Nigel Pike (as well as silent partners David Nicolay and Rob Edmunds of Evoke Design) are a resilient and crafty bunch. Within a handful of weeks, Little Charlie’s Italian had opened up in its place.
“We looked at what the neighbourhood was missing and realized that there really weren’t any casual Italian bistros for locals until you get much farther north along Main,” explains Devine, a much-lauded and talented bartender who heads the beverage programs at all the restaurants, including El Camino’s up the street and The Union near Main and Terminal.
Devine’s cocktails are, in fact, divine. The Negroni is a stand-up shot of classicism, while the Camp Freddie, with housemade limoncello and raspberry coulis, is a fun twist.
Like The Union, Charlie’s is friendly without being over-solicitous, and the service is knowledgeable without being officious. The room had a redesign during its Habit days due to a 2008 fire, and not too much has been altered in the new space, apart from moving the bar to the front of the L-shaped room and painting a giant red-checkered mural on one wall. The deep, dark brown-leather tufted banquettes and booths are still around, as are the retro orange globe lights. And the music is equally unpretentious, a smooth mix of blues and rock that isn’t too loud for a family to enjoy some lively conversation while slurping linguine.
And speaking of linguine, the menu has gone through a few changes thanks to the recent addition of Dave Thielmann as restaurant chef under EC Tim Evans.
Gone are the lacklustre Roman gnocchi and in their place are spot-on antipasti like the salt cod and potato fritter with pickled red onions and mustard aioli. Linguine carbonara is rich with Two Rivers pancetta and a slow-cooked egg, and given the right amount of bang with lots of black pepper (a bit too much in some bites). The classic spaghetti and meatballs is kept simple, with beef and pork meatballs sourced from local farms resting over an earthy tomato sauce brightened with fresh basil.
The menu is good value for your dollar, with most mains around the $16 mark (nothing on the menu breaks $17).
All desserts are made by the Nicolays’ grandmother, Edna, and bear that wonderful, homemade stamp, like the dark chocolate flourless torte. Look for pizza in the coming week, thanks to the addition of a specialized oven (only three versions, but lots of toppings to play around with).
All ratings out of five stars.
Food: ★★★
Service: ★★★
Ambiance: ★★
Overall: ★★★
Open for dinner daily at 5pm, brunch Saturday & Sunday from 10am.
Charlie’s Little Italian | 2610 Main St. | 604-877-8582 | CharliesLittleItalian.com
The rating system:
★: Okay, nothing memorable.
★★: Good, shows promise.
★★★: Very good, occasionally excellent.
★★★★: Excellent, consistently above ave.
★★★★★: Awe-inspiring, practically perfect in every way.
Anya Levykh has been writing about all things ingestible for more than 10 years. Hear her every Monday on CBC Radio One’s On the Coast and find her on Twitter @foodgirlfriday and Facebook.com/FoodGirlFriday.
