Déjà vu with delicious twist Appices return to Exchange District to reclaim, reinvent space that launched Tre Visi Tasting Notes
By: Eva Wasney Posted: 5:21 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/01/2024 (615 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opening Borgo Antico has been a homecoming for Giac and Susan Appice — quite literally, as the couple used to live in the third-floor loft above the McDermot Avenue restaurant while running Tre Visi in the early 2000s.

Giac has had to retrain some of his muscle memories in the new but familiar space.

“Sometimes I’ll lean against a fridge or a counter … and I’ll fall back because the counter’s not there anymore,” he says.

Although some things have stayed the same.

“I remember all the light switches,” he adds with a laugh. “I don’t know where they are in my house, but here, I know where all the light switches are.”

Giac opened Tre Visi with his parents in the East Exchange District in 1994. The restaurant was fashioned after a New York-style Italian eatery, with crisp white tablecloths, savvy servers and traditional pasta dishes.

It was an immediate hit with diners and critics alike; the Free Press’s Marion Warhaft gave the spot five stars on her first pass.

The family moved Tre Visi to its current home on Grosvenor Avenue in 2012, selling the Exchange District business but retaining ownership of the building. When their previous tenant, the Mitchell Block, announced its closure last year, the couple had a decision to make.

“We sat down and said, ‘What do we do? Do we put the building up for sale? Do we try and do something else?’” Giac recalls.

They were aware of the impact the pandemic had on the downtown business community but wanted to find out for themselves how the neighbourhood was faring. A night out was in order.

“This was last January, it was super-cold. ‘Let’s go down and see what the vibe is,’” Susan recalls. “We went to Nonsuch (Brewing Co. on Pacific Avenue) first — we couldn’t get in, the place was packed.”

It was the same story at every other stop. Parking was hard to find and the area’s bars and restaurants were full of patrons from a variety of demographics — theatregoers, professionals, students, neighbourhood residents and fine and casual diners. It was a fateful scouting mission.

“I said to (Susan), ‘I like this movement; I think we should go back into this location.’ If (the restaurants) were all empty, I would have hesitated,” Giac says.

The Appices sold their shares in Tre Visi to longtime partner Heather Neskar and set out to create an entirely new concept. New menu, new name, no tablecloths.

The interior of Borgo Antico — which translates to “ancient borough” — is warm and colourful with creative nods to pasta. Large circular wall art is made to look like the face of a pasta press and the paint palette is inspired by Paglia e Fieno, a dish made with yellow and green noodles often called “straw and hay pasta.”

While the surroundings have been updated, the 44-seat restaurant has the same number of tables in the same configuration as the former Tre Visi — a feature that has provoked a sense of déjà vu for some returning customers, Susan says.

“I do hear people say they feel like they’ve been here before.”

The large glowing bar is the centrepiece of the dining room and a source of curiosity for the owners. While offering a substantial wine list was a top priority at the new restaurant, cocktails were something of an afterthought.

It turns out Winnipeggers have an affinity for Italian-style aperitifs, such as negroni spagliatos and Aperol spritzes.

“One day, I made 19 Hugo spritzes,” Susan says, referring to a cocktail made with St‑Germain liqueur, prosecco, soda, mint and lime.

The food has been a similar adventure. In leaving Tre Visi, chef Giac said goodbye to the recipes he developed over the last three decades. Coming up with a new menu of casual-but-refined shareable dishes has been a rewarding challenge.

“It’s like starting to cook all over again. I had a new fresh start to try to do different things from scratch,” he says.

Since opening in November, the Appices have experienced a warm welcome back to the Exchange District. They’ve also fielded many questions about the second-floor lounge, previously home to Sensi Wine Lounge.

“That’s the million-dollar question,” Giac says, adding that while they’re not opposed to reopening the space, they’re also not keen to expand beyond their capacity.

“We’ll see how it goes.”

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney