Bar Bricco is the second restaurant of Daniel Costa’s soon to be trifecta empire. This one specializes as a spuntini bar, aka. snacks/small bites/noshes. The place itself is tiny with only three tables and a reverse L-shaped wooden bar. At most, it has 28 seats but there is standing room along the front. Hence, the no reservation policy. Get here early if you want a prime seating spot.

We went on a Saturday evening (6:30pmish) and either due to the fugly weather or boxing match on that night, we had no trouble finding a place a seat at the bar. Hell yeah. No wait. That’s a win in my books. The interior is slick, modern and contemporary with two meat slicers gleaming behind the bar. Watch the staff work magic on those machines. It’s almost hypnotizing.

The bar setup gives the place a casual, relaxed ambiance. However, one complaint I had is with the hooks underneath the bar. Great that you can stash your coat and belongings away but they’re oddly spaced out. You’d think there’d be one every two seats but that wasn’t the case. Just a small but noticeable thing that I hope Bar Bricco fixes.

Aglianico ($48.00 bottle)
I’m no expert when it comes to wine but my one friend sure is. After getting a few recommendations from the barman, we decided to try out a bottle of red wine, the Aglianico. It was excellent paired with all of the food that we ordered.

Fennel, mint and pistachio salad ($14.00)
We thought it’d be a smart idea to order something light and refreshing. This was the only available salad option. A generous amount of pistachios (yummmmm), the mint was fresh but subtle and the fennel had a crisp, crunchy bite. The amount (read: filling) and quality actually justified the $14.00 price point.

Egg yolk raviolo, ricotta and boschetto al tartufo ($14.00)
My friend has been to Bar Bricco more times that I can count on two hands so I let her do the choosing. Before I tasted the egg yolk raviolo, she told me it was one of the best things she’s ate in her life. High praise. Especially from her. Let’s just say it lives up to the hype. One delicious raviolo topped with fried sage and sprinkled with ricotta cheese. Cut it open and watch that perfectly cooked, golden orange yolk ooze out. Smooth, creamy, and decadent.

Eggs moliterno ‘cacio e pepe’ and crostini ($15.00)
Rich, creamy, and indulgent is the best way to describe this dish. Similar in texture to the raviolo, the eggs moliterno is slow cooked and has a very smooth, velvety texture. Topped with truffle oil, cheese and pepper, this dish was bursting with flavour. You could really taste the truffle oil.

Salumi tasting plate ($26.00)
We were given five types of salumi to sample on our platter. We had (from center and rotating clockwise) the smoked pancetta, the prosciutto di parma (aged 16 months), mortadella, house-made porchetta, and black truffle salami. A generous portion of cured meats, all of which were excellent. Thinly sliced, aged and flavourful, this was more than enough for us to share.

Served with grissini (cheese breadsticks), house-made focaccia and warm bread. Our barman recommended eating the prosciutto with the grissini. Nice combo. The focaccia was unbelievably light and fresh. I’d easily buy a loaf to take home to enjoy.

Bar Bricco is a must if you haven’t been yet. It reminds me of the small, charming restaurants back in Montreal. Nice to see there are a few places in Edmonton that rise above the rest. Service is excellent, food is top notch and I will be back to stuff myself silly soon enough.

Bar Bricco
http://www.barbricco.com/
10347 Jasper Avenue
Edmonton, AB
(780) 424-5588