Tre Voci Hits the Right Notes

The first thing you notice when you walk into Tre Voci is the fireplace—welcoming on a cold winter night. The second thing you notice when you are seated is that the tables are widely spaced. You don't have to listen to your neighbors.

The third thing you notice are the prices—reasonable. And then you get to the food that is so good it makes the prices look like bargains, particularly since they have extended the restaurant week special of three courses for $20 for another three weeks.

"We want people to get to know us," George Zahakos said.

Tre Voci, three voices, has three owners. Zahakos, who runs the front of the 90-seat house, Alberto Astarita, who presides over the kitchen, and Damiano Pascale, who spends most of his time at his restaurant in New Milford but as the third investor, provides advice and counsel.

All three are veterans of the restaurant business who decided they could make a go of it in a space—the back of the old Woolworth store—where three other restaurants have failed. They also decided to do it in the middle of a recession.

"In all difficult situations, there are opportunities," Zahakos said. He said he got a good deal on the lease, but what he can't get is a decent sized sign outside so people can spot the restaurant easily.

"The difficulty is getting things approved," Zahakos said. "I've had four different sign companies in here, and then they just disappear when they see the [village] bureaucracy involved."

Despite the recession, he said one sign company told him, it just wasn't worth going through the paperwork in Ridgewood.

So since it opened Black Friday, Tre Voci has had temporary paper signs in its windows. For the record, it is just a few doors down on Chestnut Street from Ridgewood Avenue—look for the red awning. 

You can also order a takeout dinner at its Web site, but it is such a pleasant space, we aren't particularly tempted by takeout. The menu is basically Italian with a Tuscan influence and some American flourishes.

"We realize not everyone wants to eat Italian every night," Zahakos said. Tre Voci also has a children's menu with the inevitable chicken fingers and mac & cheese along with cheeseburgers, mini pizzas and mozzarella sticks, and some large round tables, which are nice for family parties.

One of the criteria my partner and I use to rate a restaurant is bread. Do they care enough to give you something good? There are no worries at Tre Voci. In Astarita's kitchen, the bread is made on the premises to his specifications and it is very, very good.

We started with the calamari, another test. We've had better, but we've also had much worse, and this came with a very nice touch—fried carrot and zucchini sticks that were so good even finicky kids might eat them.

Since I chose an entrée that didn't come with a salad, I went for the baby arugula salad with crumbled blue cheese, toasted pine nuts and roasted beets. This was nicely done, not too big and not too small with just the right amount of balsamic dressing.

My partner had the house salad that came with his entree and was able to get his favorite ranch dressing. For an entrée, he went for pappardelle with shrimp, peas and arugula in Alfredo sauce, which turned out to be an excellent choice, and again, the portion was just right.

I wanted to see what a Tre Voci burger was like. You choose the cheese (or not) and it comes with lettuce, tomatoes and bacon, on a house-made brioche bun. And while the cheeseburger was very good, it was the bun that lifted it out of the ordinary and made it extraordinary.

"I sample those brioches all day long," Zahakos told me in an interview the next day. "I can't stay away from them."

We were too full for dessert, but judging by the smells emanating from the ovens in the kitchen the next day, we should have made room.

Brick oven pizza is on the menu and likely to stay there, although Zahakos and Astarita plan on a lighter menu for spring. The Bolognese-style lasagna in a béchamel sauce may be replaced by spinach lasagna "or we may decide to keep both," Zahakos said.

The Bolognese lasagna was introduced to the kitchen by Massimo Lucchini, a Tuscan chef who came over to help launch the restaurant, and has become a customer favorite.

Some of the pasta dishes are definitely on the way out. "We thought we'd start with a longer list and see what people liked," Zahakos said. More salads are on the way in.

"People are trying to eat healthier and lighter today," Zahakos said. And there are lots of fish entrees on the menu, along with classic chicken, pork, veal and beef dishes. You can check the menu on the Web site.

One of his worries is a lack of parking. "In good weather, people are willing to walk a few blocks, but not when it's cold," Zahakos said. Chestnut Street has many restaurants and one parking lot that fills up quickly. On busy weekends that can spell trouble if a party with a 6 p.m. reservation doesn't get started until nearly 7, because some patrons can't find a parking spot. 

And that's why, he said, the three partners did not consider bidding for a liquor license Ridgewood was auctioning for more than $500,000. "That's a very expensive investment without parking," he said.

But he also added, "People around here like to bring their own bottles." Yes, we do. It makes a meal out more affordable. And a visit to Tre Voci is worth the hunt for a parking space.

Food: Excellent

Service: Excellent

Entrée Price Range $11-$20

Atmosphere: Very Pleasant

BYOB

Credit Cards Accepted