Written By Guest Writer Coffee & Tea / Libations Feb 14, 2011 Tre Fantastico Opens at the Parkside SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter Pinterestimage: a barista at work at the new Tre FantasticoCoffee doesn’t stunt your growth, especially when you’re Caffe Fantastico. They started slinging ‘spro from a tiny cart on Government street, bust open a roastery location in Quadra Village, and promptly tucked into a tiny alcove of the Cook Street food court. Then they stretched across the bridge to the Dockside Green, and for a few years it seemed that Fantastico had settled down.But Ryan and Kristy Taylor, the husband-wife team behind the brand, decided that coffee wasn’t the only thing they enjoyed. They opened TRE Fantastico in mid-October, and the beautiful new location operated in a soft-opening mode during a fourteen-week battle with the liquor board. License obtained, compact kitchen stocked, menu planned, the only thing to do was christen the space with a bottle of wine. Or several, in the case of Thursday’s Grand Opening.Located at 810 Humbolt street in the swank new Parkside building, TRE Fantastico’s décor compliments the posh neighborhood and nods to their community and environmentally conscious roots: the tables are reclaimed wood, the bar is pressed recycled glass. The art is by a local painter who has displayed his work with the company for years. Though the space is aesthetically different, the service and knowledge remains consistently informative and relaxed. TRE is simply another home for Fantastico customers; another place for the neighborhood to meet. But the menu? The local beers and wine list? Those are certainly new.Determined to exalt local bounty, the Taylors collaborated with chef Kerry Park to come up with a menu that exhibited an Island approach to eating. Home-style eggs-and-beans for breakfast; Penneziti with truffle oil, peas, and Manchego for lunch. The menu had even incorporated child-friendly options that are both nutritionally conscious and price-scaled. The attention to comfort combined with the celebration of good company is the heart of TRE Fantastico. Just as their other locations encourage community over coffee, TRE promises to perpetuate conversation with the help of a glass of wine and a Choux Choux Charcuterie cheese board.The grand opening saw miniature versions of menu specials. Coin-sized Callebaut cupcakes as an homage to their chocolate cake and signature dark-chocolate mochas. Pork and blue-cheese sliders with house-made sauerkraut with some Driftwood Ale for sustenance and indulgence, followed by delicate citrus-cured gravlax that guests hoarded behind their glasses and cocktail napkins.“Are you nervous? I asked Kerry as he feverishly piped ganache onto the cupcakes.“As nervous as I get about anything,” he replied with a wink. Pulled pork simmered on burners behind him and Manchego grilled cheese cooled to his right. Kerry is a fairly unflappable man.A cask of Swan’s Extra Special Bitters was opened in honor of the new space, and keeping with Fantastico’s legacy of reasonable prices, was offered at $3 for a 12oz glass. From outside the building, the upstairs cask-conditioning room is visible, and suggests a future haven for beer-philes.“It felt like a happening Tapas bar. Like you’d see in Europe.” Derek Allen, Fantastico’s roaster, said of the opening. “The party was great, but it was more so the space. The company. The nice comfortable bustle.”TRE is open Sunday-Tuesday 6:30AM to 5:30PM, and Wednesday-Saturday until 10PM. —Katie FritzbeverageCoffeeRestaurant Openings SHARE VIA: Facebook Twitter Pinterest Written By: Guest Writer We get many people writing guest articles for us, as well as past contributors. This is the Guest ... Read More You may also like Coffee & Tea / Victoria December 18, 2017 Level Ground Trading Moves Up to New State-of-the-Art Headquarters Victoria, BC – Level Ground Trading, Victoria’s Fair Trade pioneer, is moving from their current location in Central Saanich, to a larger ... Read More Coffee & Tea March 7, 2017 Is Your Coffee in Season? GROWING UP IN MANITOBA TAUGHT ME TO APPRECIATE SEASONAL fruits and vegetables. Unlike Vancouver Island, Manitoba has a brief growing season. All of ... Read More Coffee & Tea / Interesting Locals April 22, 2016 The Caffe Fantastico Story “A full of beans love story for owners Ryan and Kristy Taylor.” It’s a Thursday morning at Caffe Fantastico. You are standing in line ... Read More Coffee & Tea / First Look / Victoria December 23, 2015 Hide + Seek Coffee: A New Coffee Shop in Oak Bay If you are a visitor to Oak Bay village, you may have noticed the papered window in one of the empty stores in the historic Bell Block. In a clean, ... Read More Coffee & Tea August 10, 2015 An Interview with Oughtred Coffee’s Director of Coffee & Co-owner Michael Oughtred Oughtred Coffee & Tea has been roasting and selling coffee in Nanaimo since 1973. Over the years they have grown to serve much of Western ... Read More Coffee & Tea May 25, 2015 Nitro-Infused Coffee is THE Thing This Summer ... Read More Comments are closed.
Coffee & Tea / Victoria December 18, 2017 Level Ground Trading Moves Up to New State-of-the-Art Headquarters Victoria, BC – Level Ground Trading, Victoria’s Fair Trade pioneer, is moving from their current location in Central Saanich, to a larger ... Read More
Coffee & Tea March 7, 2017 Is Your Coffee in Season? GROWING UP IN MANITOBA TAUGHT ME TO APPRECIATE SEASONAL fruits and vegetables. Unlike Vancouver Island, Manitoba has a brief growing season. All of ... Read More
Coffee & Tea / Interesting Locals April 22, 2016 The Caffe Fantastico Story “A full of beans love story for owners Ryan and Kristy Taylor.” It’s a Thursday morning at Caffe Fantastico. You are standing in line ... Read More
Coffee & Tea / First Look / Victoria December 23, 2015 Hide + Seek Coffee: A New Coffee Shop in Oak Bay If you are a visitor to Oak Bay village, you may have noticed the papered window in one of the empty stores in the historic Bell Block. In a clean, ... Read More
Coffee & Tea August 10, 2015 An Interview with Oughtred Coffee’s Director of Coffee & Co-owner Michael Oughtred Oughtred Coffee & Tea has been roasting and selling coffee in Nanaimo since 1973. Over the years they have grown to serve much of Western ... Read More
2024 Issue / EAT Magazine News Jan 7, 2024 Fare Well IT WITH WITH PROFOUND sadness and regret that I write this final letter in the final issue of EAT magazine. The decision to cease publication is one ... Read More
2024 Issue / Magazine Jan 7, 2024 January | February 2024 Issue 28-01 The final issue of EAT magazine available ... Read More
Family / Food Events / Holidays May 9, 2013 Mother’s Day Food Memories This Sunday will be my first Mother’s Day without my mother. Since her death last June, memories have been bubbling up to the surface, and I’ve ... Read More