Is the best-kept secret in town really a secret if everyone else seems to know about it?
The discovery of a new dining – or rather, sipping – destination is the focus of this installment of Food FAQ, as we dive into the sparkling depths of The Spritzeria.
I’ve not heard of The Spritzeria, either, so that makes two of us. What’s the scoop?
The name tells you everything you need to know.
Located in Red Bank, The Spritzeria is a cafe devoted to the Italian spritz, a cocktail made with prosecco, a bitter liqueur and soda water.
Co-owner Dru Galea describes it as a modern take on the traditional Venetian wine bar: a cozy neighborhood gathering place known for wine on tap, small sandwiches, lively conversation and the kind of intimate, shoulder-to-shoulder atmosphere often found in the narrow alleyways of Venice. Just as importantly, it’s a place designed for people to slow down, linger over a drink and enjoy one another’s company.
Red Bank is short on cozy neighborhood gathering places now that its Taco Bell has been razed for a rebuild. So where can I find this little oasis?
Red Bank might lack Venice’s narrow alleyways, but Dru and wife Julie Galea found an ideal home for The Spritzeria at the T-intersection of Signal Mountain Road and Dayton Boulevard.
There, a long row of storefronts sits improbably close to the street, separated from passing traffic by little more than a narrow sidewalk. If you’re arriving via Signal Mountain Road, be prepared for a quick right, an immediate left and then another left to slip behind the building, where you’ll be rewarded with the rarest of Chattanooga amenities: free parking. (A sincere thank you to the Galeas for not opening their spritzeria downtown.)
The Spritzeria sounds like an ideal place to unwind after work. When can I stop by?
Your instinct is correct. Dru says spritzerias are traditionally evening destinations, places to gather at the end of the day. In keeping with that custom, The Spritzeria is open from 4-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
Is The Spritzeria a standing-room-only affair, just as Dru described?
In my experience, timing is everything at The Spritzeria. My wife and I first stopped by around 6 p.m. on a Friday and quickly discovered that Dru’s description wasn’t an exaggeration. The patio was packed, and a crowd had gathered just inside the back entrance waiting for tables to open up.
Like patrons at traditional Venetian wine bars, many guests spilled onto the patio in search of a little extra elbow room. The Spritzeria offers several outdoor tables, but every one of them was occupied. Inside, the long bar was full, and so were the couple dozen tables that set Dru and Julie’s establishment apart from its Venetian inspirations.
So much for Red Bank’s best-kept secret. Remarkably, The Spritzeria had been open only three weeks.
Rather than wait, we decided to return on Sunday. This time, we arrived 10 minutes before opening to make sure we were the first people through the door.
Tell me more about spritzes.
As I noted earlier, a spritz is a classic Italian wine cocktail. According to Dru, its effervescent character and “pleasant bitterness” make it the quintessential aperitivo – a pre-dinner drink meant to stimulate the appetite and be enjoyed in the late afternoon or early evening.
Among the spritzes Dru and Julie have crafted are the Aperol Spritz (Aperol, prosecco, soda water and orange), the Hugo Spritz (elderflower liqueur, prosecco, soda water, mint and lime) and the Maltese Spritz (prickly pear liqueur, prosecco, vodka, soda water, mint and orange). In a nod to the region, The Spritzeria also serves an Appalachian Spritz featuring blackberry moonshine as its base spirit.
While spritzes are the star of the show, The Spritzeria’s beverage menu extends well beyond them, featuring red, white and sparkling wines as well as an assortment of alcohol and nonalcohol cocktails.
The drinks sound great, but what about the food? Is it an afterthought at The Spritzeria?
Not at all. While the drinks understandably command most of the attention, food is an integral part of the Spritzeria experience. The menu introduces Chattanooga diners to Maltese cuisine, which Dru describes as a fusion of Mediterranean, Italian and North African flavors.
Among the smaller offerings are Bigilla, a traditional Maltese dip made from fava beans, garlic, parsley and chili oil; Caprese Sticks featuring mozzarella, basil, cherry tomatoes and arugula; and Meatballs & Focaccia, a hearty combination of beef and pork meatballs, marinara sauce and Italian flatbread.
To truly experience what The Spritzeria has to offer, however, you’ll want to order a Gozitan Ftira (pronounced “FTEE-rah”), an open-faced pie from the Maltese island of Gozo. Made with traditional bread dough and layered with fresh ingredients, it serves as the culinary centerpiece of the menu.
Take the Calypso, for example. Its foundation is house-made bread that’s baked to order, as are all of The Spritzeria’s exceptional breads. The crust is then topped with creamy ricotta, goat cheese, Maltese sausage, thinly sliced potatoes, tomatoes, Parmesan, onions and fennel seeds.
The easiest way to picture a ftira is as a rustic flatbread pizza – though that’s selling it a little short.
What did you and your wife order?
On Sundays, The Spritzeria shifts to a slightly different menu with a greater emphasis on brunch. My wife ordered an orange-cranberry mimosa, while I opted for the nonalcoholic Zero Italian Orange Spritz.
To eat, we shared the meatballs & focaccia along with a ftira topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers. The latter wasn’t listed on the menu, but Julie generously offered to make one for us anyway.
The house-made bread alone was worth the trip. Add in the refreshing drinks and the heavenly pairing of cream cheese and smoked salmon, and it made for a memorable meal.
It certainly seems like Dru and Julie know what they’re doing. What’s their story?
Julie is American, but Dru grew up on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, a small archipelago located between Sicily and the North African coast. For years, the couple dreamed of creating a place that would bring a piece of the culture and lifestyle Dru experienced there to Chattanooga. The Spritzeria is the realization of that dream.
That connection to Malta is woven throughout the space. In one corner of the dining room stands a door modeled after the entrance to the couple’s home in Malta – a small but meaningful reminder that The Spritzeria is more than a business.
With that in mind, a fitting toast at The Spritzeria might be “Jiem aktar bil-mod” – Maltese for “Slower days.” Or, as we might say in the South, here’s to taking life a little easier.