Aurelio Quian Lopez is the new chef at Spritz, the restaurant that opened in November 2021 with Canada’s Top Chef winner René Rodriguez at the helm. Many of Rodriguez’s dishes remain on the menu. Some of them are very good.

We start with two tartares: steak and salmon. Both are competent and prettily plated with a side of mixed leaves, but they miss the bullseye with seasoning — the balance of acid and salt was off. However, a simple bruschetta was joyful in its simplicity, featuring sweet seasonal tomatoes, a hint of garlic, briny black olives, excellent olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and gratings of fresh parmesan.

For our main courses we pass on the wood-fired pizza and Tomahawk steaks for two, which we see arriving at nearby tables on wooden boards, piled high with rosy-pink meat and mountains of house-made French fries. Instead, we opt for mushroom risotto, a cod dish with truffle mashed potatoes, and spaghetti cacio e pepe. The risotto was good enough, rice still firm and with plenty of mushrooms hidden in the grains, but the promised truffle and sage flavours are missing. The cod fillet is dry, and while the mashed potato boasts aromas of truffle — capers and black olives add a good briny hit — the whole plate would be improved with a sauce. Cacio e pepe is prepared tableside in a giant parmesan wheel, a bit of showmanship that adds to the fun. Our server used a flame to soften the inside of the cheese, before adding the pasta, which results in a creamy, cheesy plate of piping hot goodness, perfect for a fall evening.

When it came to dessert, a first for me: sweet pizza. Glistening with apples, melted brown sugar, and cinnamon, with lashings of butter, the dough is lightly blistered. The pie was gone in minutes. It’s a perfect sharing plate to end a meal with highs and lows.

As befits a restaurant called Spritz, the cocktail menu boasts 17 options. My guest enjoyed his Dark and Stormy, which arrived in an attractive copper Moscow mule mug; my own lavender and lemon spritz with gin, prosecco, syrup, and hits of lemon was excellent. The wine list is extensive and interesting with something for every wallet. A generous glass of pinot noir arrived with no fanfare and no questions about serving size.

Service at Spritz is friendly, attentive, and kind. Food arrives with just the right delay and our request to turn up the heat a little got immediate attention. Spritz offers a lovely, open dining space with booths, tables, high tops, and bar seating. There are twinkling bottles suspended over the bar, dark metal and leather accents, and great lighting. It’s high style for a cheerful evening on the town.

25 Allee de Hamburg, Gatineau. SpritzResto.com