Tredici Enoteca: Zavino's snazzy sister

"Zavino's sophisticated sister" is how Greg Dodge bills his Tredici Enoteca (114 S. 13th St., 267-928-2092), opening Monday, Nov. 30 on the southwest corner of 13th and Sansom Streets in Midtown Village.

The wine bar was developed, Dodge says, as a waiting room for the original Zavino, his pizza/wine bar across the street, now four years old. The immediate vicinity is one of the restaurant-richest areas in town, with Capogiro and El Vez on the opposite corners, and such popular spots as Jamonera, Barbuzzo, Lolita, Sampan, Vintage, Raw, Charlie was a sinner., and the forthcoming Double Knot all within 50 yards.

Tredici's look is refreshingly sexy and grown-up: No Edison bulbs, reclaimed wood, mismatched tableware, or random knickknacks.

John Weckerly of BoxWood Architects and Dodge borrowed a bit for the chic-meets-vaguely-industrial design, which includes an eight-seat bar and five-seat raw bar. There's the open steel shelving and lavish use of light marble from the Zavino location in University City, augmented by curved Italian glass that caps an overhang at the bar, white oak herringbone floors, and large antique mirrors. Floor-to-ceiling doors open on the 13th Street side, facing Zavino. A 20-seat horseshoe-shape dining room, which can be used for private events, includes a TV tucked among walls full of photos.

Custom upholstered, swiveled bar stools - which are a rarity - were inspired by those at Cecconi's in L.A. Dodge says he and Weckerly visited the West Hollywood hot spot. While Dodge sipped, Weckerly whipped out tracing paper and got the dimensions down.

The menu by chef Carlos Aparicio is a collection of Euro small- and medium-plates - no pizza, of course - such as mushroom toast, crispy chicken, bacon-wrapped dates, crudo, a few salads, four pastas, and six meat/fish dishes (all $18 and under) including scallop skewers, lamb chops, and pork Milanese. Dodge's wife, Emily, contributed her falafel recipe for a Mediterranean tasting board that also includes hummus, vegetables, and Tuscan bread.

Ambitious wine program, which encourages sampling, offers wines in one-eighth bottle and quarter-bottle pours, basically a 3.17-ounce half glass and 6.34-ounce full glass. Figure on $10 to $14 for a full glass of most reds and whites. A cruvinet has six premiums for by-the-glass pours, including a 2011 Jean-Louis Chave syrah, a 2013 Caymus cabernet sauvignon, and a 1987 Rioja Blanco from Lopez de Heredia.

The name, of course, is 13 in Italian.

It's first-come, first-served, with reservations only for parties of seven or more.

It is open for dinner only nightly. Lunch will begin in January.