Verrazano's Has Much To Explore

May 1, 1992

John Hinterberger

XX Verrazano's, 28835 Pacific Highway S., Federal Way. Italian. Lunch ($7 to $10) 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Dinner ($9 to $25) 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; until 11 p.m. Friday, Saturday. View lounge, full bar. Major credit cards. Nonsmoking dining room. Reservations: 946-4122. --------------------------------------------------------------- If he had looked out the back window of Verrazano's in Federal Way, the ghost of Giovanni Verrazano would have seen the sweeping saltwater view, nibbled some Genoa salami and smiled with satisfaction.

Of course, he also might have said: "I knew it was there! The Sea of West Virginia!"

Verrazano, the Genoese who explored the waters off what is now New York in 1524 (and had a major bridge thereabouts named for him), drew a map of that coastline right, but placed the "Indian Ocean" somewhere near Wheeling, W. Va.

No matter. New Yorkers hold him in some regard (most of them regard anything west of Wheeling as no better than the Indian Ocean, anyway). And it was two native New Yorkers who started up Verrazano's in Federal Way.

Pete Fischer of Long Island and Ron Nacinovich of Brooklyn created this Northwest version of a Back East Italian restaurant in 1986, after having run a pizza joint in Des Moines three years prior. Neither originally was a full-time restaurateur. Transferred to the Northwest by the phone company, both are still employed by U S West.

What they reached out and touched was a place with a smashing view of the Sound, a vast, ambitious menu, some laudable pizzas, a great marinara sauce - and a volleyball court in full view of the back deck and lounge.

But there are deficiencies. The main entryway passes between opposing restrooms. And since they are well-scrubbed, the first thing you note is the heavy smell of industrial-strength cleaners and perfume.

The sliced "Italian" bread that comes quickly to the table has the internal texture of American white bread and almost no taste at all.

Salads that are an option (along with a couple of soups) are perfunctorially adequate and napped with dressings that were feeble.

A meal-opening bowl of lamb stew turned out to be a bowl of beef-vegetable soup. A few nights earlier, the minestrone suggested days-old leftover vegetables, with gritty small bits of what I thought might once have been meat.

But it's mostly, if not entirely, uphill from there. Order almost anything with the house red sauce. It's a sprightly, well-seasoned marinara, with bits of fresh basil and a lingering, lightly acidic finish of a robust tomato sauce.

I tried it first over a side order of meatballs ($3). I ordered them not because the main course of Eggplant Parmigiana needed any caloric augmentation (servings are almost comically massive), but out of curiosity.

The meatballs are huge - about the size of tennis balls - and with a good, zingy balance of herbs and spices. They are, however, somewhat dense; adding a bit more "filler" - i.e., bread or bread crumbs - would make them lighter and more appealing.

You might want to consider sharing a pizza as a starter - prices are from $9 for a basic 9-inch pie to $27 for an 18-inch consortium of "All the finest meats and veggies topped with fresh sliced tomatoes and pineapple."

We tried the Long Island Seafood pizza ($9.50 for a small) and liked everything about it except the seafood; a great crust, an engaging white sauce topping and some OK underlying clams. The canned or frozen shrimp and crab that made up the rest of the creation were salty as tears and almost as sad.

Eggplant Parmigiana ($10.95) is a basic peasant dish that is often abused and easily ruined by overcooking. But Verrazano's does it right. The eggplant is sliced thickly enough to hold its texture and shape, quickly fried to a deep golden brown and then topped with marinara sauce and baked under too much mozzarella cheese - which is, admittedly, better than too little.

The gargantuan, bubbling serving could easily have fed two or three. My only wish was that we'd had a decent slice of bread and some good olive oil to go with it. Seattle now is blessed with at least a half dozen quality bakers of Italian and French-style loaves - not all that far from Federal Way.

I liked the Cannelloni ($12.95). Ground veal (lots of it) and ricotta were enclosed in large rolled sheets of fresh pasta, seasoned well with fresh basil and parsley, and baked under a blanket of what the menu described as "Pomodori and Alfredo Sauce."

An Alfredo sauce is simply heavy cream and cheese; this appeared to be a typical Besciamella (flour, butter, milk and cheese): pleasant enough, and more traditional with cannelloni. The dish would have benefited from an added dollop or two of the "pomodori," so named from when tomatoes in Italy were indeed golden, if not apples.

Verrazano's Carbonara was a gorgeous combination of Prosciu-tto, Pancetta (Italian bacon), sun-dried tomatoes, cracked pepper and a cream sauce. Alas, the combination had lingered too long under warming lamps or in an oven. The whole affair was congealed.

The bar is lively; the view superb. The volleyballs are free.