Cafe Juanita Serves Extravagant Fare In Simple, Inviting Setting

Restaurant review

Cafe Juanita, 9702 N.E. 120th Pl., Kirkland. 823-1505. Visa, MasterCard, personal checks accepted. No smoking. Hours are 6 p.m. through 10 p.m. Monday through Sunday. Reservations strongly recommended. -----------------------------------------------------------------

There's a simple rule of thumb that should accompany any thoughts of dinner at Cafe Juanita: Think ahead and make reservations.

Drop by on a weekday evening and you might get lucky with a table. Stop by unannounced on a weekend night and you'll be told to come back in a week or two.

The staggering success of Cafe Juanita, a cozy Italian restaurant tucked away off a small side street in Juanita, goes back 17 years to when owner Peter Dow took over a tiny breakfast and luncheon joint just a few blocks away.

The cafe served basic, healthy "granola" fare until Dow was inspired to try Italian cuisine - the result of "The Food of Italy" cookbook he was reading at the time. Dow took the concept of authentic Italian cuisine to heart, making his own pastas and taking several trips to Northern Italy to study the cuisine.

Dow may not have a drop of Italian blood in him, but he is as close as it gets.

"I'm a closet Italian," laughs Dow, who is so hooked on the southern European country that he learned the language.

The new menu took off and in 1979 Down relocated his restaurant to its present location. The food at Cafe Juanita is extravagant. But Dow has worked hard to keep the restaurant's atmosphere inviting and comfortable. The surroundings are simple, complete with a cozy fireplace and several large picture windows that surround the dining room.

"I've tried to make it a comfortable place, not a dining experience," says Dow, who wants people to come in and feel at home without being intimidated by surroundings or the wait staff.

Dinner at Cafe Juanita starts with a basket of fresh rosemary-and-olive bread and a moment or two to scan through the extensive wine list that features more than 250 Italian wines. Then it's on to the starters - a selection ranging from salmon ravioli to steamed mussels in wine and garlic sauce.

The baked goat cheese comes wrapped in spinach and served with toast. Fresh roasted garlic also accompanies the dish, which is served family style and is plenty for two or three people.

A large chalkboard lists the day's entrees. The menu changes seasonally and some new items are added each week. The current one features lombata di maiale (thick cut pork with brandy mustard and sage butter, $15.50), fresh snapper (marinated in white wine with fresh herbs, $16), lasagna (made with Italian sausage and veal, $13.50) and spiedini misti (skewers of lamb sausage, Italian sausage, chicken breast and vegetables).

After much debate, I went with the coniglio con gnocchi (rabbit loin stuffed with almonds and ricotta cheese, accompanied by Italian dumplings, $16.50). My dinner companion opted for the saltimbocca di maiale, two pork medallions done in a white wine sauce with a touch of lemon and the pork juices to bring out the tangy flavor, $15.75).

The entrees started with a dinner salad loaded with chunks of blue cheese. A side dish of broccoli, onions, red peppers, cauliflower and other vegetables also accompanied the meal.

In contrast to the pork medallions, which were full of zip, the rabbit was mild, but perfectly enhanced by the almonds and ricotta. The gnocchi, Italian dumplings made with polenta and topped with fresh Parmesan cheese, were very rich and delicious. The restaurant also features gnocchi made with spinach and ricotta cheese, which Dow says is "to die for."

By far the most popular dish at Cafe Juanita is the pollo ai pistacchi, a boneless chicken breast marinated in cream and pistachios overnight and served in a casserole-style dish with diced

prosciutto and fresh Parmesan cheese ($13.50).

Meals at Cafe Juanita end with desserts ranging from the Ilona torte, a chocolate walnut cake that Dow says is held together by calories, to baked pears in red wine or Vashon Island strawberries, when they're in season.

That Cafe Juanita is so off the beaten path doesn't seem to discourage customers.

Dow attributes his restaurant's overwhelming success to luck and his "abnormal fetish" for product consistency.

"People know that if they have something here, they can order it again the next time and get the same dish," says Dow. "We never experiment with the customers.