La Vita è Bella: simply beautiful

Giuseppe Forte grabs a chair and plants himself at a sidewalk table, taking a break from pouring vino, pulling espresso and serving panini. Legs apart, apron dangling, he chats and smokes with a couple of regular patrons. A warm breeze sweeps down the street carrying the men's delightful Italian accents — and the fumes from their "Italian snack" — along with it. Seated nearby, I'm lingering after lunch under a broad green umbrella, sipping espresso, enjoying secondhand smoke and, for the first time ever, loving it.

Welcome to La Vita è Bella, where life, lived in the key of "low," is beautiful.

It's been four years since Forte and his pal Corino Bonjrada opened this little taste of Italy: a comfortable, colorful cafe strung with stained-glass lights and hung with photo glossies of Italian film stars. Four years since they began enticing and exciting Belltown condo-dwellers, Italian-accented regulars and others savvy enough to appreciate its multitude of charms. So where have I been for four years?

Newcomers like me will find that this place has it all: hours extending from early morning till late evening, accommodating service, a menu celebrating the owners' Sicilian heritage, and daily specials that make you fat and happy just listening to the descriptions.

Want an omelet in the a.m.? Corino's brother Fabio will make one for you, and he's an expert at pulling Caffé Umbria's exceptional espresso. There's an all-Italian wine list with 30-some wines by the glass, Moretti on tap and housemade cannoli — tasting just like the ricotta-filled pastries I used to eat in South Philly. The dessert list is bolstered with such imported Italian favorites as sorbetto-stuffed lemons and oranges.

As if that weren't enough, last summer these Sicilian soul brothers opened an adjoining pizzeria — a dinner-only operation sharing a common kitchen, a common wine list and a common goal: take straightforward ingredients, add a little amore, and let the flavors speak (Italian) for themselves.

In the pizzeria, viewed through louvered wooden shades, the air is heavy with the scent of yeast and char emanating from the pizza oven. Italian wines are stored in racks along the walls, single diners park themselves at a short counter and others gather at tables for a memorable meal. Here, Sicilian olive oil from Forte's family vineyards adds its fruity flavor to sliced swordfish with lemon and capers ($12.95). It dresses insalate Piedmonte, a spinach salad scattered with fine crumbles of Piedmont's famous export, Gorgonzola cheese ($7.95).

Sicilians, surrounded by the sea and its bounty, have a long-standing love affair with seafood cookery. That romance finds reward among the pizzeria's appetizers. When cozze meets vongole ($10.95), the mussels and clams release their nectar in an aromatic marriage of lemon, garlic and white wine. Polipo con patate ($10.95), marinated octopus, is delightfully chewy, briny with Kalamatas and textured with diced potatoes — the culinary equivalent of a seashore breeze.

Seafood tops pizza, making an appearance on the scoglio (mussels, shrimp and calamari, $14.95), and the tuna-touting Siciliana (paying homage to Sicily's affection for "tonno," $12.95). These are among 20 pies sold whole and uncut — with sharp knife provided. Each is rolled thin and crisp; some wear a rich, reduced tomato sauce.

Balance and restraint are the hallmark of the true pizzaiolo's product, and pizza-maker Agostino Trentacoste proudly waves his Italian flag, showing his true colors (basil green, mozzarella white, tomato red) in a pizza Margherita ($9.95). Those ingredients are echoed in his pizza Parmigiana, accompanied with Parmesan and eggplant ($11.95). An elegant pizza rugola ($13.95) stars Parm, prosciutto, creamy mascarpone cheese and arugula, while salame piccante ($11.95) lives up to its name, the cured meat scattered with dried red chili flakes so potent they brought tears to our eyes.

Over in the cafe, it's easy to get teary-eyed over such simple pleasures as grilled portobello bruschette ($5.95); light, prosciutto-and-béchamel-filled crepes ($9.95, dinner); rigatoni with a dreamy pesto sauce ($8.25 lunch/$10.95 dinner) or perfect panini. Those grilled sandwiches are extensively listed on the lunch menu but usually available any time.

Macrina's herbed baguette makes a crunchy canvas for the panini ($6.50-$8.95, depending on ingredients and time of day). Try the Sofia, stuffed with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil; the Sinatra, plumped with herbed chicken, tomatoes and lettuce; or the Benigni, saluting the effusive Oscar-winning actor with salami, provolone, eggplant, portobellos and roasted red peppers.

Minestrone ($3.25/cup), thick with fresh vegetables in an herbed broth, proved less than distinctive, as did the Caesar, devoid of anchovy kick, its dressing larded with what tasted like sour cream ($5.95).

But why go the been-there, ate-that route when you can try a tricolore salad ($8.95, dinner), where canellini beans dance with potatoes, tomatoes, red onion and hits of green olive and quality balsamico? Consider sharing insalate arancia ($9.95) — fresh orange slices frolicking with scallions, salty chunks of smoked salmon and olive oil. And caponata ($7.95) arrives as an unexpectedly warm and deconstructed version of the classic cooked-vegetable relish here at La Vita è Bella — where the food, and the mood, make life beautiful indeed.

Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or nleson@seattletimes.com