Café Zaffarano already a neighborhood classic
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When visiting a new restaurant for the first time, I'm occasionally assaulted with the sweet smell of success. It's a powerful scent. One I wish I'd come across more often.
That "scent" has to do with a restaurateur's ability to create a mood to equal the food. It speaks to the confluence of taste and talent that matches the right chef with the right menu and the menu's price point to the restaurant's location. It's often embodied by a front-of-the-house presence — an owner or manager who brings a solid sense of devotion to the job. These factors work in sync to draw in patrons and, more importantly, draw them back.
Café Zaffarano, resting in the shadow of West Seattle's Admiral Theater, has that scent.
This welcome newcomer is whitewashed and winsome, all hardwoods and indirect lighting, with an inviting little bar taking up the short span of an L-shaped room. Zaffarano's focal point is an imposing wood-fueled oven, central to an open kitchen with counter seats poised along a cantilevered corner.
Running that kitchen is chef Vince Camarda, whose Italian-accented menu promises antipasti, pizzas, pastas, fresh seafood and a complement of grilled, roasted and braised meats. In the dining room — leading a friendly, casual service crew — is managing-partner Vito Montanarelli, a West Seattle resident who literally knows his neighborhood clientele.
On my initial visit, we were greeted at the door, told our table would be ready momentarily and offered a seat in the bar. We quickly found ourselves sipping cocktails while taking in the scenery: women sharing laughs and a bowl of pancetta-laced clams at one of the few bar tables; gents verbally sparring with the bartender, a seasoned pro dressed in a crisp white shirt and tie; Vito escorting an elderly woman and her entourage to the door before returning to let us know our table was available.
Cloistered in one of the high-backed wood booths that line either side of the dining room, we dipped good bread into fruity olive oil while perusing a fairly priced wine list evenly distributed between Italian and West Coast labels — the latter including those from Andrew Will Winery, owned by the chef's winemaking brother, Chris Camarda.
Listen up for the specials. On various visits I lucked into tender calamari, marinated and chilled ($6.95); a tangle of balsamic-splashed pasta bearing fresh morels ($13.95); and a beet-lover's salad composed of arugula, roasted beets and a generous slice of Point Reyes blue cheese ($7.50).
One night, those beets and blue cheese played a bit part on the antipasto plate ($9.95), alongside prosciutto, coppa, herbed ham, aged provolone and pecorino. Also on board were olives, roasted peppers and chilled chicken wings that tasted like something the chef might have found had he raided his Nonna's fridge in search of leftover cacciatora.
I liked, but was not enamored of, Zaffarano's thin-crusted pizzas ($8.95-$9.95), though the many children seen enjoying them here would surely beg to differ as they tasted the rich tomato sauce and took care that the bubbling mozzarella didn't burn the roofs of their mouths. Parents, happy to find high-quality pizza on the children's menu ($4.95) in a place where children are most welcome, will have no complaints either.
A trio of fresh Pacific prawns is an expensive starter worth the price ($11.50). Salted, peppered and perfumed with lemon, the prawns are grilled in the shell to retain their natural juices. These would make a fine precursor to one of two steaks listed, along with a two-fisted burger ($9.95), in a mini-menu-section titled "Vinnie Z's Admiral steak house."
Vinnie Z is no fictional character; he's Vince Zaffarano, who's lent his name and financial backing to this enterprise. Yo, Vinnie! Thanks for the terrific New York steak ($23.50). Sauced with a deep reduction pert with green peppercorns, its crust gave way to a finely marbled pink interior.
Another meaty must-have was roasted chicken breast oozing with fontina cheese and artichoke hearts ($16.95), a zaftig zinger with hits of Meyer lemon tucked under its wood-oven-bronzed skin.
Those who prefer seafood might opt for a red- or white-sauced linguine vongole ($13.95) — the latter a cream-based, basil-beribboned, garlic-tinged nest of fresh pasta and Manila clams. Or turn to the day's seafood specials, knowing they'll fare well with the likes of halibut sauced with tiny, creamy Egyptian lentils ($19.50). They might also sample that halibut alongside herb-sauced sea bass, grilled prawns and clams on the frequently offered "mixed grill" ($19.50).
Most entrees feature a supporting cast of exquisite organic vegetables. These take center stage on the "Grilled Vegetable Plate" ($13.95) and might include winter squash with skins roasted to edible sweetness; bright, slender green beans; and chubby nubbins of crisp roasted potatoes that should be the standard by which all roasted potatoes are judged.
Those who judge a restaurant by dessert would do better with the vanilla-scented crème brûlee than the ho-hum fallen chocolate soufflé (each $5.95).
If, as I suspect, Café Zaffarano becomes a lasting neighborhood haunt, it won't be the first such success for co-owner Peter Lamb, the man who helped bring two Seattle classics — Il Bistro and Queen City Grill — to life. Marrying Il Bistro's Italian flavors with Queen City's urban sensibilities, Café Zaffarano brings the best of both to West Seattle.
Nancy Leson: 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com
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