Restaurants play name-change game

What's in a name (change)? Ask Luigi DeNunzio, who's changed the name of his long-lived ristorante La Buca — twice. First to Luigi's Grotto and now to DeNunzio's.

"The restaurant grows with my life," says DeNunzio, whose life has taken many turns since he opened his subterranean trattoria in Pioneer Square (102 Cherry St., Seattle; 206-343-9517) in 1992. He later expanded his little neighborhood empire with Cafe Bengodi (upstairs from DeNunzio's, at 700 First St.; 206-381-0705) and Brindisi (nearby at 106 James St.; 206-223-0042).

La Buca's first name change came after that big, boisterous outfit out of Minnesota, Buca di Beppo, (701 Ninth Ave. N., Seattle; 206-BIG-A-BUT) showed up in Seattle, making life difficult for DeNunzio and confusing for diners who apparently didn't know one Buca from another. "When Buca di Beppo came to town, everything came apart," DeNunzio recalls. "We lost our identity. All of a sudden, people were calling here wanting the 'Pope's Table' and food that was bigger and cheaper. I was lost!"

He found himself by renaming the restaurant Luigi's Grotto, which lived until May when it was rechristened DeNunzio's, honoring not thy father but his children: Adriana, 25, and Micah, 21, who've honed their skills in the dining room and kitchen under their father's guidance and have turned dad's restaurant into a family business. With the name change, says Luigi, the "kids" are carrying on the tradition of helping turn Pioneer Square into Seattle's own Little Italy. "I'm 50 years old," says the loquacious restaurateur. "What have I got? Another 10 years?"

What he's got is a daughter who doubles as restaurant manager — adept at hostessing, waiting tables, whatever needs doing, says her proud father. "She started here when she was 14, busing then waiting tables." And then she got fired. ("At the first piercing: her eyebrow!") Adriana went on to work for one of dad's competitors at Trattoria Mitchelli, which, in retrospect, he calls a "great experience." She then moved to Hawaii where she continued her restaurant career before coming home to papa.

Brother Micah keeps busy in the kitchen, where he's been "house-trained" according to his dad, by two Italian cooks. "He's much like me in many ways. He's very creative, has good energy, and he likes to cook." Come lift a glass of vino to la famiglia. DeNunzio's serves dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Jägermeister

Last week marked a name, menu and concept change for Szmania's in Kirkland (148 Lake St. S., 425-803-3310). Now called Jäger (think meister, not Mick), this 3-year-old restaurant and bar is putting a greater emphasis on drinks and offering a brave new menu to match.

Unlike Szmania's in Magnolia (3321 W. McGraw St., Seattle; 206-284-7305), which toes the line between casual bistro and fine-dining venue and remains a neighborhood favorite after 14 years in business, the Kirkland store failed to find the same receptive audience for chef Ludger Szmania's Northwest-inspired, German-influenced fare. Szmania attributes that fact to the distinctly casual dining scene in downtown Kirkland.

"I've always wanted to get a different kind of response from Kirkland," he says. "Here, we're still considered a destination restaurant, and I wanted to change that. People don't want to commit to a three-course dinner. They want a beer or cocktails and some appetizers." They'll get just that with the changeover to Jäger (pronounced "YAY-ger"), now home to a reconfigured bar and entranceway, new lighting and more obvious signage. "I want to be approachable and say, 'Come on in and have some food!' That's basically the whole theme, and that's where our new menu starts."

Enter a crop of "liquid chefs" schooled under the auspices of that master of mixology Ryan Margarian (who, as any barfly will tell you, looks as good as his drinks). Margarian is the mix mastermind at Kathy Casey Food Studios. Hired as a consultant, his concoctions are seasonally inspired and take creative license with fruits, vegetables and garnishes.

Perusing the bar menu I found my drink of choice: the Katana ($7.50), a mix of cucumber, sake and vodka garnished with raw ahi tuna and a wasabi pearl. The Katana is also listed as a "suggested drink" — paired with complementary items on the eats list, now divvied up into "fast," "medium" and "slow."

"Fast" translates as bar-happy food, heavy on the finger fare ($4-$9). "Medium" approximates appetizers ($9-$12) and includes such offerings as smoked duck and fresh mozzarella. "Slow" are entrees ($15-$28) spanning the realm of land and sea, with steaks, chops, chicken and seafood plus Ludger's famous jägerschnitzel, complete, as always, with spatzle and red cabbage.

Augmenting the dinner menu is a list of noshables and drinks available in the bar and on the patio. Early-evening happy hour features price-breaks on cocktails, beer and wine. Bar bites are half price from 9 to 11 p.m. Jäger is open 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tuesdays through Sundays.

Overseeing both restaurants as executive chef and running them with the help of his wife and business-partner, Julie, Szmania says he expects to divide his time equally between Jäger and Szmania's in Magnolia, where a mini remodel, to include an expansion of the bar, is scheduled for late summer. The Magnolia restaurant serves lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. Dinner is served 4:45 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 5 to 9 p.m. Sundays.

L-O-L-A is O-P-E-N

It might be a mixed-up, muddled-up, shook-up world, but that hasn't stopped Seattle's most visible restaurateur, Tom Douglas, from opening his latest restaurant as scheduled. Lola (2000 Fourth Ave; 206-441-1430), the Greek-accented newcomer in the recently refurbished Hotel Ändra debuted last week serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and a late-night menu daily.

What with restaurant makeovers on the rise and major restaurant openings on the wane, I'll admit to a great sense of excitement at the prospect of reviewing Lola. Stay tuned. Need an appe-teaser?

The dinner menu features Greek spreads (ooh, skordalia, $4); meze plates (bring on the octopus with pork belly, $10); grilled kebabs (lamb tongue with peach glaze, $11), tagines (for meat-eaters and vegetarians, $18-$25), whole fish (salmon, snapper, crab, rock cod, $25-$36); roasts, birds and meats (including braised rabbit with lemon and artichokes, $22, and a lamb burger with fries, $11). And for those who'd rather not choose, there's a multicourse "Big Dinner" ($42 per person with a two-person minimum).

Nancy Leson can be reached at 206-464-8838 or taste@seattletimes.com. More columns at www.seattletimes.com/columnists.