LA Fontana Gives Seattle A Little Taste Of Sicily

----------------------------------------------------------------- Restaurant review

XX La Fontana Siciliana, 120 Blanchard St., Seattle. ($$) Lunch ($4.95-$10.95) 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. weekdays; dinner ($9.95-$16.95) 5:30-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. Beer, wine. Major credit cards. No smoking. Reservations: 441-1045. -----------------------------------------------------------------

Most people's idea of Southern Italian food is spaghetti and meatballs and big hunks of garlic bread served by someone named "Mama" in a big room decorated with plastic grapes and Chianti bottles dripping with candle wax.

Few local restaurants do much to raise those expectations. Even fewer delve deeply into the specialties of a specific region with the gourmet flare of its tony neighbors to the north.

Seattle then is lucky to have La Fontana Siciliana, a discreet two-room affair tucked into a corner alcove that was formerly Vonnie's Garden Cafe in the Humphrey apartment building.

There's only one spaghetti dish on the menu, and no one answers to "Mama" here, but there is owner Mario Fuenzalina, dapper in black leather bow tie and pony tail, as he wanders among the handful of antique library tables and translates the Italian on the menu. Cozy as a living room, the restaurant fills up quickly, especially when a private party books the back room.

Where's the cannoli?

La Fontana was opened eight months ago by Fuenzalina, a former manager and waiter at La Dolce Vita. La Fontana bills itself as a Sicilian restaurant, a bold move considering those who recognize regional differences will notice a few shortcomings: desserts, for example. Sicily is known for its sweets. Where's the cannoli, the cassata, the zabaglione, I wanted to know when the waiter offered tiramisu. But this is a minor criticism. Any Southern Italian restaurant brave enough to put three couscous dishes on the menu deserves kudos for being true to its regional roots.

Couscous, a typical North African grain dish made from coarsely ground semolina flour or millet steamed over bouillon and served with lamb and vegetables, is also a traditional dish of Trapani, the Arab-influenced Sicilian coastal city.

Stopping by our table to answer a question about the wine, Fuenzalina recommended his favorite dish, Couscous Salsiccia made with homemade lamb sausages. "I could eat them all day," he sighed. Then he was off to fetch his last bottle of a 1990 Brolio Chianti Classico ($18). He returned with a silver corkscrew and an antipasti plate ($5.95) heaped with slivers of sweet red and green bell peppers fried in olive oil, tiny mushrooms topped with pesto and tomato sauce, smoked eggplant and curls of roasted zucchini.

"The zucchini is my own recipe," he said, uncorking the wine and explaining his technique. First he roasts raw slivers of zucchini in the oven, then applies a dressing of olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and parmesan. This was the best of the appetizers, and I made a mental note to try it at home.

Impressive couscous

Couscous Saliccia ($12.95) indeed was impressively presented in three different dishes - one containing the finely textured grain topped with three sausages the shape and thickness of stubby cigars, raisins, garbanzo beans and a dash of tomato sauce. The other two bowls contained sauces - one peppery hot and the other a heaping combo of diced tomatoes, carrots and celery in a light tomato broth. This was unlike any couscous I have ever eaten. It was light, flavorful and not too filling.

Pennette alla Siracusana ($9.95) is a pasta served with a traditional Sicilian red sauce made from fresh tomatoes, capers and anchovies. It has a peppery bite brought on by the tang of the anchovy, a Sicilian staple.

Ravioli di Carne con Pomodoro and Mascarpone ($11.95) was wonderfully silky in a creamy base concocted with fresh tomatoes mixed with this traditional Italian sweet cheese. Pollo Al Agglio Arrostito ($11.95), chicken with roasted garlic, was three generous, tender filets cooked in olive oil and white wine and finished with a light cream sauce, served with polenta and sauteed slivers of peppers and zucchini.

The only real disappointment was the Agnello con Figi Marsala ($15.95), six medallions of lamb marinated in Marsala wine, topped with figs and goat cheese and served with a side of roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary. The platter arrived sans goat cheese. Only after I noted the missing ingredient was it brought to the table and sprinkled atop the lamb.

I expected to see a few more traditional specialties on the menu - an addition of the traditional eggplant and vegetable caponata appetizer would be nice.

And next time I hope to find cannoli, the little cylinders of sweet pastry filled with cream cheese, honey and almond paste. Fuenzalina, whose father grew up in Palermo, told me he has added this dessert on weekends. But if you don't find it, I'd recommend settling in with a glass of sweet Marsala wine, and a second helping of Fuenzalina's charming hospitality. "I enjoy working the tables," he said. "I like to be around the people."