A Taste Of LA Rustica: Is It Alki Or Is It Italy?

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

XX 1/2 La Rustica, 4100 Beach S.W., West Seattle (932-3020). Dinner ($6.95-$16.95) 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday; until 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday. Beer, wine, major credit cards. No smoking. Reservations for parties of six or more. -----------------------------------------------------------------

I first discovered La Rustica while walking with a friend on a sunny Saturday afternoon along Alki Point. The little blue clapboard restaurant nestled on the corner, with a sweeping view of the Puget Sound, reminded me of the neighborhood trattorias I found while hiking through coastal villages in Italy. We settled in by the window and ordered glasses of crisp Frascati wine ($3.50). The smell of garlic sizzling in olive oil drifted into the tiny dining room from the open kitchen. The view from our little glass-topped table rivaled any Italian vista.

All of this in West Seattle, just a few blocks away from the hectic Alki beach scene? As it turned out, we had stumbled onto a neighborhood secret. La Rustica fills up most nights by 7 p.m. with casually-dressed West Seattlites. The cozy dining room, with its exposed brick walls, cascading ivy and empty wine bottles lining the windowsills, is no bigger than most living rooms. If you have to wait for a table, be patient: Owner Giulio Pellegrini does all the cooking himself. In nice weather, there's extra seating in a new outdoor courtyard decorated with an ivy-covered trellis, candles and pots of pink petunias.

A seasonal treat

Choosing among a quintet of antipasti dishes was a challenge. Mozzarella Caprese ($6.95) is an outstanding seasonal dish, combining thinly-sliced tomatoes and rounds of fresh mozzarella doused in olive oil and drizzled with basil pesto. Calamari al Salto ($6.95), tender squid sauteed in olive oil, garlic, lemon, parsley, basil and chili flakes, is also tempting. One bowl was ample for four of us, along with a platter of Bruschetta al Pomodoro, ($3.95), a traditional Italian snack of toasted bread rounds, rubbed with garlic and heaped with diced tomatoes.

Generous house salads come with all the dinners, but we were eager to try one of the special salads on the menu, so two of us split an Insalata di Spinachi ($7.50) as an appetizer. A dinner-plate-size helping of fresh spinach arrived, topped with chopped tomatoes, baby shrimp and a warm vinaigrette sprinkled with bits of smoked prosciutto. The salad, along with warm fingers of freshly-baked, lightly-salted focaccia bread that appear on every table, could have been a meal on its own.

Pasta at La Rustica is classic stick-to-your ribs Southern Italian fare. Piquant red sauces and cheeses are the basic building blocks for authentic renditions of traditional dishes. Penne alla Puttanesca ($9.95) is a zesty dish with just the right amount of garlic, capers, black olives, oregano, basil and anchovies. Penne alla Norma ($8.95), a signature Sicilian pasta dish, arrives studded with chunks of grilled eggplant moistened with a light marinara sauce spiked with capers and black olives. Rigatoni ai Quattro Formaggi ($8.95), pasta tossed with gorgonzola, mozzarella, parmigiano and mascarpone, a sweet, creamy Italian cheese, will appeal to cheese-lovers, but I found it heavy and too much of a good thing.

In addition to the pastas and four pizzas on the regular menu ($6.95-$8.50), La Rustica creates a few nightly specials and two gnocchi dishes. The thumb-print-shaped dumplings made of potatoes and flour come tossed with sweet onions, butter and saffron ($9.95) or with mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce ($9.95). Both are dishes I'd order again. The pizzas are big enough for two, and the dough is homemade which means it's yeasty and chewy, not crispy as some might expect.

Elaborate specials

Specials are ample and elaborate such as a whole, roasted quail served on creamy polenta moistened with a mushroom vinegar ($16.95). Pellegrini says he will be changing the menu soon to add chicken, meat and seafood dishes. Look for such favorites as Veal Ciociara, a regional speciality adapted by Pellegrini from his hometown of Ciociaria near Rome - veal stuffed with prosciutto and mascarpone, and topped with a sauce of garlic, olive oil, Marsala wine, lemon and when available, chanterelle mushrooms, handpicked by Pellegrini from a favorite spot in Bremerton.

It's hard to finish a meal here and still find room for dessert. I've tried a couple, and recommend the nicely-crackled creme brulee ($4.95). The sweetest memory of La Rustica, however, was lingering near the window over coffee, gazing at the sunset and thinking of Italy. t----------------------------------------------------------------- Times staff reviewers make visits to restaurants anonymously and unannounced. They pay in full for all food, wines and services. When they interview members of the restaurants' management and staff, they do so only after the meals and the services have been appraised. They do not accept invitations to evaluate restaurants.