Pontevecchio -- This Bistro Is An Energy-Packed Slice Of Sicily In A Laid-Back Area Of Seattle

----------------------------------------------------------------- Pontevecchio, 710 N. 34th St., Fremont. Sicilian specialties. Lunch ($4.50-$8.25) 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and Sundays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Dinner ($9.95-$13.95) 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Beer, wine. Major credit cards. No smoking. Reservations: 206-633-3989. ----------------------------------------------------------------- SEATED ELBOW-TO-elbow at tiny marble-topped tables, diners at Pontevecchio are deep into conversation over plates of ravioli and bottles of red wine. A tall, blond woman in a bright, flowery dress, white sandals and glittering faux diamond necklace leaves her table in the back and weaves her way to the front of the cafe. Suddenly, she breaks into song. In a strong soprano, she launches into an aria from Puccini's "La Boheme" called "Musetta's Waltz."

In the scene, the beautiful Musetta sashays into a lively neighborhood bistro like this one filled with people laughing, talking and eating. She is on the arm of a wealthy older man, but her heart belongs to a poor but handsome painter brooding at one of the other tables. They've been quarreling so he ignores her, and she becomes furious.

Seattle opera singer Dejee Killian strolls from table to table, playing up the role of the flirtatious Musetta with a purposeful passion. As the story goes, Musetta, like Killian, knows everyone in the cafe, and finds it the perfect stage to try to win back the

artist's affection.

The setting is just the kind of place Michele Zacco, 36, had in mind when he opened Pontevecchio in Fremont a year ago. Tucked between the Puget Consumers Co-op and the Dandelion Botanical Company, his bistro is an energy-packed slice of Sicily in a laid-back area of Seattle. Hooked on Zacco's dense, dark homemade red sauce, regulars come nightly to eat, drink and enjoy live opera, tango dancing and classical guitar.

"I wanted a bistro di artiste," says Zacco, describing a bohemian-style bistro popular in Europe in the 1800s where a painter who couldn't pay for his minestrone could leave his painting behind.

"Of course, I have to bring a check to the table," Zacco adds.

On a busy night, it's cafe-as-theater in the living-room-size Pontevecchio, where a patch of worn linoleum near an upright piano becomes a stage. Tables are so close together that Zacco sometimes has to ask customers to pass plates of pasta to one another. On the bar is a little sign that says: "Pontevecchio reserves the right to refuse service to anyone not in love."

"It's like being in this warm, friendly Italian person's home with a bunch of people, singing and eating and having a good time," says Killian. She leads "Puccini nights" on Fridays with her husband, Robert Tangney, a member of the Seattle Opera chorus.

"The arias that you hear here at the ones I remember my mother singing as she was washing dishes," says Zacco, who was born in the Sicilian coastal town of Taormina. By 8 p.m. on many nights, Pontevecchio is filled, and people are waiting on the sidewalk or leaning in the doorway to hear the music. Zacco, in polo shirt, jeans, tennis shoes and a spaghetti-stained apron, works the room, uncorking wine, chatting with customers, then darting back to the kitchen to check on the dinners. He gave up teaching Italian to open Pontevecchio, and he does all the cooking, using his own recipes and some handed down from his mother Provvindenzia.

"When you think Siciliano," he says, "think when Italy meets the Middle East. Lots of lemon, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, grilled eggplant and always fresh basil at the end." This translates into renditions such as Capelli D'Angelo alla Norma ($9.95), a classic Sicilian dish of angel hair pasta dressed in a sauce of tomatoes, grilled eggplant, fresh basil and garlic and sprinkled with Ricotta cheese. Another is Salmone al Filetto di Pomodoro ($13.95), chunks of salmon sauteed with Roma tomatoes in a basil olive oil.

Zacco worked briefly at two local Italian places, Salute and Settebello, but has no formal restaurant training. "The real school was my mom," he says. "The kitchen was the only room in the house where I could find my mother. I still have memories of her picking me up and sitting me on the counter . . . Little by little, I would ask questions. Why the garlic at the beginning? Why the basil at the end?"

Zacco charms his customers switching back and forth between Italian and English while coaxing them to try his homemade espresso gelato ($2.90) or his special Carnevale di Venezia ($9.95), an antipasti of roasted yellow and red and green peppers bathed in extra virgin olive oil and garlic, tender portobellos, eggplant, fresh mozzarella, basil and tomatoes.

While evenings are hectic, lunchtime is slower and more relaxed. Neighborhood regulars stop in for coffee and panini sandwiches ($5.50) served in heart-shaped baskets.

Pontevecchio, Zacco explains, takes its name (translated it means "old bridge") not from the famous bridge in Florence, which is far from Sicily, but from the Fremont Bridge across the street.

"This is the bridge between my culture and yours."

Carol Pucci is the assistant business editor at The Seattle Times. Greg Gilbert is a Times photographer.

Michele Zacco's Capelli D'Angelo alla Norma

Serves 4 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 21 fresh basil leaves, slivered, divided 1 Italian eggplant, sliced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 6 Roma (plum) tomatoes, diced 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning 1/2 tablespoon Spanish paprika 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 pound Capelli D'Angelo (angel hair) pasta 1/8 pound Ricotta Salata cheese, shredded (purchase at a specialty food store)

1. Place the olive oil and 3 slivered basil leaves in a bowl; cover and refrigerate overnight. 2. Cut the eggplant without peeling into half-inch thick slices. Brush both sides of each slice with the basil olive oil; set the rest of the olive oil aside. Grill or broil the eggplant, turning often, until tender and brown. Cut each slice into six pieces; set aside on a plate. 3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining basil oil and the garlic on medium high heat until the garlic is golden brown. 4. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika and salt. Reduce heat to medium-low. Saute, stirring every two minutes until all the flavors are blended (about eight minutes). During the last two minutes, add the eggplant. 5. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil; add the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet, along with the remaining slivered basil leaves; toss lightly. 6. Sprinkle with the Ricotta Salata and serve immediately.