But those affordable price tags can also mislead. Because secondi, like the chewy hanger steak with Walla Walla sweets and chunks of porcini or the tender grilled pork loin with roasted apricot and caramelized fennel, cried out for a starch, perhaps a pasta split between two diners. On another visit we demolished an unusually stimulating risotto, full of backbone with bits of pheasant and shiitake and rich pools of truffle oil, which would have enhanced both meats. And would have upped the price-per-person tab to a more standard $24.
But overall, Cantinetta broadens the definition of reasonable. The night we rode up to the stylish restaurant on our bikes they didn’t hesitate to seat us up front—helmet hair and all. When a waiter broke a water glass at our table he swept it up so invisibly and with such humble charm the whole event registered in his plus column. And as we stood to leave the bar, we spied behind the counter an item that sweetly belied the strength and sure-handedness of our cocktails: a copy of Bartending for Dummies.
4. BE ITALIAN. Cantinetta is Italian to the roots of its angel hair. Chef Brian Cartenuto, who had worked in Washington, DC, (Lavandou, Dean and DeLuca), was lured from Italy via Craiglist then proceeded to wow his bosses with his simple, fresh Italian fare.
A few of his dishes were wows. A spare panzanella salad shimmied its way above the field with the simple, unexpected addition of fat, crunchy onions. A starter of grilled pancetta-wrapped dates oozed its luscious sugars, then countered them with the bacon and dandelion greens and a perfect balsamic wash. Man, it was fine.
And, as if to prove his Italian cred, Cartenuto gives us the rarely seen tortellini in brodo, or broth, in various versions. We tried pork tortellini with charred ramps in a deeply vegetal broth, frankly because Sarich was loving his so much. Think very potent tortellini soup. Better still was the casoncelli pasta, in which ravioli-like crumples hold a pasty blend of soppresatta and veal and chicken, then are served in a puddle of oil with sage leaves and pancetta chews and crumbled amaretti. The pride of Bergamo—now in Wallingford.
5. BE CROWD-PLEASING. Candidly speaking, most of what we tried at Cantinetta weren’t wows so much as crowd-pleasers—mussels in a light bay-fragrant broth, or savory gnocchini. Food with broad popular appeal puts butts in seats, no question, which Cantinetta augments with that trifecta of irresistibles: hard liquor, hot waiters (and they are—to a one), and stunning desserts. Housemade gelati and a lemon-thyme and peach crisp were terrific, but it was the bombolini—fluffy knots of dough dredged in crunchy sugar and filled with vanilla mascarpone—that put us directly in touch with the Almighty. Instant classic.
6. BE RESERVATIONLESS. There’s now officially no getting around the no—reservations-for-parties-of-fewer-than-six trend in Seattle, which is the rule at Cantinetta—and which is why the waits are so long. Why do proprietors do it? Easier table management, for starters. And all those waiting bodies sure do fill a restaurant.
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Published: August 2009
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We arrived at Canitetta for our 5 pm reservation. We were greeted by the host who seemed to have the urgent need to school us on the fact that they do not take reservations for parties under six. I clearly read that on their website, but called and asked for the reservations because my mother is disabled and knew it would be difficult for her to stand for a long period if we had to wait for a table. Since we were the first to arrive, there was no issue and the host should have kept his mouth shut. Aside fom that the food is very adequate. The wait staff was attentive and somewhat friendly. Overall, it seemed to me that we were not the restaurant’s demographic clientelle. They prefer the pretentious half-wits that were encroaching on our table while we were eating dinner. A few of them even set their drinks on our table. Apparently this type of behavior is acceptable at Cantinetta. With so many superb restaurants in the city, don’t waste your time or your money!