10320 NE VALLEY ROAD

Bainbridge Island

Let’s escape again with THE LAZY SUSAN to Italy!

No passport required.

Pino Sordello welcomes us to his Italian market and kitchen, Via Rosa 11, which opened eight years ago on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. The lively owner named the ristorante for the address of his grandmother’s pink house in the old country.

First, just imagine…

You grow up in a small village named Borgo d’Oneglia (“the City by the Sea”) in Liguria, a region of northern Italy on the Mediterranean. From the terrace of your home, you can see the lights of Corsica, six hours away by boat.

As a boy, you head out most mornings with your father Paolo to buy olives from a friend. The bartering begins; the laughter abounds. You and your father are hailed by neighbors and merchants as you walk through the streets: Come on, sit down, tell a story, make a memory. You nestle into a table at a café or wine bar for a “little glass of something.”

There you are, deep in the spirit of conviviality, an experience of sharing that travels with you, no matter how far from home you go. (And especially when you can’t go anywhere!) “Just like Papa and I used to do in the little streets of my village, the whole notion of bonding with food over the wines we offer is perfectly represented by Lambrusco, sparkling reds and roses that are a regional treasure in Italy.”

“We like to live large in my homeland and these wines celebrate that. Americans are gradually embracing Lambruscos because they make the perfect companion for all kinds of cooking, especially Italian,” says the owner with a wink. Pino elaborates: A nice, dry Lambrusco is amazing with prosciutto de Parma or tortellini in a simple broth. The slightly chilled, peasant-style red also goes perfectly with fish in tomato or white sauce, and the rosé is a show-stopper when matched with everything from pizza to seafood pasta.

“Lambrusco is a good, versatile, everyday kind of table wine,” Pino elaborates. “It is fruity without being sweet, acidic so the Lambrusco cuts through the richness of what you’re eating while complementing the flavor profile. I import these two here from a small, family-owned vineyard--not from an industrial company. I like being choosy because I recognize the great value of these bold, simple wines.

The perfect companion

Cleto Chiarli

In tandem with the amazing meal we share with Pino and crew, Brittany rain dances around the long wooden table with her camera to catch Via Rosa 11’s colorful cuisine and those magical Lambruscos.
First comes the lady-in-waiting of the afternoon, **Cleto Chiarli’s Brut de Noir Sparkling Rose**, highly drinkable with soft bubbles (I taste strawberries and raspberries). Pino entices us to drink it as we dive deeply into Marechiaro, a pasta perfetto featuring wild Argentinian seafood and tagliatelle made with squid ink. The “meat” of the large langostinos is sweet, and the dish’s brininess brings out the supple fruitiness of the sparkling.
Who happens to two-time it with all the right moves in complementing one of Via Rosa 11’s most popular pizzas: tender and delicate burrata (mozzarella); speck, a smoky ham from the Dolomites; caramel-y confit of cherry tomato; and flash-fried Genovese basil, born on a farm on Bainbridge Island.

Lambrusco

Next on the menu is Lambrusco dell’Emilia, a red sparkling that never overpowers the dish set in front of you, making it all the more memorable. Angelo’s Salad (named for a Via Rosa 11 patron), is a festive, summery assortment of greens with Sicilian tonnato (tuna), heirloom tomatoes, small black olives from the Italian Riviera, and whole Sicilian anchovy filets (“The little fish that could,” Pino chimes in).
Oh, wait, here comes another favorite, a pizza that paints one pretty picture, simply done with spicy sausage from Casicappo in the Seattle neighborhood of Ballard, hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, spicy and briny Hungarian peppers from Mama Lil’s in Yakima, and, of course, fresh mozzarella.

Brittany finally joins us, taking a break from shooting every dish and each wine. Truly, we will never forget the meal we shared with Pino and company. Relishing the repast from even six feet apart, masks in place, has imprinted an afternoon we couldn’t wait to share with you. Thanks to Via Rosa 11 and the robust Lambruscos, we won’t let go of this heavenly Italian marriage of food and drink. So, drink up. A good Lambrusco, like those from Cleto Chiarli, can change your life.