One of Seattle's best-known Italian chefs, Luigi DeNunzio, is expanding his geographic reach. In partnership with a long-time associate, Tricia Harte, he is taking over the vacant Pizza Hut space at 2743 E. Madison (at the corner of Martin Luther King) and hopes to open Aglio e Olio before the end of the year.
DeNunzio is a fixture of Seattle's Italian-American community, with two restaurants in Pioneer Square, Al Boccalino and Che Sara Sara, and Cafe Bengodi on Beacon Hill. The cheerful, mustachioed DeNunzio is like an ambassador from a former time, when immigrant communities of all ethnicities had their own food, fashion, culture and fellowship. "Seattle's Little Italy isn't dying," he tells Eater, "it's doing what Italians have always done: adapting to survive."
Luigi understands that restaurateurs like Ethan Stowell may not be Italian by heritage but, unlike other Italian chefs, he does not disdain Stowell's cuisine. "Who cares if he puts peas into his alfredo?" You wouldn't give up your Ferrari just because the dealer's name was O'Malley, would you?
The Madison Valley space measures 1,300 square feet, most of it dedicated to pizza ovens, freezers, refrigerators, and other kitchen equipment, with seating for only 25 patrons.
Cucina Povera (literally, the cooking of the poor) is how DeNunzio describes his cuisine. It's neither Neapolitan pizza or high-falutin' northern Italian. Instead, it's what he grew up with in Brindisi, in the province of Puglia (the heel of the Italian boot). Aglio e Olio translates as garlic & oil, two staples that provide the dressing for a late-night plate of pasta.
Prices will be under $20. "Back to basics," says DeNunzio. "Oven-based dishes, fresh herbs, good olive oil. No pizza."
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