Capri serves up romance of Italy

Published 8:51 am Thursday, February 28, 2008

One of the joys of modern romance is finding that little, perhaps out-of-the-way restaurant that serves great food both of you love and has all the right touches, from ambience to great service, for a romantic dinner out.

And if you and your significant other are still seeking that kind of place, consider Capri Bistro Ristorante Italiano.

This small restaurant, located in the Martha Lake area between Lynnwood and Mill Creek, is family-owned and has recently moved from its old location. But on a recent Friday night I visited with a date, the place had plenty of business, showing that perhaps its clientele has gladly come along to the new location.

A key part of any dining experience is, of course, the atmosphere. And in that respect, Capri succeeds with an interior of warm colors and light fixtures that appear to be wrought iron. The all-table serving area is adorned with fine tablecloths, and traditional Italian music serenades all.

The staff attended to our needs quickly and frequently. Our server, Jessica, was very knowledgeable about the menu. The entire staff that night was not only very friendly, sporting almost constant, genuine smiles, but really seemed to be enjoying serving and conversing with their customers.

As for the menu, one could consider this gourmet Italian for the non-gourmet person. The menu was diverse and had a great variety of entrees, appetizers and salads, with explanations of the ingredients in each entree included. Entrees included both pasta and chicken dishes. Capri also has an extensive wine menu featuring a large variety of imported Italian wines as well as domestic California wines. Wine can be ordered by the glass or by the bottle, and prices for bottles can run anywhere from $30 all the way up to $80. My date opted for a glass of house chardonay, which she said was excellent. Capri also has a selection of fruit-flavored Italian sodas, which I opted for, and was glad I did.

I ordered the lasagna Isabella, a dish that included both beef and Italian sausage. My date ordered spaguetti de mare, spaguetti served with marinara sauce and containing a variety of fresh steamed clams and mussels. We also ordered a half serving of fettuccini alfredo.

Our meal was first started with bread served with olive oil and seasonings, a perfect starter. We had barely finished the bread when dinner arrived. The fettuccini alfredo had a buttery aroma reminiscent of hot popcorn, and the rich alfredo sauce had more buttery flavor than I’ve ever tasted.

The lasagna Isabella was not an overly huge portion, but it was rich and satisfying without feeling too heavy later on. The spaguetti de mare, meanwhile, was a generous portion complete with plenty of clams. My date, who has traveled to Italy a few times, said the clams were fresh and the sauce very good, even though it was, in her opinion, “Americanized.”

We capped off the meal with a peach sorbet dessert that was served inside a hollowed out frozen peach. The sorbet was very light and flavorful, and was the perfect way to cap off a terrific dinner.

The final bill with tax was $60, which is not too bad considering the prices of other restaurants in the Seattle area. And with the high-quality service the staff offers and the excellent, flavorful menu options, Capri is well worth it.