VIA ROSA 11 • PART 1
10320 NE VALLEY ROAD
Bainbridge Island
Get ready to be transported out of quarantine to a country and cuisine beloved around the world.
THE LAZY SUSAN embraces the sense of belonging that Pino and Lani Sordello capture at Via Rosa 11, their Italian market and kitchen on Bainbridge Island, WA.
This afternoon, Brittany and I bask in voluptuous flavors from the heart of Italy; pasta, salad, and specialty dishes, married to a sparkling selection of red wine that is brave and brash and beauteous. We believe that this exploration of Lambruscos will ultimately rival any passion for champagne.
It’s “Pino’s Vino” at its very best.
Pino’s Passion
Named for the address of his long-ago family home on the Mediterranean, Pino’s philosophy behind Via Rosa 11 was decades-in-the-making. In his mid-twenties, while living in South Carolina, he got homesick for home cooking, reaching out to his mother for her recipes.
Not yet a maestro in the kitchen, it took Pino a while to get the hang of cooking like a born-and-bred Italian. “I was eager to duplicate some of the dishes I’d grown up with, embracing my mother’s style of cooking. So, eventually, I started selling fresh pasta and sauces from a booth at farmers’ markets. Everything handmade from scratch with the highest quality Italian ingredients—and a few family secrets!” Pino adds with a wink.
Pino’s Vino
This passionate foodie got his start more than 25 years ago in the U.S. wine business, garnering top-notch credentials in the industry as a buyer and salesperson. These days, Pino’s busy elevating the profile of wine offerings at Via Rosa 11, featuring Italian imports that you can’t get anywhere else on Bainbridge Island. (Once a bottle is carried by another local merchant, the restaurant switches up its choices.)
“Via Rosa 11 is family-owned and run, and I like to be choosy about the wines we sell. With Lambruscos, I totally recognize the value of them as an accompaniment to food. We do carry two or three prima donna wines, but otherwise, I recommend a bottle here or there that will make people happy. Lambrusco is one of those wines that never lets me down.”
Humble yet popular, Pino’s Lambruscos are classic “peasant” fare with tremendous versatility in terms of the dishes you pair them with. After all, Luciano Pavarotti was known to bring cases of Lambrusco with him wherever in the world he was performing.
The Lambrusco
“Lambrusco doesn’t have the pedigree of other noble grapes, like Cabernet and Chardonnay, but it is amazingly underestimated. The whole notion of bonding with food over our wine offerings is the touchstone of Via Rosa 11,” says Pino, whose delight in life is contagious, his large, beautiful hands keep tempo with the gusto of his storytelling.
Here, the cooking is memorable, the wine divine, and the bon ami as lively as you’ll find at a block party. Indeed, as neighbors and patrons come and go, Pino gets offers of fresh crab to be pulled up the next morning. A generous farmer brings over newly ripe figs from the back of his truck. In turn, he heads home with a Via Rosa 11 tiramisu tucked under his arm. Green, plump, and juicy pink inside, Pino exclaims that the figs taste like “a bite of the sun.”
Neither COVID-19 masks nor an overcast sky can dim the merriment in this restaurateur’s copper eyes. Wife Lani, Pino’s partner in all things, shines on and adds color to our non-stop conversation. Gathered together next to Via Rosa 11’s take-out tent, customers whisk by to pick up their orders. They know that for those looking for a taste of Italy, they need look no further.
