About 25 miles to the south and west of Madison lies Mount Horeb, the eccentric small town best known to outsiders as the Mustard capitol of the world and the birthplace of Chronic Wasting Disease.
But, aside from triple-hot garlic horseradish and loopy deer, another community fixture is fast making a name for itself.
Sole e Sapori (Italian for \Sun and Flavor"") restaurant, first opened by Salvatore Vitale in Mount Horeb 15 years ago, is turning into a veritable launching ground for a multi-restaurant Dane County empire.
The fifth and newest satellite in the Vitale dining universe, Sole e Sapori, 453 W. Gilman St, is a worthy addition to Papa Salvatore's legacy. The downtown Sole e Sapori, located on a God-forsaken strip of Gilman Street that goes through new businesses like Matthew Perry goes through Dexatrim, has its work cut out for it.
With an unfavorable location and a long list of already established Italian restaurants in the neighborhood, it's up to Davide Vitale to find his niche with the downtown crowd.
Although his father, Salvatore, owns the restaurant and occasionally makes an appearance in the kitchen, the newest Sole e Sapori is definitely Dave's place.
""I'm not really trying to compete here."" says the eager 21 year-old, well aware of the slew of nearby pasta places.
Upon first entering the restaurant, Dave's claim of uniqueness is quite substantiated. With a low ceiling of dropped-in tiles and rec-room-quality carpeting, the interior of Sole e Sapori is certainly much more casual than that of its competition. Dave immediately starts friendly small talk, happily bouncing from one subject to the next like a kid brother.
The menu, identical to that of the original location, is filled with lots of traditional Italian options, but not overwhelmingly so. Although stand-alone salads and small a la carte dishes are available, the restaurant's claim to fame is pasta and pizza. All pasta dishes come with an opener of anise bread and house salad.
A wide variety is available, from the typical spaghetti with meatballs ($8.95) to a more exotic Spedini Siciliane ($13.95), a traditional Sicilian dish featuring veal stuffed with cheese and Prosciutto ham. I decided to go the veggie route and tried one of my old favorites, Eggplant Parmesan ($9.95)
The complimentary starters had mixed success. The anise bread, traditional peasant bread with anise seeds folded right into the dough, then topped with melted mozzarella cheese, was terrific. I loved the soft center and thick crust of the bread, and the savory/sweet combination of the cheese and anise was unique and tasty.
The salad, a typical blend of iceberg lettuce, onions, carrots, cabbage, olives, Parmesan cheese and the recommended house Italian dressing, was uninspiring.
My main dish fared much better. The eggplant was appropriately seasoned with hints of garlic and olive oil and was totally enveloped by a blanket of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Hearty and earthy, the eggplant was balanced well with a sweet and simple homemade marinara sauce. On the side came a pile of perfectly cooked linguine. Although the menu states that dinners come with spaghetti, Dave didn't mind making the substitution.
As I got better acquainted with Dave, father/cook Salvatore strutted in from the kitchen with my pizza, a thin crust, 10-inch Sole e Special ($8.95). He boldly suggested that any attempts to find a better pizza in town would be futile.
With a crust both thick enough to support the veritable heap of sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers and onions, and thin enough to let their flavor stand out, Salvatore's pizza may be as good as he claims. The ingredients were all flavorful and obviously fresh. The sauce was the same sweet blend used on my pasta and the cheese was terrifically thick and gooey. Sole e Sapori also offers thick-crust versions of its signature pies.
With a happy-go-lucky man in charge and a winning menu backed by 15 years of steady business, it is likely the Vitale's latest restaurant will stand out from the crowd and keep Dave and Salvatore busy with downtown customers.
