Restaurant News : Capriccio Sets Up Residence in Los Feliz

Capriccio Bounces Back: Silver Lake residents may remember a restaurant named Cafe Capriccio, which used to serve authentic Italian food out of a tiny storefront on Hyperion Avenue--until June of last year, when owners Tony and Rosemary DeMonte had a disagreement with the landlord. After searching for a new location for over a year, the DeMontes have finally reopened, only this time in Los Feliz on North Vermont Avenue--hence the new name, Capriccio on Vermont. The new edition has its own parking lot in the back (gasp!), where there’s no charge for parking. It serves mostly Italian food, but Tony DeMonte, who hails from the city of Bari on the Adriatic Sea, isn’t afraid to venture beyond Italian. Black taglioni with shrimp and asparagus is on the menu, but sometimes so is bouillabaisse (“We’re very strong on fish,” DeMonte says). The place has been known to serve moussaka as well (“Hey, we live in a global world,” he says). For dessert, next to Rosemary’s zuccotto--an Italian sponge cake that’s shaped like a squash--Tony’s apple tarte tatin (“It’s French, but it’s good”). Capriccio on Vermont is larger than its predecessor, but doesn’t have a liquor license yet. That means that on busy nights, people may be standing in line with a bottle of wine in their hands. But as a reward, there is no corkage fee. Open for dinner every night but Monday.

* Capriccio on Vermont, 1757 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 662-5900.

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New Kid on the Block: Grace Ko, owner of the new Beverly Hills restaurant Sai, loves the food of her native Korea but she’s made Sai’s menu purely Japanese; no fusion here. Chef Daiji Morikaku runs the stoves while chef Kenichi Kawasake handles the sushi preparation. Both men are from Japan and have been living in California for a while. On the menu: grilled filet mignon with teriyaki sauce or salt and pepper; a bento box of greens, sushi, tempura and meat; a variety of sashimi called teishoku; and the omakase tasting menu (the chef’s choice of five or seven courses: $35-$60). Accompanying those dishes are about 25 kinds of sake (“Good ones; we don’t sell the cheap ones,” Ko says). The food is presented in a spare, modern Japanese setting. Sai is open for lunch Monday through Saturday and for dinner nightly.

* Sai, 340 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills; (310) 247-1829.

Nibbling Italian-Style: West Hollywood’s Alto Palato Trattoria has just launched a wine and cheese bar in the two-level bar in the front of the restaurant. Every night from 6 p.m. patrons may nibble on thin-crusted Roman-style pizzas and a selection of Italian cheeses or cold cuts while sampling an eclectic array of wines by the glass, ranging in price from $7 to $18. Also available is the wine flight, a selection of four wines (3-ounce servings), which is $16 for whites, $20 for reds.

* Alto Palato, 755 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood; (310) 657-9271.

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Tidbits: Final frame for Marvel Mania, the cartoon-inspired eatery at Universal Studios’ CityWalk. The giant video screen has gone dark and the superhero sound effects in the bathrooms are silent. With the closing, kids and their parents no longer have to suffer through mediocre food to get a glimpse at some Marvel Comics memorabilia. We have to wonder why the owners didn’t see this coming; maybe their Spidey Sense wasn’t working properly. . . . Melisse, Josiah Citrin’s new Santa Monica restaurant, is now open for lunch Wednesday through Friday. It’s at 1104 Wilshire Blvd.; call (310) 395-0881 for reservations. . . . Alex Scrimgeour, the chef at Calabasas’ landmark Saddle Peak Lodge, has just released his fall menu. It includes Alaskan halibut steamed in a corn husk with grilled langoustines and black polenta in a saffron cream sauce; pancetta-wrapped roasted monkfish over braised fennel; Stilton-stuffed free-range veal chop with Sherry wine sauce; and pan-seared medallions of Texas antelope loin with wild huckleberry sauce. Of his new menu, the Englishman said, “Hopefully it will do something for the British reputation for food.” Saddle Peak Lodge is at 419 Cold Canyon Road; call (818) 222-3888 for reservations.

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Krispy Kreme Goes Val: Valley doughnut aficionados have been buzzing over the long-awaited opening of the Van Nuys branch of Krispy Kreme Donuts. This means a lot less driving to La Habra for fresh, chewy, “hot now” doughnuts straight out of the fryer. To understand this peculiar Southern addiction, a visit to the new location (7249 Van Nuys Blvd., just north of Sherman Way) will make everything clear. (Just ignore the peculiar ways of spelling “crispy,” “cream” and “doughnuts.”) Somehow nothing compares to watching your sweet treat land in hot grease, get flipped over, brown evenly, drain while skating along metal rollers and get coated in a rain of icing. As of Tuesday, Krispy Kreme will be open every day with counter and drive-through service from 6 a.m. to midnight.

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Pettera’s e-mail address is pettera@prodigy.net.