West Seattle restaurant news: Angelina’s reopens tonight

That’s Allison Rich (thanks to Krista for the photo!), co-owner of the newly remodeled Angelina’s in Admiral (2311 California SW) – she just sent word that after several nights of “friends and family” dinner rehearsals, they’ve passed their inspections and Angelina’s will reopen to the public as of 5 pm tonight. Allison says it’ll be dinner only till Monday, when they add lunch. Allison and husband Skip Rich bought the restaurant from its longtime owners and did extensive remodeling inside, including adding a bar (here’s our story from halfway through the 2-month remodeling process). 1 PM UPDATE: Just went by for a couple photos:

(Note in the dining room photo, the chalkboard on the wall in the booth, as mentioned in our earlier story – they also have portable ones if requested for the non-booth tables.) The menu’s not online yet but we took a sneak peek at that – it does indeed include some old faves from the Trattoria days (tonight’s Fresh Sheet, for example, is topped by the chicken-and-hazelnuts fettucini, but also includes steak). Their website is just bare bones now, with more to come: angelinaswestseattle.com.

celeste17 November 5, 2009 (11:24 am)

Looking forward to seeing the renovations and trying a meal. Will come by as soon as I can.

coffee November 5, 2009 (11:30 am)

Cannot wait to try it out! Congrats to passing all the inspections, I know that they can be more than taxing to say the least.

Ingrid November 5, 2009 (1:54 pm)

So happy for Skip and Allison! If the food is anything like the two of them…It will be be fabulous!

Can’t wait to visit soon!

Frankie Jaminjelli November 5, 2009 (2:52 pm)

I wish them lots of success and I bet their food is great. Hate to say it but I’m not crazy about the picture of the dining room. It’s a bit sterile; looks like the employee cafeteria at Microsoft. All that’s missing is some guys in dockers and polo shirts poring over soduku puzzles.

jiggers November 5, 2009 (3:06 pm)

Yaaaaay…I love TV’s more of them please.

mark November 5, 2009 (4:00 pm)

I resent that Dockers and Polo shirt remark!!! But if the food rocks, it will be my pleasure to make it look like a Campus Dining Room!!!

wsmom November 5, 2009 (7:03 pm)

The food is great and the place looks amazing. Great job Allison and Skip on such a fine remodel and for the keeping up the tradition of great quality food!

Laura November 5, 2009 (8:19 pm)

Looking forward to giving the place a try under the new owners, but not to keen on the new decor. Looks cold, not inviting.

hollyplace November 5, 2009 (10:01 pm)

Can’t wait to check it out! I hope they still have the carmel dessert. Yum! They just opened, I am sure they will have some art on the walls in no time. Give them a chance to get up and running.

KNM November 6, 2009 (8:44 am)

Ha! There is no sterile feeling at all inside the restaurant. We’ve eaten there twice since the re-opening and all I can say is “ahhhhhhh!” Food is great, atmosphere is warm and happy, staff is friendly and service is great! The remodel has given Angelina’s a new warm, clean and inviting ambiance!

AD November 6, 2009 (9:16 am)

Sterile environment. . . Not at all. It is beautiful and clean, and thank goodness there are no knickknacks. The food is fantastic and the service is friendly. It is a mother’s dream. . . dinner without clutter and mess surrounding the table, and the chalk boards are great for the kids. It is also fabulous for a date night with my man without the kids. It is everything I had hoped for and more. Do be a hater!

AD November 6, 2009 (9:38 am)

I meant. . . DON’T be a hater!

Fancy Nan November 6, 2009 (9:46 am)

TV’s in an Italian restaurant?!? What’s up with that? What stoke of genius inspired that??? What a waste of Italian cooking.

If I ever feel the need to watch TV while I eat Italian, I would much rather order out from La Rustica and drink my own wine with dinner in front of my own TV. When I go out for Italian, I would much rather focus on the food and the company.

PB November 6, 2009 (12:22 pm)

Have been anxiously awaiting the reopening of my favorite weekend breakfast spot. So – does the report above indicate no weekend breakfasts served until NEXT weekend? (I.e. 11/14 – 11/15?)

WSB November 6, 2009 (12:31 pm)

They’re definitely only doing dinner till Monday, according to what both co-owners told us (via messaging AND face-to-face). I’ll check regarding next weekend and potential hours – TR

grr November 6, 2009 (12:49 pm)

sigh…yeah..the TV’s. ugh. Hopefully the food will still rock.

Roche November 6, 2009 (2:57 pm)

For the dingalings who complain about stuff online without thinking, two tips:
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1) Go to any empty restaurant. They’re all cold, and the city requires a specific level of sterility. You have to make it so you can mop the floor and survive spills 50 times a night. One man’s “sterile” is another man’s “spacious”. If you went past there at any point in the past few months this is a huge turnaround, those booths were all hand-built and they’re great (room for highchairs!).
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2) The TVs are in the bar, which is a wall away from the dining area. It’s worth a look at the construction videos on the prior post, or you could just read the description of the layout, lazy butt. Do you eat at Circa? They have TVs too.
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This is a nice family taking a big risk to become an important part of our community and make a life for themselves. Show some support for our neighborhood.
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Do be a hater, Abe ;)

AD November 6, 2009 (3:08 pm)

Well said Roche! People just want something to complain about because they are miserable and have nothing happy going on. WHO CARES about the TV’s? I have had dinner at Angelina’s three nights this week, and not once have I even noticed the TV’s. Get a life! Live a little and have some fun.

wseadawg November 6, 2009 (5:22 pm)

Wow. What a bunch of sour pusses. When did West Seattle become as pretentious as other parts of town? Who chooses where to eat because of the decor? Sort of the 4th or 5th priority isn’t it?

Truth is, most provincial Seattleites don’t know the difference between fine cuisine and slop, and judge restaurants not only by looks, but by what reviewers and other people tell them.

Give these owners props for opening a new place at a tough time, and judge the place by how good the food and service are. Quality people make all the difference in the restaurant biz. Atmosphere and hipness can only carry a place for so long.

kelly November 6, 2009 (10:07 pm)

why does everyone have to put TV’s in their bar/restaurant? Can we just socialize and cocktail without them as a focal point or backround noise?

WSB November 6, 2009 (10:11 pm)

This was covered in the article we wrote midway through their remodeling process. They made a point of saying two things: #1, the TVs are placed in a way that they’re not in everyone’s face, like some restaurants; #2, many people would like to go out to brunch but still keep an eye on weekend morning/afternoon sports, so with a couple of screens, they can do that … TR

spartan November 6, 2009 (11:08 pm)

The veal marsala was an Italian sweet & sour–where’s the butter, salt, pepper, and marsala? if anything the marsala was too sweet. If the veal isn’t as tender as you’d like, put more butter on it, forget the sweet marsala. Sweet is for later, and has nothing to do with veal, or chicken.

Thousands of dollars in TVs? No bread with dinner, and when asked for it was mediocre bread. No simple salad with the meal, must pay extra? No carafe of house wine?

I liked Angelina’s, but the romance has faded.

Warm it up, provide simple pasta, greens, bread and wine, and use more butter.

Fancy Nan November 6, 2009 (11:35 pm)

Roche–you might want to take a better look at the 3rd photo. I see 5 tables, 3 booths, and a huge TV. I’m not talking about the two TV’s in the bar.

I scratch my head as to why an Italian restaurant needs a TV in the dining room. I’ll opt for La Rustica.

jmom November 7, 2009 (8:17 am)

I must say as a west seattle resident my entire life, it is truly sad to log onto this site and read these hurtful comments directed to a couple who is just trying to make a life for themselves and kids! Have you people ever heard of cutting some slack? They have only been open to the public for 2 days now. trial and error people!I have eaten there twice this week. The food was great, the service was great! If you dont want to watch tv while you are there, DON’T! To each there own! Just know what goes around comes around! and fancy nan, have fun waiting in line in the rain :)

Fancy Nan November 7, 2009 (8:28 am)

I find your comment “have fun waiting in line in the rain” to be very hurtful.

wsmom November 7, 2009 (10:52 am)

I have had dinner there twice this week once in the dining room and once in the bar. While enjoying my dinner in the dining room I did not even notice the tv’s, the volume is off and they are positioned very high on the wall and I was enjoying the food, atmosphere and the people I was with. While in the bar I noticed the tv’s because I was wanting to watch the game that was on so I made a point to watch, again no volume on the tv’s. I can not believe that tv’s are what is being focused on instead of the GREAT food, service and atmosphere.

KNM November 7, 2009 (1:12 pm)

I agree – the tv’s are not a focal point and hardly noticeable. It will be nice to enjoy brunch there on the weekends and be able to keep up with football scores!

What is noticeable is the warm, friendly atmosphere, wonderfully prepared food and good service.

dmc November 7, 2009 (8:08 pm)

Best of luck to the new restaurant. We can’t wait to get in to try it!!!

AN November 7, 2009 (9:32 pm)

Angelina’s used to be my favorite restaurant in West Seattle, a quirky local spot with delicious food. With their recent remodel and change in ownership, I was disappointed to discover that everything I enjoyed about Angelina’s has been lost. The whimsical decor has been replaced with Ikea-esque “trendy” furnishings, yet another generic restaurant. At first glance, the menu still had my favorite dishes. I quickly discovered that the Chicken Parm is now a heavily fried and breaded over sized KFC chicken strip with marina sauce. The Marsala tasted strongly of alcohol and wine that had gone sour. To add insult to injury, I ordered a soda, and was charged for another soda on my refill, both times the glass being primarily filled with ice. I will miss this neighborhood classic and will have to find a new haunt.

GDS November 8, 2009 (12:39 pm)

My wife and I are in LOVE with the remodel! We were happy to be greeted by friendly faces. The food was just amazing! I think the bar makes a great addition to an old favorite! Keep up the great work! We will be back for more!!

gpgreaser November 8, 2009 (4:14 pm)

I have had dinner with my 2 and 4 year once and they loved it as did I. Going to have a drink and watch the sunday night game tonight. Best of both worlds as I see it. Besides that yuppi part of west seattle needed some new life. Congrats owners! south sider west seattle gpgreaser

nik November 8, 2009 (5:19 pm)

Well here we go. I told my wife Courtney I was going to leave a bad post because I loved the old Angelina’s, yet soon after entering my mind started to change quickly. The atmosphere was great, the food was wonderful and the wait staff not only our personal waitress but all of them, were more than attentive. As for grammar on the menu…come on. You can’t be serious. If you don’t like blood you don’t look at it..so don’t look at the tv’s you bloody fool they are high enough to be out of sight out of mind. The owners made a point to come to our table and make us feel like special friends of theirs then I noticed each and every table was being regarded and treated like long time friends. It was a wonderful experience and I have had Vongole in the piazza navona and I noticed no difference. The dish we were brought out in the beginning was amazing and I have never quite seen anything like it anywhere! It was cheeses and meats of variety with a tapenade and veggies with some marinade that even made the meat-a-tarian in me change my tune. Over all experience was amazing! Can’t wait to go back to be with my “special friends” again

gpgreaser November 8, 2009 (10:07 pm)

great dinner great sunday night game!

JG November 9, 2009 (12:17 pm)

Returned to this old favorite of mine on Saturday for the first time under the new management. Contrary to many of the other posters’ experience, I found the food to be fantastic. They have retained the same chef as the old Angelina’s, so I don’t understand some commenters’ statements that the held-over menu items are prepared differently now. I did, however, miss the rustic quality of the bread that they used to serve, but was informed that they were still trying out new bread suppliers after deciding not to go with the previous owners’ choice (Grand Central). They were out of a few things, which I took as a good sign that business is doing well. Staff was friendly, and owners came by several times to check in. I think they did a fine job for only their 3rd night open.

The decor was clean, and the TVs really are not that obtrusive. If you are eating with guests, you won’t notice them. If eating alone, you can keep up on sports scores. All in all a nice, friendly vibe. I look forward to returning.

Louise S November 20, 2009 (8:05 pm)

Well, we finally tried the new Angelina’s last night. We dined in the bar, as there were many kids in the restaurant section, had an enjoyable dinner. Pros: Good food, great wait staff, enticing wine list. Cons: the TV’s, the high ceilings made it kinda loud – could you some sound-baffling – and no salads regularly coming with the dinner.

Amy p. December 3, 2009 (2:03 pm)

I love the new Angelina’s, additions to the new menu are great, as well as some of my old favorites.The service was great and I loved seeing all the familiar faces still there. Everyone needs to give it a chance instead of being so critical in their own little West Seattle boxes!Not every dining experience is perfect. Congrats to the new owners and I will definitely be back!

Amy p. December 3, 2009 (2:27 pm)

Well said AD and weseadawg :)

Laura December 15, 2009 (5:08 pm)

The new decor is nice – I DON’T miss the creepy old posters that used to be up.

I must say, however, I hope they will go back to the old recipe of roasted garlic pasta (that comes with the chicken parm.) – it used to be full of mellow, sweet roasted garlic and when I had it last night it tasted much more like raw chopped garlic than roasted.

Good luck to the new owners!

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