The Scoop: Family-owned and operated for nearly 20 years, Perché No Pasta and Vino is an Italian ...

The Scoop: Family-owned and operated for nearly 20 years, Perché No Pasta and Vino is an Italian labor of love, located just south of Green Lake and north of Wallingford. The restaurant, which has ample outdoor and indoor seating, as well as over 500 hand-selected wine, dozens of varieties of grappa, and an impressive array of liqueurs has everything you need for a sweet celebration. And they have food, too! (We must be spoiled or something.)They boast from-scratch everything, including homemade pastas, prosciutto, and even limoncello, each menu item, from potato-stuffed gnocchi to prawn fettuccini is a culinary delight, made fresh to order. They can accommodate huge groups as well as intimate dates with that guy or gal you've had your eye on, and don’t mind helping you prepare—just make sure you're at least a few dates in before you drop that ring in the champagne.

While Perché No (which means “Why Not?”) sits on the tip of the confusing neighborhood kindly called “Tangletown”, you won’t have any problem finding it if you follow your nose. Owned by husband-and-wife team Lily and David Kong, the bright pink building modeled after Italian architecture is easy enough to spot, but it’s the scent of David’s outdoor spit-roast that will really draw you in. The day I was there, he was just spearing half a dozen tender-looking chickens, which Lily told me would be that night’s special, to rotate and marinate for the next few hours. I could practically see the vapor trails of deliciousness. “It’s not always chickens, though,” Lily told me as we walked up to the rooftop garden, where I helped her pick ultra-fresh sage and basil for the nights meals. “Sometimes, it’s a whole pig.” Why not, right?

Most of the employees, Lily explained, have been with restaurant for over a decade—there’s just no reason for them to leave. And a lot of the clientele have been around about as long, watching the Kong’s children grow up and become talented assets to the restaurant themselves. “Watching”, by the way, is not an understatement—Perché No’s wide open kitchen is exposed to both floors of seating, so no matter where you’re sitting, you’ll be able to work up a pretty mean appetite (bordering on ornery) by watching your food being cooked up. Sure, other “Italian” places claim to make you one of the family, but you’ll never feel quite as welcomed as practically being in the kitchen and experiencing the kinship at Perché No. Not to get all lovey-dovey (maybe I had a bit too much wine), but seriously, this place is something special.

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Menu Highlights:
Ravioli Neri con Salmone Affumicato: Squid ink pasta with smoked salmon, $19
Risotto ai Fruiti di Mare: Rice with prawns, scallops, calamari, mussels and sundried tomato pesto, $18
Poached Pear in Barbaresco Wine with Gelato, $7

Hours:
Tuesday - Thursday, Sunday, 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday - Saturday, 4 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Closed Mondays