L'Italo-Americano

SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano V i t o ' s , a t r e a - s u r e d S e a t t l e l a n d m a r k o n F i r s t H i l l , h a s seen a lot of ups and downs during the past seven decades. Opened in 1953 by broth- ers Vito and Jimmy San- toro, the restaurant drew its clientele from many walks of life – politicians and newspa- per reporters, sports stars and business owner s, and m a n y o f t h e d o c t o r s a n d nurses who worked at nearby hospitals. The restaurant sur- vived Jimmy's death in 1971 and Vito's in 2000. It weathered four owner- ship changes in recent years, the latest in 2010 when the space was transformed by new owners into a dining and dance lounge. Even the pan- demic, which caused so many restaurants to go under, was taken in stride. What ulti- mately laid Vito's low was a fire this past June that start- ed in the apartment complex upstairs. Although Vito's was s p a r e d f r o m t h e f l a m e s , a b o u t 2 0 , 0 0 0 g a l l o n s o f water used to combat the fire collapsed the restaurant's ceiling and caused terrific d a m a g e t o t h e i n t e r i o r spaces. Initially, the owners h o p e d t o r e m o d e l a n d reopen, but their plans are now up in the air. It was not an ending the Santoro brothers would have wanted. Born in Con- necticut, Jimmy in 1919 and Vito in 1921, the brothers got a taste of Seattle while serv- ing in the Pacific theater dur- ing World War II. After the w a r , t h e y m o v e d t o t h e Northwest with a childhood f r i e n d ; y o u n g e r b r o t h e r Danny soon joined them. The brothers initially worked as bartenders. They were quick learners, watching as other Italian Americans followed t h e i r d r e a m s . D e s p i t e t h e costs and uncertainties, the Santoro brothers decided to open their own restaurant. Vito found a vacancy in a building on Ninth and Madi- son, just north of downtown. A ground-floor space, it was l o c a t e d i n t h e A s s e m b l y A p a r t m e n t s , a f o u r - s t o r y structure built in 1902. After months of remodeling, all the while keeping their day jobs and doing most of the work themselves, the broth- ers opened Vito's in May 1953. By that time, Jimmy and Vito had a wide circle of f r i e n d s w h o w e r e g l a d t o support the business. Vito's became an immediate suc- cess – although, truth be told, it was more popular for the bar than the food. The brothers continued to tweak the menu, firing and hiring cooks until they found food that their customers liked. Similar to other establish- ments of that era, Vito's was dark and smoky inside with a low-key vibe. There were mirrored tiles on the walls and the seats were covered in red Naugahyde. It soon b e c a m e " t h e p l a c e " f o r power brokers and two-mar- tini lunches. It pained Vito to see any- o n e d i n i n g a l o n e , s o h e established a family table – a big round table in the back where single diners could usually find a congenial din- ing companion. A separate room called the Vagabond Room had a jukebox that seemed to be constantly in play. The tables were decked out in white linens and the wait staff, all women, wore black and white. Cannelloni was the perennial favorite from the kitchen. Jimmy Santoro died in 1971 at the age of 52. Vito c a r r i e d o n f o r t w o m o r e d e c a d e s , d e s p i t e s e r i o u s health issues. In 1994, he sold the restaurant but still v i s i t e d n e a r l y e v e r y d a y . When he died in 2000, his funeral service at Our Lady o f M o u n t V i r g i n C h u r c h overflowed with mourners. More than 300 family mem- bers, friends and business associates filled the pews; a n o t h e r 5 0 s t o o d s e v e r a l d e e p i n t h e b a c k o f t h e c h u r c h . A t t h e s e r v i c e , Father Philip Lucid spoke of V i t o ' s k i n d n e s s , t h e fundraisers and scholarships h e s p o n s o r e d . A M a r i n e color guard was on hand to pay respects since Vito was a f o r m e r M a r i n e w o u n d e d during World War II. A f t e r V i t o d i e d , t h e r e s t a u r a n t h u n g o n f o r another decade, changing hands three more times. Two shootings in 2008 did noth- ing for its reputation. One was a drive-by shooting out- side the restaurant, followed several months later by a fatal shooting on the dance floor. Both crimes were said to be gang-related. Vito's closed its doors. Two years later, business partners Greg Lundgren and Jeff Scott re-opened V i t o ' s , t u r n i n g i t i n t o a nightclub with dining and dancing. They kept the old name in honor of the origi- nal owners and set about to reincarnate the ambience of a 1950s bar and lounge. A performance space centered around a grand piano and f e a t u r e d j a z z t r i o s a n d lounge singers. Dim lighting, red-leather banquettes, and of course, cannelloni, added to the ambience. The cock- tails were old school – strong and reasonably priced. No f a n c y f r u i t y d r i n k s w i t h umbrellas here! Tuesdays, all wine by the bottle was half-priced. After the fire in June, it l o o k e d a s t h o u g h V i t o ' s m i g h t r e o p e n i n a f e w m o n t h s . T h e n w o r d g o t around that city inspectors were requiring the building's owner to bring the entire structure into compliance, including seismic upgrades. R e n o v a t i o n w o r k h a s stopped for the time being, but Lundgren and Scott are hopeful they can reopen in the future. Having another chance to m i x a f e w c o c k t a i l s a n d entertain a few more friends w o u l d i n d e e d b e a f i t t i n g tribute for the fun-loving a n d c h a r i s m a t i c S a n t o r o brothers. Jimmy Santoro, pouring drinks for a customer, opened Vito's in 1953 with his younger brother Vito (Angela Rinaldi/HistoryLink.org) Vito's, landmark 1950s Italian restaurant, closes – for now RITA CIPALLA Jimmy and Vito Santoro, shown here around 1965, operated Vito's on Seattle's First Hill for more than 40 years (Greg Lundgren/HistoryLink.org)

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