Firenze Ristorante and Pizzeria Guido

Crossroads in Bellevue has changed dramatically over the years. Stores and restaurants have come and gone. But since 1992, Firenze Ristorante Italiano has been serving authentic Italian meals, outlasting just about everyone else in the area. And in 2007, owner Salvatore Lembo took over the space next door to Firenze and opened Pizzeria Guido and Wine Bar, offering a different taste of Italy.

Firenze dining room

Salvatore came to America for love—he had met a woman from Bellevue who was studying in Italy. He moved to Bellevue in 1987. Before moving, he spent summers helping a cousin in Sicily with his hotel restaurant and pizzeria. Once here, he worked at Calabria in Kirkland for three years. A friend of the owner, he started out helping at the front door. Eventually he worked in all areas. "I started having a feeling for this business," recalls Salvatore. Customers and friends encouraged him to open his own place. "I wanted to stay on the Eastside. I was living in Kirkland and friends and customers who said they'd support my restaurant were all there. I liked dealing with the same clientele—everyone knows everyone's name."

Salvatore designed Firenze himself. "It was just an empty warehouse space," he says. "I'm not a fan of nouvelle cuisine. If it's Italian food, it must be authentic and go with the temperature—rich in winter like lamb and pasta. I created a menu that had a variety of food so there would be something for everyone."

I couldn't afford a lot of staff when we opened. I had two chef friends, one from New York and one from Italy. They both helped me get started. I was the only one working in the dining room. If we got busy, one of the chefs would come out and help, wearing his stained apron from the kitchen. Rosendo Ruiz was hired as a kitchen helper. He's stayed the entire time and is our chef. We did well right away. The people who said they would come, did. After a few weeks, I was able to hire a busser and server. In just a few months, there were lines out the door on the weekends. We had just one room that held 50. The landlord saw what was going on and offered us additional space. We created a second room for busy times and private parties."

Specials were and are very popular. "People called to see if their favorite was on the menu. If it wasn't, I'd say ‘tell me what it is and we'll make it for you.' It's important that we welcome people this way," says Salvatore.

At first, money was tight. Salvatore's tips were used to pay the chefs. No one had any days off. They had a good wine list, but maybe only one bottle of some wines. As business grew and Salvatore moved into supervision and spending time talking with customers, his waiters had more tables and made more money. Firenze is filled with long-time staff: Chef Rosendo, 17 years; Francesco Montalto, the head waiter, nine years; Ettore Alonzo, waiter, 12 years. "Even our dishwashers stay," says Salvatore. "My waiters know everyone by name; 80% of our business is regular customers. Half the time we know their orders before they say anything!" Within a year, their wine list filled out, focused primarily on Italy but with a few options from France, Washington, Oregon and California.

Owner Salvatore Lembo (left) and Chef Rosendo Ruiz (right)

When Salvatore's chef friends left, Rosendo took over full control of the kitchen. "If I had had the money to do it differently, it wouldn't be so sweet," says Salvatore. "This is my baby. I built this. Rosendo and I talk about specials, but I never go into the kitchen now. Original dishes still sell, so we haven't changed much." They usually do four specials each evening. "We have 25-30 specials we rotate and try to do a pasta, meat, seafood and one other. Except for the Bolognese which cooks for 8-12 hours, all our sauces are made at the moment. Everything is fresh. We have just one small freezer and get daily deliveries." They make their own bread in-house. From Italy, they get their olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes, mortadella, provolone, pecorino, prosciutto. "Having these things makes me feel complete."

Salvatore bought property in Italy to grow his own grapes. Family friend Andrea Cecchi, who comes from a family that has been in the wine business since 1893, brought vines and planted the vineyard. "He did it as a friend and for no other reason," says Salvatore who now sells his own Chianti at the restaurant. "We also offer Regina and Uvolini wines as well as cognac, single malts and a nice selection of grappa."

In 2007, Salvatore took over the space next to Firenze and turned it into a welcoming pizzeria and wine bar. "The pizza is Tuscan-style. Really, it's served this way almost everywhere in Italy, but if you say Tuscan-style, everyone knows what you mean. Our crust is crisper, not too elastic. We have a custom-made open flame oven. All ingredients are Italian products and our wine list covers the six most famous Italian wine regions." Pizzeria Guido has been managed by Nina DeMarco for the past two years. In addition to pizza, they serve pasta, calzone and antipasti. Everything is prepared on site, including the very popular eggplant soup. "Sometimes people at Firenze request the soup, so we bring it from next door," laughs Salavatore.

Pizzeria Guido's prosciutto crudo e rucola (mozzarella, prosciutto and arugula)

Six or eight wine dinners are held at Firenze each year, on no particular schedule. When wine producers are in town or customers have a request, dinners are held. "Dinners are very friendly," says Salvatore. "I learn from the winemakers and want to have customers learn directly from them, too."

Despite all the changes at Crossroads, Firenze and now Guido have a mighty staying power. Their food is delicious and soul-satisfying, customers are treated like family and the atmosphere is as pleasing as it was the day they opened. Classics never go out of style.

Connie Adams/February 2010