Spinasse: No Sex On This Beach

Opening night crowd at this splendid, brand-new Italian eatery is conservatively dressed, considering the Capitol Hill location. One customer in a tank top, one server with a piercing and tats, but mostly it's long-sleeved shirts of muted stripes. The chef, Justin Niedermeyer, wears a vest. The barman, Gavin Morris, serves Seattlest opening night's first negroni.

Sometime later, he makes another negroni, but we spot maitre d' Matthew Lawrence taking it back to the kitchen. No, not for the cooks. "The customer hated it," he reports. Wait, how can someone order a negroni and hate it? Gin, vermouth, Campari: what's not to like?

"She wanted a Sex On The Beach," Lawrence confesses. Red Robin calls this cocktail "Sand In Your Shorts," TGIF's euphemism is "Fun on the Beach." No matter; vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice are no match for Campari.

Spinasse was, until last year, the Globe, a vegan bakery. Can't wait until someone puts in an order for meatless capretto al forno or gluten-free agnolotti del plin al burro e salvia or vegan prosciutto con melone. Just hold the prosciutto.

Spinasse, 1531 14th Avenue, 206-251-7673