Opening up

Mike Pontarelli recently took the bold step of opening a restaurant in a down economy. I asked him about his new Volturno Ristorante & Bar (2215 Del Paso Boulevard).

“I was a regular at Three Sisters restaurant and asked Norma Saenz there for advice. Now she’s my business partner. We thought we could take advantage of the economy to keep our overhead down. We also serve family-style meals, which a lot of places don’t do.

“We have a very European bar, and the main dining room looks like a small piazza with a fireplace. It’s a big surprise for most people when they come in.

“I’m from Providence [Rhode Island], which has more southern Italian cuisine. It’s a bit different for Sacramento. Our pizza is really thin crust and we have a zuppa Volturno, which is a family recipe for soup made with bread, provolone, potatoes, Italian sausage, and peppers.”