Café Bengodi, Seattle

Like the colors of the Italian flag, Seattle's Little Italy features three stripes of Italian cuisine. At Al Boccalino, diners pull up to white linen tablecloths for classic cuisine made from local ingredients. It's also a great place to stop for l'aperitivo, where guests dine on all-you-can-eat olives, ciliegine mozzarella, caprese, and grilled vegetables. Cafe Bengodi, by contrast, specializes in lighter fare—the bouquet of pastas are offset by a selection of sandwiches, risottos, and pizza served on a shaded patio. And at Little Italy's newest eatery, Che Sara Sara, the chefs focus on the cuisine of the Puglia region. It's all a part of owner Luigi DeNunzio's lifelong dream of transporting the flavors of his homeland to the American West Coast.