The intense emotion of an operatic aria occupies the space aurally while the strong aromas of Italian cuisine fill it spatially. In the middle of this intensity, I enjoy the best Caesar salad of my entire life at Sorrento Ristorante Italiano (430 Legion Way, Olympia, (360) 352-9915), appreciating the intricacies of flavor that match the nuances in the music.  I spy a baby leaf of sage on my chicken breast and close my eyes to better taste the blend of flavors in the dressing.  I detect the tiniest hint of anchovy, the hallmark of Caesar dressing done right.  It's a salad strong enough to stand up to the lovely valpolicella I'm sipping, and yet, it's a salad whose flavors don't overpower my palate.

Franco Cannava, proprietor of Sorrento, proudly asserts the presence of the oft-maligned anchovy in the dressing, and when I ask him about the marinade he scoffs, "I wouldn't even give my mother my recipe!"

Cannava looks like the kind of guy who values Mama and home, and he also looks like he could've been a Soprano.  But his aren't fingers that damage; his are fingers that create and coax flavors out of inert ingredients and bring life to foods as ubiquitous as Caesar salad.

Cannava has been bringing life to food for years, living in places as varied as New York, San Francisco and Dana Point, Calif. - even Gig Harbor.  A Sicilian who spent his boyhood in Sorrento, Italy, Cannava is expressive, impassioned, and affable. Speaking of his boyhood home, his eyes well with the enormity of emotion attached to the place.

"Italy gets into your veins," Cannava says. 

I've never been, but dream of going on a bike tour someday through the Tuscan countryside.  His eyes grow large and roll in ecstasy, approving of my dream.  He tells me, "Riding a bicycle, you get to know the real people."

"Cars trap you," he says.  But even still, he enjoys driving on his one day off - Sunday.  He enjoys dining in new places, and he especially likes Point Defiance Park.  He appreciates reprieve from his work; yet, he fears longer reprieves than the allotted one day off.  He's a man who enjoys exerting a certain control over the product he puts out. 

"You open a restaurant to please the people," he explains. He adds, "They go happy, they want to come back."

Sorrento Ristorante Italiano

430 Legion Way, Olympia
360.352.9915