Photograph by George Sakkestad
When Sasha Lunginovic opened Dolce Vita in Saratoga, he insisted on music every night of the week. Some of it he makes himself.
By Suzanne Cristallo
Dolce Vita in Saratoga appeals to diners on several levels: Russian, Brazilian, Italian, Gypsy and jazz.
Jazz? We're talking music here, glorious, classical, wild and foot-tapping. It accompanies continental fare with an Italian emphasis and features Sasha Lunginovic, proprietor/pianist.
Dolce Vita--"the sweet life"--offers different musical flavors on different nights of the week. Every Tuesday, a strolling guitarist and vocalist play and sing Italian favorites while customers enjoy two dinners for the price of one.
Wednesday night is Russian; Thursday and Saturday are Brazilian with flute, guitar and piano creating South American rhythms for listening and dancing. Friday is jazz night with a different band every week. The first and third Sundays of every month are Gypsy nights. The wild sound of a Gypsy violin is carried to the tables while Lunginovic plays guitar.
The son of a saxophone-playing father and an opera-singing mother, Lunginovic, 32, came to the United States from Yugoslavia 11 years ago, bringing with him a wealth of musical influences. After studying economics at the University of Belgrade in Yugoslavia, he ran a restaurant there before traveling directly to Saratoga, where he joined some cousins.
He went into the real-estate business, but when he heard the old Margherita di Roma restaurant was for sale, he knew exactly what to do.
In early 1995, he bought the restaurant, renaming it Dolce Vita. He brought a piano to the front of the house, restructured the front windows so they would open in the manner of a street cafe, and cleared away tables around the piano for impromptu dancing.
While he runs the front of the house, chef Ron Cohen runs the kitchen, offering fresh pastas, char-broiled salmon, roasted duck bigarade, veal picatta, an "outrageous cioppino and unique appetizers, which are large and tasty," Cohen says. Entrées run from $11.25 for penne puttanesca to $17.50 for a New York sirloin steak. From 5 to 6 p.m. daily, two pasta dinners are offered for the price of one.
Dolce Vita Ristorante Continentale, 14482 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Open 5-10 p.m., Tue.-Sun. Closed Mon. For reservations, individual groups or parties up to 88, call 741-8858.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, October 23, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved