Angelo’s Ristorante offers a little taste of Italy

An Italian restaurant featuring a gourmet cuisine, signature dishes and a great wine list – one that also attracts reservations from people all across the country, including the rich and famous – is not something you would expect to find tucked away in the corner of a strip mall on Coeur d’Alene’s North Fourth Street. But it’s there – Angelo’s Ristorante.

Angelo Martini Brunson opened Angelo’s in November, advertising his made-from-scratch fare with a simple sandwich board placed near the sidewalk. Drivers heading north on the one-way street couldn’t miss it.

“We ran newspaper ads for two months, and after that we were doing so well that we didn’t need advertising,” Brunson says. He advises reservations.

Now, the sandwich board has been replaced by a large, colorful sign painted on the wall of the building next door and a round, neon sign lights the way after dark. The restaurant is often packed.

“We get calls for reservations from people living in all parts of the country who are planning to vacation in Coeur d’Alene,” says the 37-year-old Brunson. “They say they have learned about us from friends who have eaten here.”

John Elway and Lindsay Wagner are among the celebraties who have found their way to Angelo’s.

Angelo’s is a dinner restaurant open seven days a week from 5 to 10 p.m. The interior space is relatively small, with an entry into the counter area, which has five stools. The separate dining room seats about 36. If you choose to perch on one of the stools at the counter, you have a ringside seat to the show in the kitchen with its organized chaos, wonderful food and tantalizing smells. This summer Angelo’s added and fenced an outdoor dining area that can seat about 40.

The decor whispers of Italy with flowers, wine bottles, pictures of the Madonna and Child, soft lighting and beaded shades plus two large original oil paintings of operatic tenors Pavarotti and Placido Domingo. Brunson commissioned Northwest artist Bernie Weber to paint them. The pictures of the Virgin and Child are more than decorations; they are symbols of the Brunson family’s faith.

Brunson believes atmosphere is important but, “Most important is the food. We really care about people’s health and are 90 percent organic in what we serve,” he says. “We buy locally and in Spokane.”

He has 19 employees working in the restaurant.

“It’s a lot for the small size of the place. It really gets busy,” he says. “At dinner time it can look like an ant farm.”

Head chef is Sally McCoy who, despite her Irish name, brags there is Italian in her family tree. Arriving at 8 in the morning, she bakes bread, prepares sauces, parboils the spaghetti and creates the desserts. Every item on the menu is made from scratch using the best and freshest ingredients available. Advance preparation makes it possible to turn out fine dinners in a small space in a reasonable amount of time.

Prior to moving with his wife, Julie, and their three children to Coeur d’Alene, Brunson operated a restaurant and piano bar in Marysville, Wash. “It was four times the size of this one,” he says.

After moving to Coeur d’Alene he successfully managed the Market Cafe until it was sold to new owners. He took a year’s break from the restaurant business and worked in his house-painting business. When it came time to paint the interior of his new restaurant, he had to look no farther than himself. Many of the people he had worked with at the Market Cafe now work at Angelo’s.

Brunson has no plans to move his restaurant to a bigger building but is considering expanding into the basement of his existing location at 846 N. Fourth. The basement is larger than the first floor.

“We are working to satisfy codes for fire safety which includes another entrance,” he said.

He also is considering opening a second restaurant, but in the more immediate future are plans to begin serving gourmet pizza.

In addition to the restaurant, Angelo’s provides a catering service.

It’s a busy and ambitious schedule but it is apparent that Brunson enjoys the challenge while keeping his belief that “Food must be prepared with care and love.”