Raleigh Restaurateurs redefine Trattoria Dining in the Triangle with the opening of Vivace

The seasoned Urban Food Group restaurateurs of Frazier’s and Porter’s City Tavern joined Raleigh’s culinary renaissance with the opening on Vivace in March 2006 (The Alexan, 4209 Lassiter Mill Road, 919-787-7747). Taking its name and cue from the Italian word meaning “lively,” Vivace introduces a modern convivial Italian restaurant in a stylish setting where the overall dining experience is further enriched thanks to Chef Jeremy Sabo’s signature innovative style, employing an updatedand seasonal perspective on classic Italian dishes.

The James Beard award-winning restaurant design firm, The Johnson Studio, has created a cozy, rustic-chic Italian influenced setting at Vivace. A warm, neutral palate recalling the Italian countryside -- olive greens, creams and mochas -- is accented with luxurious contemporary textures in suede and mohair. Overhead, fabric-covered chandeliers of varying size illuminate the distressed chestnut-colored wooden floors in the dining room. Seating near the warm hearth of the wood-fired oven offers unique dining for 6, while banquettes and deep booths offer intimate dining for 65. A double-sided marble bar glows indoors and out creating a dramatic ambiance in the evenings. The curved, elevated banquette adds energy to the dynamic bar seating 30 indoors, while outdoors, umbrella-covered tables and rattan furniture give al fresco dining the feeling of a Roman piazza.

Chef Sabo delivers a seasonally focused trattoria menu. Freddo and Caldo, or Hot and Cold Appetizers, include cured meats, artisanal cheeses with mostarda, seasonal bruschetta such as Truffled White Bean, and the must-haveFried Stuffed Green Olives. Alongside classic thin crustNeapolitan pizzas, expertly baked in the wood-fired oven with a host of Italian ingredients – Fennel Sausage, Peperonata, Arugula, and Italian cheeses -- enjoy seasonal salads such as the Winter Caprese, featuring oven-dried tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella or the Pickled Beet and Gorgonzola Salad with Shaved Fennel. Hearty soups include Sabo’s Italian-style French Onion Soup, served with a poached egg, semolina dumpling, and Pecorino Romano.

Primis, or house-made pastas showcase Sabo’s hands-on expertise. The Ricotta Tortelloni, made with smoky bacon, fresh bacon and fava beans features carbonara flavors, but in an entirely fresh interpretation, while his Linguine with Clams includes plump mussels and spicy piquillo peppersfor that essential piquant note.

Secondi’s, often wood-fired, feature generous entrées such as Florentine-style Porterhouse with Extra Virgin Olive Oil Potato Puree and a Barolo Wine Reduction, Smoked and Roasted Chicken with Swiss Chard and Parmesan Broth and Veal Osso Bucco. While Pancetta-wrapped Monkfish with Braised Fennel, Celery, Baccala Potato Puree and Lemon Parsley Aioli recalls a Venetian meal.

Pasticceria by Pastry Chef Eric Akbari follow Chef Sabo’s updated style – classics are reinterpreted in a decidedly sophisticated fashion. Tira Misu features a twist, as does the Amaretto-Semifreddo with a black pepper-caramel.

As a complement to the updated Italian dining experience, Vivace offers a focused and festive beverage program, featured in USA Today in May 2006. Italian wines dominate the wine collection, with 15 available by the glass. At the bar, house-made Limoncellos in a variety of flavors form the basis for the cocktail program, quenching the Triangle’s thirst for a unique and contemporary trattoria dining experience in the South.

Biography: Chef Jeremy Sabo

Sabo’s appetite for cooking may stem back to the festive Eastern European ethnic cooking in his home, or maybe it was all those Frugal Gourmet cooking shows that he watched throughout his youth? At a very young age, it’s no doubt that Sabo was certain of his culinary career ahead, and at age 18, in 1996, set out for the accelerated program at the Academy of Culinary Arts at Indiana’s University of Pennsylvannia, near his hometown of Masontown, Pennsylvannia.

With his sights set on North Carolina, Sabo chose the Park Hotel in Charlotte for his externship. As a 4-star, 4-diamond property, he soaked in all that Charlotte’s fine hotel had to offer – from banquettes and buffets to fine dining at all hours of the day – and was quickly hired to stay. Several months later, with confidence on his side, he began cooking at La Biblioteque, Charlotte’s most esteemed independently owned French restaurant. Over the course of 2 years, Sabo worked alongside acclaimed Chef Mohammed Batab whose training in the finer points of classic French cooking and technique would leave an indelible mark on Sabo’s cooking. There, he began mastering the art of French cooking, taking care of each ingredient and presenting it artfully.

When hired as the Chef de Partie at Lautrec – the highest end of all 8 restaurants at the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, PA, he didn’t hesitate, as he was now ready for a more executive position in a fine-tuned kitchen. There, the cooking had graduated from formal, fine dining French cuisine, to a more modern, and updated nouvelle French approach.  Sabo’s culinary career grew as he learned how to lighten classic sauces and work more closely with producers of fine ingredients. As Chef de Partie, he was not only excelling in the kitchen, but also in management, now in charge of ordering and handling food costs for the most important restaurant on the resort property. After a successful 2 ½ years, and with a silver spoon in his pocket, he left Lautrec for Raleigh, again drawn back to North Carolina.

Sabo landed at Raleigh’s private, upscale Cardinal Club, and there, spent two years treasuring the freedom he now had to create elaborate tasting menus for special guests on a nightly basis. With a culinary degree, formal French training, and updated experience at one of the Northeast’s best resorts, Sabo was thrilled to put his knowledge and passion to use. Wine paired dinners, cooking classes for members and ever-changing menus became second nature to Sabo.

When the position of Sous-Chef became available at Frazier’s in Raleigh, Sabo jumped at the opportunity. Owners Kevin and Stacey Jennings hired Sabo with the intent of elevating Frazier’s bistro menu, and this is exactly what Sabo did – so much so, that they soon after renovated Frazier’s interior to reflect the sophisticated cuisine, and made Sabo Executive Chef. Sabo replaced the burger and fries with Steak Frites, and began sourcing produce from local farms – greens from Bill Dow, tomatoes from Tom Kumpf and cheeses from Celebrity Dairy. As Executive Chef of Frazier’s, Sabo began offering wine-paired dinners, and a chef’s tasting menu, taking this bistro into an upscale, stylish direction. In 2005, the News & Observer recognized Frazier’s as a 3-star restaurant, and called Chef Sabo “one of the most inventive culinary talents around…”

One year later, as the Jennings searched for an Executive Chef of their newest Italian inspired restaurant, Vivace, Sabo salivated over the challenge. His Mediterranean palate was excited to explore Italy’s cuisine for the first time, and opening his first restaurant was more than appealing. While planning Vivace’s menu, Sabo assisted as consulting Chef at Porter’s City Tavern until Vivace’s opening. There, he applied his excellent training and interest on fine products to this neighborhood tavern, all the while learning the flavors and subtleties of Italy’s culinary landscape for his new seasonally inspired trattoria menu at the soon-to-open Vivace.

Sabo’s excitement over the project is intoxicating; his passion for this hip new trattoria is evident as he describes his hand-tossed wood-fired pizzas with seasonal toppings, housemade pastas with local greens and artisanal cheeses and twists on classic Italian dishes that he’ll bring to the table…  As he explains, “it’s comfort food at its best!”

Biography: General Manager & Beverage Director
Scott Luetgenau

Food and wine are two passions that continue to drive Scott in his career centered on restaurants. Scott has worked his way up in restaurants from the young age of sixteen including stints as a dishwasher, prepcook, busboy, server, bartender and corporate trainer. Starting in 2000, Scott began working at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina as a dining room supervisor for Deerpark and The Stable Café, eventually earning the dining room manager position at the Bistro on Biltmore Estate. Scott then moved on to sell wine with a small boutique distributorship in western North Carolina. In 2003 he arrived in New York where he graduated from The French Culinary Institute with a degree in The Essentials of Restaurant Management, a program that was offered in conjunction with Cornell University‚s School of Hospitality. While studying in New York, Scott served as the General Manager for L'Ecole Restaurant at The French Culinary Institute. He introduced a comprehensive wine pairing program to complement L'Ecole's changing daily tasting menus and cheese cart service. Working at L'Ecole gave Scott the opportunity to work closely with such renowned Chefs as Andre Soltner, Alain Sailhac and Jacques Pepin. During his vacation time, Scott served as a stagiaire at such restaurants as Daniel, Per Se and Charlie Trotters. After receiving sommelier certification through The Sommelier Society of America, Scott returned to North Carolina to serve as the General Manager and Sommelier at Enoteca Vin in Raleigh which holds the Wine Spectator's Best Award of Excellence. During his time at Il Palio Scott and Executive Chef Jim Anile created impressive food and wine experiences that not only demonstrated the diversity of wine throughout Italy, but also dazzled the diner's palate. Our philosophy at Vivace is to seek out the finest wines from the Italy's top producers that are natural, without excessive handling or manipulation and are expressive of their terroir. Food and wine inspire one another, making the selection and interplay of the wine and food an integral part of the dining experience.

Ultimately, we want your dining experience at Vivace to be fun, unpretentious, enlightening, and memorable. Please do not hesitate to let us know what you think, what you like, and what you would like to see on our list.