The Virginian-Pilot
                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, June 16, 1996                 TAG: 9606130199
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST          PAGE: 12   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Restaurant Review 
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE KOZAK 
        STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: KITTY HAWK                        LENGTH:  104 lines

PRIMA VERA'S PASTARIA WARM AND WELCOMING THE AUTHENTIC ``PEASANT FOOD'' CUISINE IS GOOD AND FILLING AND COMES FROM THE SOUTH OF ITALY.

FRANK SINATRA would be proud.

Prima Vera's Pastaria boasts authentic cuisine from the south of Italy. The decor is warm and welcoming. And the whole family can afford to have a good, filling meal.

Sinatra's music sets the tone for dinner: elegant and tasteful. Photographs of the singer hang on the dining room walls and in the bathrooms.

``Nothing makes dinner go down better than Frank Sinatra,'' says owner Ron Nicoletta. ``He's just been my idol since I was a kid.''

As soon as my friend and I walked into Prima Vera's one recent evening, we felt comfortable. But it's more silk pajamas than old-bathrobe type of comfort.

Ivy leaf wallpaper, white tablecloths, elegant green glasses and burgundy-colored napkins are lovely touches in an airy dining room. When we first sat down, Tony Bennett music was playing, followed by Frankie. It was as a whole classy, not stuffy.

Our server, Jenny, was pleasant and attentive, and easy to get along with. I ordered a glass of Citra Trebbiano d'Abruzzo, the house white wine ($3). It was just right, not too dry or sweet.

My companion selected one of the specialty drinks, a frozen strawberry daiquiri ($4.50). She declared the drink, thick and topped with a dollop of real whipped cream, delicious.

For an appetizer, we chose pesto-crusted shellfish ravioli ($5.50), ricotta ravioli sauteed with shrimp and scallops in pistachio sauce.

Heavenly! Just the right size portion to whet the appetite, it was a suitable precursor to the entree.

It was tough deciding what to have for our main course off a menu ranging from tortellini de Calabrese ($10.75) to shrimp scampi ($11.95) to chicken Franchaise ($10.50) to oven roasted sausage ($9.95).

Obviously, Pastaria is more than pasta.

I chose the vegetarian lasagna ($9.95), layered with ricotta, spinach, eggplant, zucchini and roasted peppers, topped with pesto Alfredo sauce. Garnished with a plum tomato, fresh basil and pignoli nuts, it looked as great as it tasted. The pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente, and the sauce was delicate and flavorful.

With crispy dark greens, ripe tomato chunks and homemade croutons, the house salad ($2.50) was what a dinner salad is meant to be.

And the bread sticks, slightly garlicky, sprinkled with fresh parsley and served with fresh butter, were some of the best I've had in years.

My companion selected one of the evening's specials: shellfish diablo ($16.95). She said it was nice and spicy and didn't overwhelm the fresh taste of the fish. Plus, she said, it was cooked to perfection.

We ended the meal by sharing a generous slice of Black Forest cake. ($3.50). It was moist and rich. And we were happy.

Nicoletta opened Prima Vera (which means ``Happy Springtime'' in Italian) last September, and he raves that business has boomed from the beginning.

It's not his first venture on the Outer Banks.

In 1990, he opened Nicoletta's Italian Cafe and Nicoletta's Pizzaria in Corolla.

He sold both in 1992 and opened Nicoletta's Garden Cafe in Nashville, which he sold the next year to Wynonna Ryder. Ryder still operates it as the Trilogy, he said.

By 1993, Nicoletta had returned to the Outer Banks and opened Four Seasons in Monterey Shores.

He sold that restaurant two years later and opened Prima Vera's in 1995.

Nicoletta, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., says he would never operate restaurants if he didn't enjoy being in the kitchen so much.

``I LOVE to cook,'' he says. Born in Brooklyn to Italian parents and raised in Utica, N.Y., Nicoletta says he and his wife Susan, Prima Vera's manager and chef, put everything into the restaurant.

``It's family run, and we give our life and our heart to this restuarant,'' he says. ``My food is peasant Italian food, and that's why it tastes so good.''

He says his formula to a successful restaurant is pretty basic: ``Quality food, quality service and a clean atmosphere.''

And it's working for him again at Prima Vera's Pastaria. MEMO: Carolina Coast dining profiles are based on a single, unannounced

visit by Virginian-Pilot writers. Restaurant managers are often

contacted later for more information. The Virginian-Pilot pays for the

meal. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by DREW C. WILSON

Prima Vera's Pastaria owner Ron Nicoletta says, ``My food is peasant

Italian food, and that's why it tastes so good.''

PRIMA VERA'S

Where: 120 East Kitty Hawk Road, Milepost 4 between the Bypass

and the Beach Road.

Phone: 261-1198.

Features: Southern Italian Calabrian-style cooking. Children's

pasta available.

Prices: Appetizers, $4.25-$5.50; salads and soups, $2.50-$8.50;

lunch entrees, $6.25-$6.75; dinner entrees, $8.95-$12.95.

Drinks: Full-service bar; specialty drinks; cappuccino, espresso;

beer and wine.

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m to 10 p.m.; Sunday 4 to 9

p.m.

Credit Cards: Visa and Mastercard.

Smoking: Allowed.

Handicapped accessible: Yes. by CNB