{"id":198947,"date":"2015-04-13T04:00:48","date_gmt":"2015-04-12T18:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=198947"},"modified":"2015-04-13T04:00:48","modified_gmt":"2015-04-12T18:00:48","slug":"for-this-restaurateur-saipan-deserves-something-nice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/for-this-restaurateur-saipan-deserves-something-nice\/","title":{"rendered":"For this restaurateur, Saipan deserves \u2018something nice\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-198947 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/for-this-restaurateur-saipan-deserves-something-nice\/italian-resto3\/'>italian resto3<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-198952'>\n\t\t\t\tVlad Melnik, the restaurant\u2019s owner, mans the bar.\t(Joel D. Pinaroc)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?attachment_id=198944'>italian resto 7<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-198944'>\n\t\t\t\tA selection of house wines hangs on a driftwood centerpiece. (Joel D. Pinaroc)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?attachment_id=198946'>italian resto2<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-198946'>\n\t\t\t\tThe well-lit fa\u00e7ade of the \nLa Trattoria. (Joel D. Pinaroc)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?attachment_id=198945'>italian resto 9<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-198945'>\n\t\t\t\tItalian beers are also available on the restaurant\u2019s drink list.  (Joel D. Pinaroc)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>For restaurateur Vlad Melnik, Saipan deserves \u201csomething nice\u201d when it comes to dining and relaxing.<\/p>\n<p>Vlad, the owner of La Trattoria, an Italian restaurant located along Isa Drive, says this does not mean prices on the menu are exorbitant. Quite the contrary, Vlad adds.<\/p>\n<p>He describes his restaurant as a family restaurant where one can have a nice meal with friends and loved ones in a cozy atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>It helps that the restaurant faces the sea and is right in the middle of the road going up Capital Hill, with a picturesque view of the ocean and Ma\u00f1agaha Island.<\/p>\n<p>According to Vlad, \u201cLa Trattoria,\u201d which loosely translates to \u201can eating place serving simple Italian dishes,\u201d lives up to its billing with simple yet authentic dishes made only from high-quality ingredients.<\/p>\n<p>Vlad says the ingredients\u2014from various cheeses and olive oil, to herbs, and spices, among others\u2014are all imported from Italy.<\/p>\n<p>They also bake their own bread and create their own selection of pizzas with two wood-fired ovens for that authentic Italian taste.<\/p>\n<p>Pizzas, salads, and meat dishes are all made from authentic ingredients, Vlad says.<\/p>\n<p>Returning diners might be surprised to see that the menu changes ever so often, which, according to Vlad, is a way for the restaurant to let customers discover \u201cnew tastes and new dishes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He says he is very hands-on when it comes to the kitchen, but he is quick to add that the goal is not to \u201cexperiment,\u201d but to offer something new. \u201cWe love to cook,\u201d Vlad says.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Loyal patrons<\/strong><br \/>\nLa Trattoria used to be located in Garapan before transferring to its present location.<\/p>\n<p>Vlad says he has been eyeing the Isa Drive location for many years before finally securing a long-term lease on the area.<\/p>\n<p>The present La Trattoria has been in operations for two months now with a growing number of patrons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur loyal customers followed us here,\u201d Vlad says, noting that he was pleasantly surprised to see residents in nearby communities going to La Trattoria.<\/p>\n<p>He says the restaurant\u2019s usual clientele of doctors, lawyers, and expats are now joined by businessmen, residents, and tourists.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of tourists, Vlad says he wants diners to appreciate the effort and passion that goes with every dish prepared and served by La Trattoria\u2019s dedicated 12-man staff.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wine selection <\/strong><br \/>\nLa Trattoria also has an extensive selection of wines and other drinks at its bar.<\/p>\n<p>According to Vlad, the restaurant currently has 40 different kinds of wine.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have the biggest selection of Italian wines,\u201d he says, noting that 90 percent of the restaurant\u2019s wines are from Italy, and the rest are from France, Chile, and San Francisco.<\/p>\n<p>He says some of the premium wines are sold by the glass. The selection caters to anyone who wants to have a sip of Italian wines, with some items priced from $30 to $80 per bottle.<\/p>\n<p>If a customer is not so inclined to order a Merlot, Chardonnay, or a Cabernet, there is also a modest selection of imported Italian beers and other alcoholic drinks.<\/p>\n<p>So if you are a diner or a foodie wanting to experience dining in an authentic Italian restaurant, La Trattoria is definitely worth a visit. (Joel D. Pinaroc)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For restaurateur Vlad Melnik, Saipan deserves \u201csomething nice\u201d when it comes to dining and relaxing&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":198952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2547,361,3737,3738],"class_list":["post-198947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-and-style","tag-isa-drive","tag-italy","tag-la-trattoria","tag-vlad-melnik"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198947"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198947\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}