When the Kingfish Café moved off Capitol Hill, it was difficult to think of another restaurant residing in the longtime home of the Seattle soul-food mecca. The first attempt, Ernest Loves Agnes, failed. Then a second Italian restaurant took a shot, this one also backed by the co-owner of Ernest Loves Agnes, Jason Lajeunesse. The big difference at Contadino (602 19th Ave. E.) was the addition of Brian Clevenger, who worked under Ethan Stowell and has opened Vendemmia and Raccolto in West Seattle in the past couple of years. Unfortunately, as was announced over the weekend, Contadino has also closed.

I had been preparing for a review of Contadino; now I am left with a pile of notes and no restaurant. But rather than scrap my plans, I still think it is worth writing about Contadino, for no other reason than to provide a progress report on Clevenger, who even despite this setback is on the rise in the dining scene.