Building the Valley: La Vite Ristorante provides fine Italian fare in Russellton

La Vite Ristorante is a big restaurant with even bigger goals.

“I want this to be Pittsburgh’s Italian restaurant spot,” said owner, Eric Capozzi, 56, of McCandless. “I want everyone to come in, enjoy themselves and have fun.”

La Vite, located at the No Offseason Sports complex at 942 Little Deer Creek Valley Road in Russellton, opened April 18 and has hit the ground running, Capozzi said.

In fact, a check of the comments and messages on the restaurant’s Facebook page tells the story of just how well things have been going, Capozzi said.

“We have had no negative comments,” he said.

The restaurant serves predominantly Italian food with a few American-style dishes. It also features a full-service bar and a banquet room.

“The service is right there with the food,” Capozzi said. “Normally, you get one or the other.

“People are loving it.”

Menu items include pasta, pizza, flatbreads, salads, seafood, gourmet burgers and other specialties, such as lasagna and chicken Milan.

La Vite can accommodate 384 diners, and Capozzi attributed the restaurant’s early success to its staff, which currently numbers 75.

“They’re a great bunch of people,” he said. “They all work well together, they all work hard together.”

No Offseason Sports was looking for a restaurant as a tenant at its West Deer location, and La Vite fit the bill.

La Vite opening at the sports complex is a “game changer,” said Joe Voloch, director of operations at No Offseason Sports. Other tenants in the building include The Barnyard Coffee & Creamery and Precision Physical Therapy and Performance.

No Offseason Sports boasts baseball and soccer fields, and a concert venue is on its way next summer.

“What Eric’s restaurant provides is space, atmosphere. The food is amazing, but we also can cater to people who want chicken fingers,” Voloch said.

“It’s all right here.”

Capozzi is a seasoned veteran when it comes to food service and the hospitality industry. Growing up in Canonsburg, his first job was as a dishwasher at Sarris Candies.

His career then took him to different establishments and leadership positions within the restaurant business in New York and New Jersey. It has been a crazy ride, Capozzi said, one that has been worth it.

“It’s really been a wonderful blessing,” he said.

La Vite is open from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.