Scarpetta - Italian - La Scarpetta Opening Without Booze, Local Drunks Cranky

As reported by Grub Street some weeks back, there's been activity inside the space formerly occupied by East Village restaurant Uovo at 11th Street and Avenue B. I knocked on the front door this afternoon and had a nice chat with the executive chef, who confirmed that an Italian restaurant is in the works and will be opening in some capacity very soon, but the exact plans remain up in the air after the community board twice denied them a liquor license. They are in the process of appealing to the state liquor authority and have a lawyer who has "never lost a case"--although lawyers throw that phrase around as much as their clients do the phrase "I'm being framed," so make of it what you will. In any event, the initial plan was to use their combined expertise in the kitchen--owner is former Bellavitae chef Pasquale Martinelli (as seen on "The Martha Stewart Show")--to open an authentic, full-service Italian restaurant, but that plan has stalled, since you can't very well have an authentic, sit-down Italian meal (or any other meal, for that matter) without booze. Both the owner and his chef are natives of Italy, where the latter says he "watched Pasquale grow up" before both moved to the U.S. and, as fate would have it, ran into each other on the streets of Brooklyn. At that time, the chef (whose name I have not-so-conspicuously forgotten, so let's just call him "Chef") was working in Miami, where he headed up various upscale Italian restaurants before relocating to New York and signing on to Martinelli's La scarpetta project. For now, he says the restaurant may open as a more casual spot--think of it as expensive counter service without trays and with seating; not so much fine dining as just plain eating--at least for now, while their prodigal attorney works his magic. While La scarpetta may not have a problem competing with nearby Italian eatery 11 B (that place is always empty--does anyone know how that stays open? Seriously, is it a front for a money laundering scheme? A meth lab? I really want to know), competing with neighboring Barbone may prove to be more difficult. Not to mention that Peter Hoffman's Back Forty just opened last week at Ave. B between 11th and 12th, and while that's not Italian, it does have a full bar.Chef was so nice that I felt bad about La scarpetta's predicament. I guess the sad truth is that the people who really have a vested interest in new liquor licenses being awarded are the very same people who are least likely to get their shit together and go to a community board hearing--the drunks.For nightlife buzz, don't forget to check out our booze blog, Imbible.