Can a restaurant be resurrected?

If you're thinking the arrival of Adesso Bistro at the former Parkside location (1906 Haro St., ph. 604-568-9975) is a case of deja vu, you're right. The Italian haunt that slipped into the space vacated by Andrey Durbach's L'Altro Buca was last seen on the corner of First and Yew.

Even though the kitchen bumped things up a notch for Kits at the time, the room--overshadowed, ironically, by floundering (and now vanished) Watermark--never quite took off.

However, five years on, Adesso 2.0 has all the promise of its predecessor. Plus, these intimate digs west of Denman are just right for the casual but detail-driven polish of the new edition.

In the kitchen, chef Sean Sylvestre (who honed his skills for eight years at Cioppino's, under Pino Posteraro) delivers a menu that pays full attention to seasonal, mainly West Coast ingredients prepared with passion and flair, echoing the recipes of co-owner Luciano Loi's coastal home region of Liguria.

"Lots of people have been there without realizing it," Loi says. "If you head southwest, into France, you're in Nice and Monte Carlo."

The cuisine style is lighter than other Italian regions, with a natural emphasis on fresh seafood, as well as olives and pine nuts, which grow in abundance.

The plates are not as large as standard entrées yet neither are they "small plates." With an emphasis on freshness of fare that speaks for itself, the quality of preparation and ingredients equates to good value.

One of the few East Coast concessions, a half lobster comes wrapped in savoury breadcrumbs and roasted in its half shell ($22), while fresh halibut is baked and served with an Acqua Pazza sauce of white wine, cherry tomatoes and olives ($22).

A standout is the mixed, mainly West Coast seafood bourrida (also a draw at the former location) that mingles a school of prawn, octopus, calamari, clam and lobster in a spicy tomato broth ($20). Perfect for sopping up the delicious juice is pastry chef Jason Pitschke's herbed and rock salted panini, right out of the oven.

There's plenty to lure us back, including Pitschke's vibrant and seductive Fragola, with macerated strawberries, a mille foglie of strawberry mousse, mascarpone, Italian meringue and a compote of strawberry juices, with puff pastry. That's unless we're swayed by the fleur de cao dark chocolate--or the affogato with hazelnut praline.

Wines, well chosen, are pan-regional Italian, with some desirable cachet B.C. labels--such as Foxtrot Pinot Noir--for good measure.

Also appealing is Adesso's delightful, leafy patio (something that was lacking before), which should make this born-again newcomer a welcome addition to the quiet, tree-lined side street.

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More from the "then is now" department sees a sad farewell to long struggling So.cial. We'll have to see if apostrophes fare better than misplaced first periods, when the heritage Water Street space re-emerges as McLean's. You also have to hand it to Steamworks owner Eli Gershkovitch for perseverance: The Transcontinental, which barely left the station has now pulled back in as Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar--where you can pay what you think the food is worth. For now.

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Belly's Budget Best

- When it comes to fruit wine specialists, few compete with Naramata's Elephant Island. To prove to yourself summer really is here, try a splash of this stylin' apple-based bubbly with a touch of cassis. It might have you fooled that it's something else. At private wine stores, such as Broadway, Kits and Liberty for $26-ish.