Love it. Going to be tough to choose between this and Vivace.

Black and white tiled floor and decor are reminiscent of a many cozy bistros and cafes in France.

Service was a little weak in the first few days.

Duck liver pate was great. Onion soup spot on. Oyster assortment was fantastic. Steak was a tad tough and disappointing. Braised short rib was great, but "not as good as Vivace's!", said #1. Loved the fact they have skate on the menu, but we all felt this night the dish was way too salty. Fries are fab (are they fried in duck fat?).

Profiteroles were a big hit (chocolate sauce is drizzled over top there at the table). Other treats were delicious, too, especially the cherry clafoutis.

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Can't wait to go back!

Large, vibrant space from which they also sell wine.

Menu is mainly "small" dishes with about six "large" dishes for those who prefer an entree-sized portion.

Our table of six had the following (sharing most):
-duck confit (2)
-hand-cut fries, house-made rosemary salt
-frisee and golden pea shoot salad, roasted shiitakes, bacon, shaved parmesan, shallot vinaigrette
-NC tuna with curry sauce and papadam (or, "puppodum") (2)
-cheese: buche noir aged chevre (goat's milk, Maryland), Hook's 3 year cheddar (cows' milk, Wisconsin), rogue creamery blue (raw cows' milk, Oregon) with onion relish and apricot marmalade (2)
-home-cured olives
-charcuterie, procuitto, bresaola, salami, mortadella with grain mustard
-ratatouille
-calamari fritte
-scallops with Romesco sauce(2)
-apple strudel with a star anise caramel sauce
-pots de creme of chocolate and rose water (2)
-pear tartin with cinnamon ice cream

The only dish that was not completely devoured was the calamari: we felt it was too greasy.

If you add it all up, it worked out to about three plates per person. Bill was about $43 per person, 2 bottles of wine included, before gratuity.

Service was great and we would certainly return.

One negative: a tad loud.

We've been eating there since about 2004, but this is my first review.

Now open more than nine years, this tiny Italian star finally shines even brighter due to a long overdue building facelift. The Sutton Square shopping center (corner of Spring Forest and Falls of Neuse roads) has had the entire exterior refurbished, and Fresh Market now anchors the spot where Harris Teeter once was. The combination of more traffic and higher visibility (Capri was lost: stashed away in a gloomy corner), has led to the best summer in years for this North Raleigh favorite.

Part of the fun of Capri is the floor show, and by that I mean "The Pino & Dino Show". These two Italian transplants, friends for decades, twirl about the room, joking and charming all who will listen. Dino's two sons round out the cast of capable servers.

I typically can't wait to order the carpaccio: thin slices of raw premium beef atop a salad with huge shavings of parmesan, capers and walnuts. On this outing, however, the beef was sub-par and by the time I had finished, I had five small balls of un-chewable fat on my plate.

A special chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto, cheese, spinach and peppers was very good. But, the chicken cacciatore was even better: golf-ball sized pieces, each lightly breaded and sauteed in olive oil, served in a rich red-brown sauce of onions, mushrooms, peppers and sausage slices. It was the best I've ever had. I'm also very glad I ordered a side of rigatoni with Capri's dynamite vodka sauce (they should bottle that stuff!).

Tiramisu arrived without us even mentioning it, and a magnum of house wine stayed on our table the entire meal.

Total: $109 for two salads, two entrees, one side of pasta, one dessert and all the wine we could drink (tax and tip included). It's surprisingly more than we've spent in the past at Capri, and I'm afraid we didn't closely examine the bill before paying. Perhaps they charged us for the entire bottle?

Note: they serve only beer and wine and the setting is not luxurious.