Legendary La Forêt restaurant reopens
Davoudi turns over the reins, menu to Carrubba brothers
Less than four months after taking over La Forêt, two local restaurateurs are reopening the iconic dining roomin San Jose’s Almaden Valley.
Brothers Maurizio (Maurice) and Giuseppe Carrubba say they’ve stuck to the promises made to retired owner- chef John Davoudi and devoted customers: They have retained the restaurant’s name, the French/Continental menu and much of the staff.
Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 9 p.m. six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, in the remodeled New Almaden restaurant. Some “soft opening” meals were served under the watchful eye of Davoudi, and the doors officially opened Thursday.
“Every beloved La Forêt dish, from the foie gras to the souffle, is available,” restaurant spokeswoman Donna Michaels said Thursday afternoon.
The only changes? Look for some new menu items from the Carrubbas. And, at least for now, Sunday brunch will not be offered.
La Forêt was the first two-story hotel in California and originally housed workers from the quicksilver mines, according to the restaurant’s website. It operated as a boardinghouse until the 1930s, when it become the Cafe Del Rio. That restaurant operated for about 40 years. Davoudi and partner Mike Mashayekh made it La Forêt in 1978.
The Bertram Road restaurant quickly became the go-to place in the Almaden Valley for special occasions.
Davoudi earlier this year announced his retirement and his intention to seek out buyers who would retain La Forêt’s ambience and menu.
That meshed with the Carrubba brothers’ plans. “I love history. And I’m an old soul.… We want to carry on the tradition,” Maurice said in June.
Details: To make dinner reservations, call 408-9973458. To check on the menu (new items will be added), go to www.laforetrestaurant.com.