Il Fornaio opens a new Mountain View location
The Marin County-based Italian dining group Il Fornaio has unveiled its newest location — a spacious indoor/outdoor trattoria at The Village at San Antonio Center in Mountain View.
Lunch, happy hour and dinner service started this week. It's the first new Il Fornaio in the Bay Area since the Santa Clara Square location opened in 2016.
In a departure from the classic Il Fornaio design featured at many NorCal locations, the group opted for a sleek, contemporary look. Arcanum Architecture redesigned the space that was formerly home to Paul Martin's American Grill. The 6,285-square-foot restaurant offers seating for 214 inside and 56 outside on the year-round patio, which is equipped with fire pits (and a dog-friendly policy).
Pasta and pizza dough will be made fresh daily by the team headed by Il Fornaio's
executive chef, Roberto Gerbino, and local chef Davide De Falco.
Leading off their long lineup of antipasti are Bruschette Assortite, Calamaretti Fritti and Carpaccio. Customer favorites on the pasta menu are the popular Rigatoni alla Vodka and the Lasagna Ferrarese, rich with meat ragu, porcini mushrooms and bechamel. Entrees include Braciola di Maiale, a pancettawrapped pork chop, and on the seafood side, Branzino al Limone.
This Mountain View location is among the handful of Il Fornaios offering a happy hour, with reduced prices on appetizers, pizza, wine, beer and cocktails from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays.
Conceived as a bakery in Italy in 1972 (“il fornaio” means “the baker”), the Il Fornaio restaurant concept started in 1986 in Corte Madera. Besides that inaugural location, the company operates restaurants in San Jose, Santa Clara Palo Alto, Burlingame, Walnut Creek, Carmel,
Sacramento, Roseville, Southern California and Las Vegas.
DETAILS >> Open from 11:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, until 9:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 545 San Antonio Road, Suite 31. www.ilfornaio.com
Dust Bowl Brewing expands to Livermore with barbecue, `smoothie beers'
Dust Bowl Brewing Co., named brewery of the year in the 2022 California State Fair's commercial craft beer competition, has opened its fourth location, this time in Livermore.
The new taproom at 3034 W. Jack London Blvd. continues the Turlockbased brewery's recent streak of sudsy success. Aside from the “brewery of the year” honorific, in that same competition it won gold medals for three of its beers: Taco Truck Lager, Hobo Pilsner and California Golden Ale.
“Expanding our satellite taproom locations is a key strategy to our growth, but more importantly, we just really enjoy creating cool spaces for beer fans to immerse themselves in the Dust Bowl brand,” said owner Brett Honore.
The Livermore space has a 30-tap tower for beers and seltzers and fridges for cans and bottles to take home. Two of those taps are devoted to rotating “smoothie beers” — sour-fruited beverages in flavors like bananaorange-strawberry and cherry-raspberry-huckleberry-mango. There's an outdoor space for lounging in the intense Livermore sun, with cornhole games and fire pits. A resident food truck, Hazy Barbecue Livermore Pit Stop, is serving up platters of brisket, ribs, andouille sausage and vegetarian jackfruit.
The taproom is located on the northeast end of the Shops at Livermore.
Dust Bowl's other locations are in Monterey, Elk Grove and the original in Turlock.
DETAILS >> The Livermore taproom is open 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday and 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday (closed Tuesday) at 3034 W. Jack London Blvd., Livermore; for info on events like live music check dustbowlbrewing. com and and instagram. com/dustbowlbrewingco.
San Jose chef will take over Palo Alto community cafe
Veteran San Jose chef and caterer Tony Santos will bring his culinary acumen, recipes and kitchen team to Palo Alto this month, when he takes over operation of the cafe on the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center campus.
“We are a community center serving thousands of visitors every week,” said Zack Bodner, OFJCC President and CEO, in announcing the partnership. “We are excited that Tony Caters will bring new creative solutions to meet the different needs of the community.”
The restaurant will be open to the public, with hours tentatively scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
Santos, a third-generation
Santa Clara Valley native, founded Tony Caters in 2009 and currently operates The Tech Café at The Tech Interactive in downtown San Jose and caters to businesses and nonprofits throughout the valley. He previously operated an Alviso restaurant, Lunch with Tony, before pivoting during the pandemic to open Tony's Patio BBQ for alfresco and takeout meals.
At the new cafe on the Taube Koret Campus for Jewish Life, the menu will include morning and lunch fare, including breakfast sandwiches and pastries; made-to-order salads, wraps, flatbreads and hot meals; coffee drinks; grab-and go items; and for takeout, Friday night dinners.
Elaine Herman, director of sales and business development at Tony Caters, will oversee the kosher food options to ensure that all members of the Jewish community may dine at the cafe.
Look for an opening date in late August, Bodner said.
DETAILS >> 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto; www.paloaltojcc.org