The Cupertino Courier Photograph by Skye Dunlap 49ers left tackle Dave Fiore (left) enjoys a glass of wine with owner Giuseppe Landino before sampling a sweet from Mondello's famous dessert tray. This 49er is a big fan of one of city's 'best secrets' By Pam Marino One local Italian restaurant has scored a major touchdown in the heart--make that the stomach--of San Francisco 49er Dave Fiore. Mondello Ristorante Italiano in Cupertino is No. 74's favorite restaurant. The Sunnyvale resident comes nearly every day to eat there. In fact, Fiore, who is now close friends with owner Giuseppe Landino, sometimes helps out during the off-season, busing tables on busy nights, like Valentine's Day, or running the place while Landino is on vacation. Fellow teammates regularly frequent the restaurant as well. "Just come down once and you'll come back again," Fiore said last week during lunch. The restaurant opened in its Cupertino location, near the intersection of De Anza and Stevens Creek boulevards, in 1991. Landino's family left the East Coast and a pizzeria business to "venture out west" and try an Italian restaurant instead, he said. Landino's parents originally migrated from Palermo, in Sicily; Mondello's is named for a beach town on that island. "We decided to introduce really good Italian food to Cupertino," Landino said. The restaurant is tucked in a corner of St. Joseph's shopping center, so it isn't the most visible eatery in the area. "We've often been called one of the best-kept secrets in Cupertino," he said. Right away, however, the restaurant began attracting attention from Bay Area publications, including Peninsula magazine which voted Mondello's tiramisu, made fresh on the premises, No. 1 in the valley. Mondello's offers dishes from both northern and southern Italy, and Landino takes pride in the restaurant's desserts. When asked what the most popular items on the menu are, both Landino and Fiore said "everything." "Everything we have on the menu sells," Landino said. Fiore said when people ask for recommendations, he just tells them that no matter what they order they will love it. Mondello's has a wide variety of Italian appetizers and salads, along with lots of pasta dishes and meat or seafood entrees. There are specials offered every day, along with a soup of the day. Pasta dinners run from $8.50 to $12; entrees like veal, chicken and seafood run from $13.50 to $16.50. Lunches are less expensive. For the most part Mondello's is a nice, quiet place to have lunch or dinner, Landino said. But Valentine's Day gets busy, and Fiore, a starting left tackle, knows this from past experience. "Everyone wants to bring their date or a loved one here," he said. "I broke a sweat running around." Mondello's is located at 20343 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, in the St. Joseph's shopping center near the Stevens Creek-De Anza Boulevard intersection. The phone number is 408/257-2383. Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The restaurant is closed Sundays. [ Back to Contents Page | Cupertino Courier Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Cupertino Courier, January 27, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.