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Jeff Hanson has a vision of what he wants his restaurant to be. It's a place full of color. As diners walk through the doors, it's like the curtain going up in a theater. There's a celebration going on. Families from the neighborhood and guests with a discerning eye for the wine list are commingling. People are having fun.
So far, it seems Hanson is getting his dream. Viva in Los Gatos is the embodiment of what he has built in his mind during the 35 years he has served in the restaurant business—from dishwasher in a local steak house to a country-hopping manager of a worldwide chain. It's a place for fine dining, he says, but it's also the spot where a hamburger and a pizza are available.
"One night recently after the SaratogaSanta Cruz football game, eight people came in," he relates. "They ordered a Newton (Napa Valley) claret with their pizza."
"That's what I mean," he says, smiling at the contrast made comfortable in the surroundings.
Hanson opened his doors—or raised the curtain—about a month ago at the spacious eatery next to Whole Foods Market on Los Gatos Boulevard. It was previously known as Pasta Primavera, whose owner, Joanna Biondi, operated the place for 21Ž2 years. Biondi presently is devoting herself to the catering business.
"Our menu was inspired by Joanna, combined with ideas from our chef, Cesar Saldana," Hanson notes. Saldana is a veteran of years in the kitchens of local restaurants, most recently at Il Fornaio in San Jose. He offers six pastas in the $9 to $16 range, with the "hottest seller" an angel-hair-and-shrimp pasta.
Entrees include steaks—the "Bistro" with pommes frites and bleu cheese butter ($18) and a filet ($24)—rotisserie chicken ($15), roasted sea bass ($20), lamb sirloin ($19) and a "Viva Burger"—a 10-ounce, all-Angus-beef burger ($9).
A draw for families with youngsters should be the family-style dinners running $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Based on a family of four, two salads, two entrees and a dessert are served on large platters so guests can serve themselves. Salad choices are Caesar, baby spinach and the Viva house salad. Entrée choices are a Moroccan barbecue salmon, the Bistro steak, rotisserie chicken, angel-hair-and-shrimp and chicken-penne pasta. For dessert, Hanson recommends pastry chef Porfirio's bread pudding with Bourbon sauce.
"No one comes away from that hungry," Hanson laughs. "If somebody thinks they still are, we'll bring out more."
A San Mateo native, Hanson lives in Ben Lomond with wife Marina, a professional designer. They have three daughters between them—Heidi, 17, Nataliya, 17, and Ilya, 14.
Hanson met Marina, a native of the Ukraine, 10 years ago at a Santa Cruz deli where she was preparing food. He recognized her accent and tossed out a "hello, how are you" that he had learned in a Russian language class. Friendship followed. Marina made all of the décor changes in the restaurant, bringing in vibrant purples, reds, tans and greens. Stars representing the "Viva celebration" come out of a mural painted by her friend Lena Wood, and fade into a purple wall. "Marina really livened up the color," Hanson says. "It's a fun celebration."
Viva, located at 15970 Los Gatos Blvd. in Los Gatos, is open Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m.9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m.10:30 p.m., and Sunday, 11:30 a.m.9 p.m. Closed Monday. For more information, call 408.356.4902.
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Photograph by George Sakkestad