Open since Dec. 1, the former Lisa's Tea Treasures across from Bank of America on North Santa Cruz Avenue is bright and fresh with immaculate yellow walls, pale asparagus green tile floors and a soaring wood-beam ceiling.

"It's made to look like old stuff," says Angelo Todoran, the 10-year-old son of owner/chef Simona Todoran. He gestures with a hint of shy proprietorship to the wood ceiling, faux painted to look aged, and a painted chest full of Romanian memorabilia.

The cottage-like structure housing the cozy eatery seems designed for men in floppy hats and handlebar moustaches, dining on hearty Romanian garlic sausages and mashed potatoes. In reality, the men and women dining there are more likely to be in designer jeans and leather jackets, but they are enjoying a taste reminiscent of the Carpathian Alps and one not likely to be found elsewhere in Santa Clara County.

Dinner choices—perfect for bracing against the winter cold—include "Mamaligutza," a traditional Romanian cornmeal dish topped with cheese and sour cream ($12.95), or "Bulsz," a stuffed polenta with Pecorino Romano—a cheese made from goat's milk ($11.95). Of course, there's "Dracula's Mititei," Romanian beef and pork sausages with a strong garlic flair, served with mustard, French fries and grilled vegetables, and "Sarmale," fresh ground beef, pork and rice rolled in pickled cabbage leaves, and served with polenta and sour cream ($16.95).

For the less adventurous, there are several pastas, including the familiar pasta primavera ($13.95) and chicken tortellini ($15.95). But the offbeat includes pasta "Brashoveana," which is a homemade sausage (made by Simona herself) served over penne pasta with fresh tomatoes and garlic ($16.95). There are several salads, a soup du jour and appetizers like eggplant salad and smoked salmon.

For dessert, strawberry jam or Nutella crepes are topped with whipping cream and fresh strawberries, and vanilla and strawberry cream puffs ($5.50 each), and are all homemade.

Simona comes early to her restaurant to prepare all of her Romanian dishes. Angelo comes with her in the morning so he can have breakfast there before school. It is a routine that is comfortable for the family—there is also husband Loan, a plumber who installed all of the restaurant's new fittings, and Diana, 6. The Todorans traveled to San Francisco in 1998 from their birthplace, the city of Brasov in the Carpathian Mountains. The city is considered the first stop before entering the region of Transilvania. The Todorans entry into the United States was won through a green-card lottery.

"We had been trying forever to get in," recalls Simona. The lucky ticket was a surprise, having been purchased for her by her sister. But it came at a time when they had just bought a house. The decision to leave was difficult for that reason. "But we came for our kids," she says.

Within eight months of her arrival, Simona took a job as a cook in Lisa's Tea Treasures, drawing on her experience in Romania, where she had had a second job at night as a cook. When the owner moved her restaurant to Santana Row last September, Simona jumped in. Three months later she opened Transilvania. The choice of food was obvious. "I like the meaty taste," she says with a smile.

Transilvania, at 330 N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos, is open for lunch Tuesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m.­2 p.m., and dinner, 5­9 p.m., and closed Mondays. Call 408.395.2424.