Saratoga News
Dining
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Executive chef Donato Scotti (right) and chef Kristyn D'Angelo are excited about the opening of Vittoria Ristorante Italiano on N. Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos. The restaurant is owned by the Giovannotto family and will feature food that reflects its Sicilian roots.
Los Gatos says 'benvenuto' to new Vittoria Ristorante
By Suzanne Cristallo
It's friendly, full of light and very Italian. Vittoria Ristorante Italiano opened quietly last week after nearly a year since business was last conducted on the site of the former Pigalle Restaurant in Los Gatos.
The months of construction following the almost total demolition of the original building have resulted in a transformed space with vaulted ceilings, Brazilian cherry floors and contemporary Italian lighting fixtures. Now the wide glass panels spanning the entire front of the eatery may be folded back on a warm day to reveal what passersby have been anticipating for weeks: fine china and linen napkins placed invitingly on light cherrywood tables and the enticing aroma of garlic.
"We thought tablecloths might be too pretentious," says Alessandro Giovannotto, whose name, like the food his family offers, reflects Sicilian roots.
The Giovannotto family, with Salvatore and Stella at its head, includes Alessandro, his sister Vittoria, named after her father's birthplace in Sicily, and four brothers. The Palo Alto family, whose adult members are in a real estate business together, owns Vittoria and two neighboring properties to the south on N. Santa Cruz Avenue and La Strada Restaurant in Palo Alto.
Executive chef Donato Scotti brings to Vittoria a menu of extensive variety. "We are not just southern Italian, but we are influenced by it," he says. The prized ingredients he describes are a virtual tour of the mountains, seafronts and islands of Italy. Spaghetti is made with barley and durum wheat from Abruzzo. Sea bass is flown in from the Mediterranean Sea. It's baked in a terra cotta pan with fregolla, a small pasta toasted on small stones from Sardinia. Thin-crusted pizza comes from Naples, fresh buffalo mozzarella from Campagna and sweet prosciutto from San Daniele, a small valley where the pigs are fed corn. Olive oils are from Sardinia, Sicily and Tuscany. "We are ingredient-driven in this place," he says proudly.
One dish Scotti describes as "very Sicilian" is risotto nero. It is cooked in squid ink, which turns the rice black, and then is placed on top of fresh risotto with spicy tomato sauce. "It looks like Mt. Etna in Sicily is erupting," he says. Small touches abound, such as fresh- baked ciabatta bread served with a tasting of three olive oils ($3). "If you travel around, you like to offer the best there is," he says. "In this case, we offer the best olive oils."
Scotti's menu includes farro (organic grain) and seafood appetizers baked in terra cotta ($10 range); small, artisan-made pastas ($12-$15); risottos ($15-$17); entrees of chicken, lamb, beef and sea bass plus Sterling Silver steak ($16-$27). The wine list includes up to 60 wines from Italy and California and may be enjoyed at a small wine bar. Chef Kristyn D'Angelo, 32, a native of Piemonte, Italy, is running the kitchen while general manager Massimiliano Sufferini from Rome oversees the front of the house.
Scotti, 38, grew up in Bergamo in the north of Italy near Lake Como. At 13, he was delivering bread. By 14, he was cooking. It was years later when, as an adult cooking in a restaurant on the peninsula, he became friends with Salvatore Giovannotto, 65, a restaurant regular. Inspired by Scotti's cooking, Giovannotto proposed he design the menu for La Strada when it opened in 2004. Vittoria is the next step.
Son Alessandro and his father have been daily fixtures at the Vittoria construction site. "This is a very enjoyable business to get into," he says. "I've never seen people more enthusiastic about their town as here. We're excited to be here."
Vittoria Ristorante Italiano, 27 N. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos, is open daily for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Beginning May 1, lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. and dinner on Friday and Saturday will be extended to 11 p.m. Call 408.395.6000.
