"I think we offer a little elegance to our guests, and who wouldn't enjoy that?" Russi said.

After spending vacations in Italy and Spain, Russi and his wife, Susan, decided that the restaurant's decor would be influenced by their travels.

"The color scheme and a lot of the fixtures are replicas of those in a restaurant in Italy that we loved," Russi said.

Russi grew up in a home where men did a lot of the cooking.

"It was normal for the men to be in the kitchen," said Russi, whose heritage is Italian. "They enjoyed preparing good meals for the family."

This background was part of the reason Russi became a chef. And although he holds a bachelor of science degree in history from Santa Clara University, cooking is still his passion.

"I graduated from the Pacific Coast Culinary Apprenticeship program in 1992 and went to work as an assistant chef at Paolo's Restaurant in downtown San Jose. The owner there took a big chance on me, and I learned a lot from him and the other chefs there," Russi said.

Later Russi went to work at Silver Creek Valley Country Club as the charter sous chef. He was the executive chef there for three years before becoming the executive chef for Cafe Primavera at the Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose.

"After all of the experience I've had and my love of good food and cooking, it just seemed like the next logical step to open our own restaurant," Russi said.

Co-owner Susan Russi is in charge of Vin Santo's extensive wine list.

"We have friends and family in the wine business. They make some really good wines, and our guests enjoy finding a new wine that they may not have heard of before," Russi said.

Each month Russi holds a wine dinner. During the meal several wines can be tried as customers feast on a five- to six-course meal. The cost of the dinner is between $80 and $99 a person.

"I like having the wine dinners, especially because it gives me a chance to try a new recipe on people," said Russi.

It's a way to determine if a new item should be put on the menu, said Russi.

"I change the menu two or three times a month. I do that so that I don't get bored making the same thing all of the time and so our guests don't get bored with the food," said Russi.

But there are several menu items that don't change because guests continue to request them.

One such item is the Osso Buco Vitello, a braised 16-ounce veal shank with saffron risotto and gremolata.

Another item, which may be considered the 'house specialty,' is the Carre d'Agnello, roasted rack of lamb with tomato and anise marinade, served with garlic mashed potatoes.

From time to time a 20-ounce porterhouse steak appears on the menu.

"We see a lot of to-go boxes leaving when we offer that dish," Russi says. "Not many people can finish a 20-ounce steak dinner."

Located at 1346 Lincoln Ave., Vin Santo is open Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30­10:00 p.m. For more information on the wine dinners or reservations, call 408.920.2508 or visit www.vin-santo.com. A menu is available on the website, and reservations can be made online.