Eating Out RESTAURANT REVIEW
As kosher as it gets The Kitchen Table in Mountain View is one of a kind by Sheila Himmel
Michele Le
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The house-cured pastrami sandwich on house-made sourdough rye with Russian dressing.
DINNER BY THE MOVIES AT SHORELINE’S
Pizzeria Venti
any restaurants struggle to stand out from the crowd. Not a problem for The Kitchen Table, celebrating six months of strictly kosher dining in Mountain View. It is definitely open for Christmas. The Kitchen Table claims the title as Northern California’s only certified glatt kosher, sit-down, meat-serving restaurant. Glatt kosher is generally considered the highest standard of Jewish dietary laws (although the word glatt actually means “smooth,” in reference to wholesomeness and quality). No pork, shellfish or dairy products cross The Kitchen Table’s threshold. The restaurant closes for Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath —
from 2:30 p.m. Friday until dinner on Saturday. Also unusual, at The Kitchen Table the vegetarian daughter can sit down with the lactose-intolerant aunt, the lamb-loving uncle, the mom who is allergic to gluten, and all will enjoy the meal. You don’t have to be, or even understand, kosher. The idea behind The Kitchen Table is to set a place for everyone. Even people without cars, as the restaurant lies a block from the Caltrain station. Everything is made from scratch. Chef Chaim Davids grew up working in pizza and kosher restaurants in Baltimore, got a culinary degree and was the sous chef for the Med(continued on next page)
Ciao Bella!
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t didn’t take long for businesswoman, Bella Awdisho, to recognize something was missing in Mountain View. After long research, it became apparent that finding a one-of-a-kind restaurant to bring to the Mountain View area would not be easy. “I just could not see opening another run-of-the-mill restaurant in an area filled with such innovation” said Mrs. Awdisho. Her search ended when she found Pizzeria Venti, a small boutique pizzeria based in Italy.
Her introduction to Italian cuisine was in-depth, to say the least. It began with a culinary arts program that included training under the Tuscany sun. “The training was really eye-opening. I learned about the nuances of true Italian cooking; about the quality and passion that goes into every dish. It’s amazing.” said Bella. “Covering everything from pasta and sauces to the tradition of Italy famous “pizza al taglio” or pizza by the cut, the training was a once-in-a-lifetime experience which is simply not available to most restaurateurs.”
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wdisho said that she was extremely anxious to start her own Pizzeria Venti right here in Mountain View. “I recognized the uniqueness of our location,” she noted “so I put many resources into the marketing of the location. We continue to offer to our customers many of the dishes I was introduced to in Italy.” So successful was this introduction that Awdisho had to double the size of her kitchen, adding additional equipment to handle the demand. Executive Chef, Marco Salvi, the training chef in Italy, provided many new recipes for use in her restaurant. Chef Marco provided some insight “The ingredients say it all. We work to provide a finished dish which will honor its origins and create a wonderful experience for our customers.”
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1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View (650) 254-1120 www.mvpizzeriaventi.com
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday Monda through Thursday 9 a.m. a m to t 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Authenticity – Not just a word
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ach new dish is hand selected with an eye towards authenticity. Even its rustic style pizza has a bit of Italia in it, made daily on-premise and using only imported water from Italy. “For me, one of the most important components of the training in Italy was the cultural understanding of these recipes. I was able to bring this back to our customers,” said Bella. She continues, “I know our customers really appreciate what we do. We are so grateful that they allow us our passion.”
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