First things first. Fans of the ebullient Donato Scotti, chef-owner of Donato Enoteca, need not worry that his presence will be missing from the Redwood City restaurant after a 16th anniversary refresh.
In restaurant parlance, he has simply moved from the back of the house to the front of the house, where the loquacious host can make the rounds and greet and chat with diners.
The changes at this standout restaurant — known for its focus on regional Italian cuisine — came during a monthlong closure over the summer. The reopening weeks began with dinner service, and in late September, a separate lunch menu was added. Both are offered daily, as is a happy hour menu.
Here’s our first look at the changes:
THE DESIGN AND VIBE: This smart modernization created two restaurant vibes in one space. A buzzy element was added in the form of a large marble bar for after-work drinks, small bites, post-theater nightcaps. At the same time, the project preserved the sophisticated dining room that customers have loved for celebratory meals and business dinners since Donato Enoteca first opened in 2009.
Marco Betoldo, left, is now the executive chef of owner Donato Scotti’s Redwood City restaurant, Donato Enoteca. (Photo by Nadia Andreini for Donato Enoteca)
THE EXECUTIVE CHEF: A chef with Michelin cred, Marco Bertoldo, now heads the kitchen. He’s a native of Italy’s Veneto region who cooked at the three-Michelin-starred Ristorante Le Calandre in Venice, the one-starred Ristorante Storie d’Amore near Padua and at Osteria Degli Amici Figino in Lugano, Switzerland, before moving to the United States to become executive chef at San Francisco’s Poesia. “We share the same vision to showcase our heritage,” Scotti says of Bertoldo.
THE FOOD: The flavors that drew diners again and again to Donato’s, the high-quality ingredients, the house-made pasta and salumi, the creative preparations — they’re all here, only now in a small-plates format. Most plates are under $25.
Dinner: Among the popular dishes on Bertoldo’s inaugural menu are the Arrosticini di Agnello, grilled lamb tenderloin skewers with a celery root puree ($27); Baccala Mantecato, Venetian milk-braised salt cod served atop squid ink polenta ($15); a new Gnocchi with Oxtail ($23); and Cozze Incasae e Mbriaghe, sauteed salt spring mussels with housemade nduja sausage in a brandy broth ($14).
The focal point of the Donato Enoteca redesign is a large white marble bar where patrons can grab a seat for happy hour, dinner or a post-theater nightcap. (Photo by Nadia Andreini for Donato Enoteca)
Lunch: Besides many small plates from the dinner menu, lunch offers a trio of panini ($18 each): Prosciutto di Parma in a gondola-shaped roll; Porchetta; and Pollo Milanese.
Happy hour: The bite-sized cicchetti ($5-$8) include prosciutto with melon, salt cod with beets and lamb sausage polpette, or meatballs.
THE SIPS: The signature cocktails created by Italy’s Massimo Stronati feature an appropriately named L’Italiano ($17), which combines gin, sherry fino, tomato water, lemon juice and drops of olive oil; the Rosso Relativo ($15), a vodka-and-vermouth number with Campari, strawberry and rosemary syrup; and a Build Your Own Spritz option ($15), which offers a choice of Amarao Cynar or Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto or another aperitif.
At Donato Enoteca, the unusual zucchini-topped pizza features an airy, light-yet-crunchy crust — a style popularized in Rome.(Bay Area News Group)
DON’T MISS: Turns out there’s a pizza style you didn’t know you needed in your life. Pizza Crunch alla Scapece ($17) features an airy, light-yet-crunchy crust that was popularized in Rome. This version is topped with thin slices of zucchini that have been marinated in lemon, cardamom, mint and gin. Refreshing and delicious.
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GOOD TO KNOW: For years, Scotti has been showcasing Italy’s top wines and prized white truffles, and those traditions will continue. Look for the truffle menu in November, and the Donato100 Festa delle Feste (100 is the number of wines) is scheduled for Dec. 6. Check the website for updates on those, as well as the regional wine dinners.
NEW HOURS: At a time when so many restaurants are cutting back hours, Scotti has extended them. Lunch is served six days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. — and for several hours on Sundays, until 4 p.m. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. every evening and runs till 9 p.m. (Sunday), 9:30 (Monday-Thursday) or 10 (Friday-Saturday). Bonus: Happy hour is now offered every day from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the bar and bar patio areas.
DETAILS: 1041 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; www.donatoenoteca.com
