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After two and a half years of planning, Rollati Ristorante has already established itself as a destination restaurant in the two weeks since its mid-September opening. Offering an elegant twist on classic Italian-American cuisine in downtown San Jose, it is the newest of the Vine Hospitality Group’s restaurants, which include Santana Row mainstays Left Bank,...
The Biz Beat: Mama Roc’s rolls into San Jose with a taste of Puerto Rico
Easy to spot in her vibrant red dress, Rochelle Cartagena-Segura was set on hugging every person who showed up to celebrate the Sept. 16 opening of her Mama Roc’s Puerto Rican and Caribbean Cuisine at Evergreen Village Square in San Jose. “We’ve had a lot of sleepless nights,” she told the crowd. “It’s been challenging...
The Biz Beat: San Jose Italian eatery has an East Coast secret
One of the greatest compliments Jordanian-born George Keshek, owner of Ristorante da Maria in San Jose, ever received was when members of the Italian-American Heritage Foundation asked him to hold a class on how to cook his classic Bolognese. “Teaching Italians how to make Italian food,” he told San José Spotlight. “But we do it...
The Biz Beat: Discover San Jose’s gateway to world-famous falafels
Falafel’s Drive-In still serves hamburgers and hotdogs, a throwback from 56 years ago, when it was a Snow White Drive-In. But it was the homemade falafels that founder Anton Nijmeh added to the menu that gave San Jose its first taste of Middle Eastern cuisine and made the little diner world famous. “Dad just made...
The Biz Beat: A must try Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose
Ethiopian food is one of the oldest cuisines in the world, and one of the most communal dining experiences as well. For the last 11 years, the owners of Walia Ethiopian Cuisine in San Jose have shared their culture with customers who come from all over the Bay Area to dip their injera bread into...
The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant touts Indian cuisine to-go
By applying a familiar quick-serve restaurant formula and turning it on its head, Sam & Curry in San Jose takes Indian cuisine to another level with a menu filled with burritos, tacos and rice bowls. But whether you eat your meal with your fingers or a fork, the dishes have an intensely authentic taste that...
The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant unlocks beauty and depth of Venezuelan cuisine
Joanna Torres is on a mission to popularize Venezuelan food with her Willow Glen restaurant, Arepas. And if her recent catering job of serving 1,400 arepa sandwiches for Intuit is any indication, she is succeeding. Founded less than two years ago, Arepas in San Jose has a loyal customer base that stretches to Modesto. The...
The Biz Beat: San Jose restaurant’s secret is in its tortillas
If you are hungry for enchiladas and burritos, Acopio in San Jose might not be the Mexican restaurant for you—they are not on the menu. But tacos? Owner Lorena Vidrio says everything can be a taco. “I’m not going to speak badly about those things,” she told San José Spotlight. “But we feature our tortillas...
The Biz Beat: Grandmother’s finest Italian dishes in San Jose
There is something remarkable about Italian food. Even in as elegant a setting as Vito’s Trattoria in San Jose, there is an honest heartiness to the cuisine that gives it comfort food status. With recipes handed down from owner George Nobile’s Sicilian grandmother and personalized touches like engraved name plaques displayed at the tables of...
The Biz Beat: San Jose deli serves up more than just cold cuts
It’s easy to drive by Sandwich Mill Deli and Catering in San Jose without noticing its small side street location off Kooser Road—but once you find it, the odds are good that you’re going to remember it. “It is all in the taste,” co-owner Albert Rodriquez told San José Spotlight. “People who grew up eating...