Contrary to the real estate truism of location, location, location, Gianni Bartoletti believes when it comes to restaurants itās the food, food and food that brings in the customers.
Heās been demonstrating that at 2065 San Ramon Valley Boulevard near the Danville/San Ramon border since 2009. Gianniās Italian Bistro is located just north of the Brass Door, a San Ramon Valley institution. Both seem out-of-place in an area with plenty of auto service shops and other businesses that do not rely on foot traffic. A German car repair shop shares the driveway with Gianniās and has its building directly behind the restaurant.
The unusual location is nothing new to Gianni, who successfully operated a restaurant here for two years before selling it and opening a new eatery in downtown Danville.
When that partnership ended, he and Melanie purchased back Gianniās and opened it in 2009. He knows that he will not get any walk-up diners, so people will come for the food. And they certainly do that.
They live in the area and are committed to the community. Monday evenings are dedicated to Tips for Change where they invite a non-profit group to serve diners that evening and keep the tips plus 10 percent of the proceeds.
We dined there on a Tuesday night where guests ranged from couples to families to a couple of business dinners. Given the caliber of the dishes we were served, everyone was in for a great treat.
We left the food and wine up to Gianni, asking him to let the kitchen show off. He did just that, taking us on a culinary tour of Italy from north to south. He paired wines from the regions with each dish.
He started us with Bresaola, sliver-sliced beef Prosciutto that was air-cured and imported from Italy. It was served over wild arugula with shaved Parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of white truffle olive oil. Simply delightfulāa perfect light starter. The wine was a sparkling Prosecco from Zardetto from Veneto.
Gianni then turned to classic comfort food from Northern Italy that was superbly executed. A creamy polenta with Fontina and Gorgonzola cheese, highlighted by fresh mushrooms. The pairing was a 2014 Bell Colle Barbera from the Piemonte region. We would have finished (devoured) this wonderful dish, but Gianni advised saving room for what was to follow so we packed half of it for the next day. When we return, I will be balancing my choice to be sure to include the polenta, likely to share. If you finish the entire portion, youād be better really hungry or you are going to be happy with just a salad or soup.
Gianni then took our dining tour to Tuscany for Shrimpanesca, homemade Fettuccine with capers, anchovies, olives and Gulf shrimp all bathed in a spicy (it was zippy) tomato sauce. The noodles were cooked perfectly al dente and complemented nicely by the shrimp and the sauce.
It was matched with a 2015 Majonorante Sangiovese from the Umbria region. The red stood up nicely to the spicy sauce and complemented the dish well.
We then moved to one of my favorite dishes, a Veal Piccata that was not on the menu. A Scaloppine was offered. The veal, a superbly tender piece that ranked among the best I have enjoyed, was prepared simply with lemon and capers. It was accompanied by roasted small potatoes and broccoli rabe. It was a wonderful dish.
Gianni paired it with a 2013 Tenute Rubino Primitivo from the Puglia region, another well-balanced red.
He then surprised us by serving another pasta courseāGnocchi with Black Truffle and Fontina cheese sauce. He said it could start or finish the meal. Wonderfully light and stunningly tastyāa definite re-order and the highlight of an evening filled with excellent dishes. Gianni selected at 2015 Priluis Cabernet from Toscanaāit is unusual to find an Italian Cabernet, but this one complemented the heavenly Gnocchi perfectly.
Fortunately, Gianni selected a light dessert, a lemon gelato imported from Italy, drizzled with raspberry sauce. It was accompanied by Tartufo Limoncello and provided a perfect end to a wonderful meal. (Main photo).
The wine list is entirely Italian ranging from $29 to $100 with most between $30 and $50. There is a full bar with house cocktails.
The entrees were just five when we dined: pan-roasted free-range chicken breast; veal scaloppini; cioppino, Stracotto, slow-braised beef short ribs; and Anatra, pan-seared duck breast (priced from $23 to $29, all with vegetable and pasta)
Eight pastas ($17 to $19) and nine starters/small plates ($6 to $13) were also offered plus the desserts.
To encourage Sunday diners, the bistro offers a $25 three-course meal that changes weekly.
After our experience, we will put Gianniās on our A-list for Italian restaurants. Ignore the locationāthe food and experience makes it a destination.
We returned on a Tuesday night to celebrate my bride’s birthday–a special occasion at a special restaurant. It lived up to expectations. We had both fallen in love with the Gnocchi and went so far as to ask for it to go. Our server had a better idea: a half-portion with the entrees.
We startedĀ with theĀ Bocconcini, home-made pork and beef mini meatballs served with a tomato basil sauce and grilled Ciabatta bread. It was a perfect way to start and complemented the Dante Robere Mourverdre that we had picked up the prior weekend. It is a 92-point wine from the Wine Enthusiast and accompanied the starter and the entrees nicely. There’s no corkage charge on Tuesdays.
My bride opted for a pasta dish,Ā Maccheroni: tuba pasta with sweet Italian Sausage, peas, roasted bell peppers served in a tomato cream sauce. It was an ample portion and, because of the Gnocchi, some came home for lunch.
I was tempted by the fish special, Corvina sea bass, but could not pass up theĀ Vitello, sauteeād Veal Scaloppine topped with Parma Prosciutto, Provolone Cheese in a Vin Santo Sauce. Wonderful.
To celebrate her birthday, Gianni’s surprised my bride with Panna Cotta, a vanilla custard without eggs (but plenty of cream) topped with Italian Bing Cherries and a cherry sauce. Incredible. My bride makes a low-fat version of Panna Cotta with Lavender that is wonderful, but this was an amazing treat from the first delicious bite.
We returned on a tip night for one of the Tri-Valleyās most important non-profits, Hope Hospice. We ordered our meal for curbside pickup and it was ready to go when I pulled up.
Naturally, our order included the Gnocchi plus the Bocconcini (meatballs). We complemented that with Panzerotti (homemade Ravioli filled with wild mushrooms covered with a Porcini cream sauce) and PappardelleĀ (pasta with a slow-cooked pork ragout served in a red wine rosemary sauce.
Naturally, we add the panna cotta that lived up to our high expectations. The same went for the Gnocchi. The Panzerotti will be added to a rotation of dishesāwe will want to enjoy it again.
To cope with COVID-19, they have expanded their to-go menu and now have outdoor dining under an open-sided tent in the parking lot. That’s gone because they need the parking.
Post-pandemic, we returned on a busy Friday night to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with our daughter Glenalyn and her husband Solomon Joseph. Some of the menu has evolved since our last visit and there were seasonal specials such as a delightful peach, watermelon and feta salad as well as special drinks. We shared the gnocchi to start along with the watermelon salad and burrata with Parma Prosciutto.
Given the special occasion, I treated myself to a special bourbon, Blantonās. I normally drink it on the rocks, but they messed up the order and served it up in special snifter designed for bourbon and scotch. The snifter made the drink even more special.
For entrees, Solomon went with the duck breast, about a seven-ounce portion that had to be sent back to reach his desired temperature. My veal was delightful as were the large portion of perfectly cooked salmon that my wife enjoyed and the lasagna that our daughter ordered. The lasagna was unusual because it had six layers of noodles separating the filling. Tasty.
We each enjoyed a different dessertāI could not resist the panna cotta with Bing cherries, while Solmon selected a rich tiramisu. Glenalyn went with the mini-doughnutsāsheās had better versions, while my bride had a coffee sundae.
By the time we left around 9 p.m., the restaurant was nearly empty. It was hopping when we arrived around 7 p.m. and noise, in the street-sided window room, made conversation at below the shouting level difficult.
