It’s global small plates, so I’m taking the tapas approach but not limiting it exclusively to Spanish food. The soul will be Spanish—I’m spending three weeks training in Spain—but I’m leaving it open to explore other areas. How I plan to do that without muddying the concept, is that each dish will taste as it is authentically from that particular area. In other words, if something is Spanish its Spanish, if it’s Vietnamese it’s Vietnamese. We might do something like Moroccan lamb meatballs with harissa yogurt or a Vietnamese lettuce or spring wrap or even something Caribbean. The approach is like a world trip, where you can experience a few different cultures, but all the ingredients will be indicative of that culture.
So, why did you decide to move from San Francisco out to Pleasanton?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I moved to Oakland two years ago, so I began watching what was happening with the food scene in Lafayette and Walnut Creek. When [Sabio owner] Jim McDonnell approached me, I had some trepidation, because my only experience with that area is the suburban mess by the BART station. But then I saw Main Street and it has a really cool vibe; it reminded me a little bit of downtown Sonoma or Healdsburg, so it seemed like we had the right foundation and the right market. It’s a destination, there are a lot of restaurants, but not necessarily of the same caliber that we’re looking to bring—we really want to bring something fresh to that area.
Another selling point was its proximity to Livermore Valley, which has come a long way. It’s been making some waves over the last five years—there’s a lot of young talent going to those wineries. It’s really beautiful, and it’s right in Pleasanton’s back yard.
What’ll the restaurant itself be like?
It is 98 seats. There will be outdoor patio seating for up to 23 people, a partial display kitchen, and wine wall display, with chambers for aging charcuterie.
Can you tell us a little more about the menu?
Well, we’ll be printing a new menu daily—I’ve been very firm about that—in order to showcase the best of what’s available. There will be 6 to 8 selections of charcuterie and cheeses, and then it’ll break down into cold small plates, hot small plates, and a few larger entrees. The larger dishes will be sort of a la carte steakhouse-style: A whole roast branzino, tomahawk chop steak, roasted chicken, that kind of thing. The ultimate goal is for people to taste and chat, to tie back to that Spanish mentality.
Do you think there’s a demand for this kind of restaurant in Pleasanton?
I think there is. There seems to be a bit of a movement, if for no other reason than people are getting squeezed out of San Francisco. Pleasanton is growing very quickly; there are a lot of businesses relocating there. The youth demographic is there and people do have exposure to and have eaten at San Francisco restaurants—the BART is right there. But it’s not easy to do that 45-minute BART ride, so I do think strongly that there’s a demand, and I hope that we will be welcomed.相关的主题文章：


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