Tag:
Crisp Mushroom Note: The following review is scheduled for publication in the print edition of the Mercury News Sunday A+E section on June 1. Please submit your comments about the restaurant below. Some reader comments will be edited and printed along with the review. Please include your first and last name and city of residence.The old black and white photos covering one wall at Nick's on Main tell the story of Chef Nick Difu's family in the South Bay. The fact that most are set in Cupertino might surprise Los Gatos diners who have come to think of Difu as one of their own.Difu made his name working as a chef in other people's kitchens in downtown Los Gatos, not far from his new restaurant. Now that he has his own place at last, he wants it to feel like home. So he brought with him photos of his family of Sicilian immigrants and the big R. Cali Brothers feed and grain mill they owned in the heart of Cupertino. He knows he owes his success to them: It was at his grandmother's table, surrounded by family, that his love of food and cooking was born."I grew up at a time when there still were orchards and there still was the family dinner," Difu says, "and I want that back."Dinner at Nick's on Main, which opened in early March, is definitely a convivial affair in the spirit of those noisy, cheerful family dinners. When all 35 seats in the tiny dining room are occupied - which they are most evenings - it can feel a like an overcrowded party. Noise levels soar as wine del.icio.usdel.icio.usDiggDiggRedditRedditYahooMyWebYahooMyWebGoogleGoogleFacebookFacebookWhat's this?RePrintPrint Email You be the reviewer: Nick's on Main in Los GatosBy Aleta WatsonMercury NewsArticle Launched: 05/20/2008 06:06:03 PM PDTNote: The following review is scheduled for publication in the print edition of the Mercury News Sunday A+E section on June 1. Please submit your comments about the restaurant below. Some reader comments will be edited and printed along with the review. Please include your first and last name and city of residence.The old black and white photos covering one wall at Nick's on Main tell the story of Chef Nick Difu's family in the South Bay. The fact that most are set in Cupertino might surprise Los Gatos diners who have come to think of Difu as one of their own.Difu made his name working as a chef in other people's kitchens in downtown Los Gatos, not far from his new restaurant. Now that he has his own place at last, he wants it to feel like home. So he brought with him photos of his family of Sicilian immigrants and the big R. Cali Brothers feed and grain mill they owned in the heart of Cupertino. He knows he owes his success to them: It was at his grandmother's table, surrounded by family, that his love of food and cooking was born."I grew up at a time when there still were orchards and there still was the family dinner," Difu says, "and I want that back."Dinner at Nick's on Main, which opened in early March, is definitely a convivial affair in the spirit of those noisy, cheerful family dinners. When all 35 seats in the tiny dining room are occupied - which they are most evenings - it can feel a like an overcrowded party. Noise levels soar as wineAdvertisementflows, diners relax, and laughter fills the room. Difu makes the rounds frequently, checking in with regulars and making newcomers welcome. Service is warm and friendly, if sometimes absentminded.The food is at once homey and sophisticated - meatloaf, chicken ravioli, grilled rib-eye, and babyback ribs, transformed by top-quality ingredients and bold flavors. It's the sort of soul-satisfying fare you wish your grandmother had cooked. Yet classic sauces such as the veal demi-glace and beurre blanc on the rib-eye show Difu's training at the California Culinary Academy. Asian accents such as the Mongolian barbecue sauce on baby back ribs reflect his tenure at Hawaiian chef Roy Yamaguchi's mainland restaurants .The short wine list emphasizes California wines, most at moderate prices. It includes uncommon wines from a trio of small Los Gatos vintners: Perrucci Family Vineyard, Black Ridge Vineyards and La Rusticana d'Orsa. The delightful sauvignon blanc from Kathryn Kennedy Vineyards in Saratoga ($9 glass/$34 bottle) and elegant pinot noir from Thomas Fogarty of Woodside ($11 glass/$43 bottle) would be pleasant matches with much of the menu.Nick's is housed in a distinguished 115-year-old stone building with white Corinthian columns out front and brick walls within. The high-ceilinged room, which formerly housed A Matter of Taste, has been redone in classic black and white. A long stemmed red rose provides a spot of color on each of the white-linen-draped tables dressed with black napkins. Wine bottles and cookbooks crowd a marble-topped sideboard.The Lilliputian tables are spaced only inches apart and the line of settings for two bisecting the dining room might as well be a single communal table. One evening my companion and I found ourselves deep in conversation with our neighbors about their favorite area restaurants before we had received our menus. By the time we had wine and full water glasses, there was barely room for the basket of delightful house-made focaccia sprinkled with herbs and pepper flakes plus a little dish of tomato-infused oil for dipping. When appetizers arrived, it took some juggling to fit everything on the table.Diners who have followed Difu from the now-closed Cafe Marcella to The Wine Cellar and on to 180 before it was sold last year know to order the panko-crusted abalone ($15) as a starter. With good reason, this dish, with its light but crisp breading and delicate lemon chive and butter sauce, has been a cornerstone of the 37-year-old chef's repertoire since he was executive chef at Cafe Marcella. The tuna Tar Tar tower ($13) is also an excellent choice. The cylinder of chopped raw tuna, bathed in a soy and ginger dressing and topped with marinated cucumbers, is drizzled with chile oil and lemon for a refreshing contrast of flavors and textures.Salads are fresh, crisp and nicely dressed. I particularly liked the well-balanced pepper, fig, and balsamic vinaigrette on a salad of mixed greens studded with nuggets of toasted almonds, dried apricots and Point Reyes blue cheese ($7). "Not Your Traditional Caesar Salad" ($7) is a tad too salty with all the bacon, capers, and anchovy, but I like the combination of butter lettuce, spinach and radicchio in place of the usual romaine.Among the entrees, Nani's meat loaf ($22), an homage to Difu's Sicilian grandmother, was pitch-perfect with a terrific light texture and beautiful crust, which comes from pan-searing before serving. It's another of the chef's signature dishes that Los Gatos diners expect wherever he goes, and one he says will never leave the menu. Served with whipped potatoes, savory wild mushroom gravy and sauteed broccolini, it's comfort food defined.A mildly spicy, chile-spiked hoisin sauce, also part of Difu's longtime repertoire, lifted rosy slices of duck breast ($24) to new heights, while a broth of braised artichoke, fennel and asparagus brought the essence of spring to pan roasted, Alaskan halibut ($25) accented with lemon herb oil. But slices of properly chewy grilled rib-eye ($32), crowned with a salad of tomatoes and red onions, suffered from a surfeit of salt, and the accompanying pommes frites could have been more crisp.The spark of unexpected flavor that Difu brings to most of his savory dishes is missing in the desserts ($7), despite the fact that all but the apple tart are made in-house. From the popular bread pudding with buttery rum sauce to the velvety flourless chocolate cake, the sweet course tends to be pleasant but predictable. The cheesecake, topped with a mosaic of fresh berries, stands out for its intense vanilla flavor and almost fluffy texture.Still, when the check arrives, tucked into a dog-eared copy of "Food Lover's Companion," there's not likely to be any question that you've dined well - if not quietly - at Nick's on Main.To read more restaurant reviews, go to
www.mercurynews.com/aletawatson. Contact Aleta Watson at
awatson@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5032.Nick's on Main35 E. Main St., near College, Los Gatos (408) 399-6457.***The Dish Homey yet sophisticated food is the signature of popular Los Gatos chef Nick Difu, who has opened his own quirky little restaurant in a 115-year-old building. Tables are jammed together and noise levels are high, but the welcome is warm and friendly.Price range Lunch $7-$16. Dinner appetizers $7-$13, entrees $17-$34. Corkage fee: $15.Details Beer and wine.Pluses Exemplary panko-crusted abalone, homey Nani's meatloaf with wild mushroom gravy.Minuses Excessively salty grilled rib-eye, crowded dining room gets noisy.Hours Lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays. Dinner 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays.
