Antonella's Ristorante, San Jose, Ca

 

Antonella's Ristorante 

1701 Park Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 279-4922

From that beginning, Koch was invited to work with a chef at Berlin's Grand Hotel in the mid-80s. In Europe, he was introduced to chefs from Brindisi, Italy who wanted to learn about western American cooking.    They taught Koch the classic Italian cooking – including his matchless fried calamari – that inspires the restaurant's menu.   "Keep it simple, keep it fresh," explains Koch. "You make everything from scratch. You don't use bases. You make your own sauces."   Upon returning to the U.S., Koch went on to earn degrees in culinary arts and restaurant and business management from Cal Poly, Pomona.  A job with Scott's Seafood in Palo Alto brought him to the Bay Area. He was working for Pasta Pomodoro in San Jose when he learned that then-vacant Antonella's pizzeria was sale and decided to take the plunge.   Koch chose Sept. 11, 2001 as opening day for his new restaurant – something that caused the aspiring restaurateur not a little worry as that historic day unfolded.   "My Dad called me and the next thing I saw was the plane hitting the World Trade Center," he recalls. "I went ahead with the opening and people showed up because they wanted to get away from the TV. We had free food and wine that night."   Today, more than six years later, Koch is still in business and still hewing to his original vision.   Nothing in the restaurant is too trivial for his personal attention. He makes the tomato sauce with fresh herbs and premium Italian canned tomatoes from New York City's century-old Rao's Restaurant, made famous in the 1970s by food critic Mimi Sheraton.   "We have fresh produce and seafood six days a week," Koch says proudly. "Our lasagna has no ricotta cheese – just whole milk mozzarella. You will not find one convenience food in this restaurant. My philosophy is: keep it simple, keep it fresh, with honest prices and decent portions."