The spacious and sleek lounge at Rollati Ristorante, the new downtown supper house at the base of the Miro towers. (Leila Seppa/Vine Hospitality Group)
The gleaming Miro luxury apartment towers sprung up in downtown San Jose during the pandemic, and with them came the promise of an upscale ground-floor restaurant for the public and the residents above.
Vine Hospitality, the parent company of Left Bank, the Bay Area’s best known group of French brasseries, snagged the opportunity, announcing in early 2022 that it would build its first Italian restaurant in the nearly 7,000-square-foot space.
More than 18 months later, Rollati Ristorante is open. Dinner and cocktails are served daily from 5 p.m., with weekday lunch and happy hour starting this week.
How does Rollati fit into this new urban landscape? We made a reservation to check it out. Here’s our report:
THE VIBE: Sophisticated enough for business dinners, approachable enough for a family birthday party.
THE LOOK: Chic and airy, with 17-foot-tall window walls on two sides. Upon entering, diners first see the sophisticated bar and lounge, designed by Arcsine of Oakland in black, red and gray with splashes of green. Seating choices abound — couches, banquettes, high tops and bar stools. The primary dining room offers a simpler look, with tables spaced comfortably apart and enough soundproofing in the far-above ceilings to make conversation easy on the night we were there. Those cool retro-modern lights? Arcsine selected fixtures that evoke pasta with their curves and squiggles.
THE VIEWS: Request a table facing Santa Clara Street to gaze at the architectural gem that is City Hall, a postmodern design by the noted Richard Meier. The Sonic Runway, an eye-catching light-and-sound art installation, lines the sidewalk and serves as the backdrop for many a nighttime selfie.
Not facing outdoors? From the lounge, you’ll enjoy a view of the pasta-making operation and the Molto Bene oven imported from Naples that fires pizzas at 800 degrees. (You can reserve the 14 seats closest to that kitchen window for a private party.)
From the dining room, glance at the back wall and you’ll see large vintage photos of four famous folks twirling and eating spaghetti: Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren, Louis Armstrong and Yogi Berra. (Cool local history: The most famous Italian-American on that Yankees team — Joe DiMaggio — frequently dined just down the street at the legendary Paolo’s, the restaurant that put San Jose on the fine-dining map.)
THE CLIENTELE: On the weeknight we visited, diners from San Jose State University outnumbered what appeared to be City Hall denizens, perhaps because many more of the former than the latter have returned to downtown. At a table of six, an MBA grad said she picked Rollati for her birthday dinner because it’s the Italian restaurant in closest proximity to campus. A table of four students discovered this newcomer via Yelp and shared the Spicy Pizza Pie ($22), Fried Mozzarella ($10), Spaghetti Alla Limone ($24) and Garlic Bread dusted with Parmigiano-Reggiano ($9).
THE FOOD: A concise menu of standards — and a few surprises — was created by concept chef Sam Gimlewicz and chef de cuisine Christian Luxton, along with CEO Obadiah Ostergard, whose grandfather was Italian.
Pasta handmade with an ultra-fine semolina stars in the Spaghetti e Pomodoro, Linguine alle Vongole, Fusilli alla Genovese and Rigatoni alla Vodka ($19-$24). “House specialties” include Chicken Piccata and Chicken di Parm (both $26) and a Saltimbocca ($44), with pork subbing for the traditional veal. From the grill come a double-cut Sakura Pork Chop ($48) crowned with Jimmy Nardello peppers, a prime New York steak ($58) and a 22-ounce Cowboy “Bisteka” ($85) sourced from Southern California’s Brandt Beef.
Most intriguing among the pastas is the “Thousand” Layer Lasagna ($20 with marinara, or $28 on a bed of beef short rib ragu). Multi-layered lasagna seems to be having a moment, but this version turns tradition on its side, literally, when the lasagna is sliced and seared in a hot skillet. If you’re the one at the table always clamoring for the crunchy corner piece from the lasagna pan, this style — created in New York about a decade ago — is for you.
If that doesn’t become Rollati’s signature dish, then this entree might: When an Italian restaurant selects a line drawing of a rabbit for its logo, you know you’ll find coniglio on the menu. Rollati’s chefs wisely went with Rabbit Agrodolce, a preparation that cuts the richness of the meat with a traditional Italian sour-and-sweet sauce; this version’s made with vinegar, honey, red currants and pine nuts. The rabbit is moist and the sauce is also delicious with the accompanying polenta.
Assuming you’ve saved room for a housemade dessert ($10-$12), there’s an ultra-creamy Tiramisu (rich and tall enough for two to share), along with a Fig Leaf Panna Cotta, cannoli and soft serve ice cream with toppings like seasonal jam, toasted almonds, Amarena cherries, and olive oil and sea salt.
THE DRINKS: Wine is elevated to the status of art here, with hundreds of bottles showcased in dramatic glass towers. Naturally, Italian and California varietals dominate the list from Serena Harkey, director of wine and spirits. Italian-inspired cocktails include the Limoncello Spritz ($16), crafted with housemade limoncello, Ketel One, prosecco and soda; the Black Manhattan ($17), with Old Forester Straight Bourbon with Amaro Montenegro, Amaro Averna and Angostura aromatic and orange; and the Blood Orange Garibaldi ($15), made with Carpano Botanic Bitter and fresh juice.
DON’T MISS: That Rabbit Agrodolce. While a number of Italian restaurants in the Bay Area occasionally offer rabbit as a special, it’s rare to find one that vows to keep it on the daily menu.
GOOD TO KNOW: Valet parking ($20) is available starting at 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Pull into the valet lane on the Fourth Street side of the restaurant. Two ParkSJ city garages located nearby (Third and St. John streets, Fourth near East San Fernando) offer 90 minutes of free parking. Another city garage, Fourth and St. John, is open to the public on weeknights and weekends when City Hall is closed.
DETAILS: Open daily at 5 p.m. for dinner at 181 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose; www.rollatiristorante.com
Originally published at Linda Zavoral