Review: San Ramon's Gianni's is Incontro reinvented

There is something to be said for charm, warm welcomes, cozy spaces and good gnocchi. Gianni Bartoletti certainly knows that. It was the foundation upon which he built his iconic Incontro in San Ramon years ago.

So it probably seemed like a great idea to expand in 2011, to move his successful restaurant to fresher, larger, swankier quarters in downtown Danville, a place with considerably more walk-up traffic than the original site in a neighborhood dotted with auto repair shops, a roller rink and the occasional fast-food joint.

But although Incontro did fairly well in its Danvillean digs, Bartoletti did not. He missed his cozy hands-on restaurant so much, he re-created it. Bartoletti and his wife, Melanie, reassembled their team, got their old place back and reopened in December as Gianni's Italian Bistro.

Here's the thing about neighborhood restaurants. When they're done really well -- they're cozy and charming, and they make every customer feel loved -- the food hardly matters. It could be terrific food or it could be merely OK, but when you go, you feel absolutely taken care of.

That's Bartoletti's genius. The new Gianni's is a warm, cozy bistro with creamy yellow walls and sconces that glow invitingly. The walls are hung with framed black-and-white photographs.

Bartoletti greets every guest at the door with a warm, Italian-accented "Buona sera" and makes a point of cruising through the restaurant periodically to make contact with each table. The servers are so delighted to see you and so anxious to please that the occasional boardinghouse stretch to deliver plates seems but a trifle. The place is crowded on a Tuesday night and again on a Thursday, for heaven's sake. Bartoletti has an undeniable fan base.

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But if you're expecting SPQR, A16 or any of the new wave, polished riffs on creative, authentic, rustic Italian cuisine, you may not be impressed. The menu has some uneven spots, the server forgets to mention that two out of seven appetizers are unavailable, and the croutons on the barely dressed Caesar salad ($8) are so suspiciously uniform, tight-textured and sharply seasoned, that you find yourself thinking, store-bought?

So we were out of luck on the first two appetizers we ordered, a Salmone Curato ($10), house-cured Atlantic salmon with fennel and lemon, and a burrata with arugula and prosciutto ($12), but the Sfilatino ($12) was lovely, full of bright flavors and nice textures. Cannellini beans, red onions, basil and a bluefin tuna confit top toasted squares of Pugliese bread.

The Sfilatino was a stellar little dish, but a glance at the Monterey Aquarium's Sustainable Seafood Watch list has made us feel incredibly guilty now. Overfishing has imperiled the Atlantic salmon and bluefin populations to such a degree that both those fish are marked with a bright red "avoid." Not to go all local-organic-sustainable-soapbox on you, but I'm hoping Bartoletti substitutes one of the plentiful salmon and tuna varieties being fished sustainably so future generations can enjoy Sfilatino, too.

Gianni's is known for its gnocchi ($18) and rightly so. The tender, pillowy gnocchi were enveloped in an earthy, truffle-scented cream sauce, the flavor probably hailing from truffle oil and mushrooms, rather than actual truffles, which run thousands of dollars per pound. At $18, one can hardly complain. And the garganelli ($18), ridged tube-shaped pasta with Italian sausage and peas in a red bell pepper and tomato sauce, were equally delicious. It was spicy and comforting all at once. We'd have either or both again in a heartbeat.

The rest of the pasta possibilities sounded enticing, too. We were particularly tempted by the house-made spaghetti ($18) with Manila clams, garlic and white wine, and a house-made tagliatelle with a slow-cooked pork ragout ($16), two items we'll try next time -- if we can resist the siren call of pork Milanese ($24) and veal scaloppine with Parma ham ($26).

But other dishes were less successful. Slow-braised boneless short ribs ($25) served over soft polenta needed more acid -- citrus, vinegar or more wine -- to brighten the flavors and make the dish memorable, and scattering chopped herbs across the very brown expanse of meat would add visual interest.

Too much garnish -- actually too much many things -- was the issue with a tuna special that featured ahi atop polenta and sliced butternut squash. The tuna (please let that have been Hawaiian or Pacific ahi) was nicely cooked, but the overall flavors didn't come together, and the garnish -- a lopsided olive-and-oil curlicue drawn on the plate -- would have looked outdated even drawn by a steadier hand.

But dessert resurrected any dashed hopes here. The panna cotta ($8) with Amarena cherries was silky, delicately flavored and delicious and the tartufo ($8) made us laugh. The dish itself, two balls of chocolate gelato with a fruity interior, rolled in crushed meringue, made a delicious ending to a sweet meal. But the way the plate was garnished, with spiky bursts of syrup drawn on the plate, made the dish look like a face, with tartufo eyeballs.

Not sure that was the desired effect, but we left with a light step, happy to have spent such a cozy evening at a charming neighborhood restaurant.

Gianni's Italian Bistro

" * * ½

FOOD: * * ½AMBIENCE: * * *SERVICE: * * ½WHERE: 2065 San Ramon Valley Blvd., San RamonCONTACT: 925-820-6969, www.giannissanramon.comHOURS: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sundays, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday CUISINE: Italian PRICES: $$-$$$ VEGETARIAN: Several options, including gnocchi with truffles ($18) and portafoglio, a pasta pouch filled with vegetables, basil and mozzarella ($18) BEVERAGES: Italian and local wines by the bottle or glassRESERVATIONS: Accepted, call the restaurantNOISE LEVEL: MediumPARKING: Small parking lot in backKIDS: Children are welcomePLUSES: Charming staff, cozy ambience and some very good pasta dishes and desserts will delight longtime Incontro fans and newcomers alikeMINUSES: The menu hits some uneven spotsDATE OPENED: December

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Ratings

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Price code

$ Most entrees under $10$$ Most entrees under $20$$$ Most entrees under $30$$$$ Most entrees under $40