SAN FRANCISCO-Recently, a few friends and I had the pleasure of dining at a charming restaurant in downtown Mountain View called Vaso Azzurro. It was a delightful place, ornamented with a glowing Christmas tree, dimmed lights, and elegant table settings. To our immediate surprise, a man, who we later found out was co-owner Michael Sadri, greeted us with a song within two minutes of seating us at a table. I’ve never had someone sing to me in a restaurant before. But, his voice inspired me to want to sing as well. After that serenade, I must admit, I felt right at home. Vaso Azzurro’s success, according to Mr. Sadri, is due to its staff, a family of five siblings, including co-owner Michael Sadri, Michael’s older brother Alan, his younger brother Alex, his two sisters Nikoo and Minoo, and head Chef Hasan Yildiz who is also considered part of the family. They took over ownership of the restaurant about five years ago.
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The restaurant is about to celebrate its 12th year in business, and according to Michael, in the restaurant business, 12 years is like an eternity. “But that with some luck, some love from God, a tremendous crew, and a fabulous and supportive community that appreciates the Vaso Azzurro experience, we have been a success.” He continued, “I do whatever it takes here to stay away from the unemployment line.” Michael greets, serves, chats, and sings for his customers. However, his older brother Alan keeps Michael’s ego in check with this line: “Don’t let your head get too big. When people are drunk, everyone sounds good!”
According to Michael, the family got into the restaurant business because they felt they have an understanding about what hospitality is all about. “We love food, we love to cater to people, we love to have guests over at the house, and we just fell into it.” The siblings all attended San Jose State University and obtained degrees in different areas; all of them previously held jobs outside of the restaurant business. Michael studied exercise, sports, and science. His sisters have business degrees and so does one of his brothers. He added, however, that they felt the most complete, at ease, and natural in the restaurant business rather than working for corporate America. “We are in one of the best cities in the world. We are in one of the best spots on earth. The weather, the climate, the entrepreneurial spirit, the generosity, and the fabulous energy that we get from our customers makes this probably the greatest gig on earth,” he said.
Michael told us, “Vaso Azzurro is [also] a sanctuary, and it’s not really a restaurant. People come for bread, food, olive oil, pasta, conversation, and sincere service. They get healed, and in the process they heal us.” He added, “Of course, it’s a very competitive field, and we take it very seriously.”
Chef Hasan Yildiz has been at Vaso Azzurro for almost nine years. He also worked for the previous owners. Ten years ago Chef Hasan made a huge shift from being a mechanical engineer to cooking. He was apparently influenced to do so by a cousin who is also a chef. He started cooking in 2001, becoming a Sous Chef after only one year. He says he worked hard and learned really fast. He admits that even though engineering was a good field, being a chef is more fun. He likes the working ambiance at the restaurant. Being in Mountain View and the fact that their restaurant brings in more business than any other restaurant in downtown Mountain View, working as a team with his staff, and his customers are among the things he appreciates about running the kitchen at Vaso Azzurro.
A warm, freshly baked focaccia started us off. It came with a side of dip made with balsamic vinegar basil, Parmesan cheese, and herbs, for a lightly spiced flavor. For an appetizer we ordered the Bruschetta: house made crostini, topped with tomato, onion, garlic, basil, and extra virgin olive oil, which my friend Shirley thought had a very strong and clear flavor. I thought both appetizers were delicious. Chef Hasan says he gets his inspiration from French cuisine and from various cookbooks. Although the books have been helpful, he likes to play with his recipes from time to time.
Afterwards we ordered an array of dishes including the Shrimp Scampi, Salmon Samboli, the Fettuccini Azzurro, the Spinach Salad, and the Bocconcini Caprese Salad, with fresh Buffalo Mozzarella, tomato, basil, capers, balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. We ate family style and shared every dish. The Shrimp Scampi consisted of prawns, rice, brown butter, and raspberry wine sauce—it was excellent. The Salmon Samboli consisted of salmon poached with white wine and caper berries and served with rice pilaf and vegetables. Vaso Azzurro gets all their herbs and spices from Italian specialty stores. Shirley, my companion, has spent some time in Italy and thought all the dishes were quite original. I thought all of the dishes were mildly spicy and fresh tasting. Prices range from $6.95 for the Bruschetta appetizer, to $19.95 for the Shrimp Scampi. “Our prices are very competitive,” Michael commented, “For the quality of food and service I think our prices are one of the best.”
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Chef Hasan has goods delivered to the restaurant twice a day. “So I always have fresh product,” he stated. Vaso Azzurro has live jazz and pop music bands on Friday and Saturday nights, and every now and then Michael will burst into song with them. They do a lot of birthday parties and other celebrations as well.
Michael has trained the crew to sing “Happy Birthday” in operatic fashion, and admitted, people get a kick out of that. He continued, “We love for people to have a good time here … and we love for them to get their money’s worth. We feel that we want to treat people the way that we want to be treated. We expect a certain level of professionalism and service from the restaurants that we patronize, and we feel that we have to do the same thing for our customers.”
There are a lot of restaurants on Castro Street and Vaso Azzurro is located at the end of the strip in downtown Mountain View, so I asked Michael what he thought stood out about his restaurant. “I think people want to get away from the noise from the crowd. They want to find a quiet place, a sanctuary, a spot away from all the madness.” He replied. “Within a three-mile radius, there must be 3 million restaurants,” he joked, “and we’re at the end of Castro Street, so we’re lucky to have one person come in here and have food. But, when they do come here, we make sure that we take nothing for granted.” Though initially he did not think that being at the end of Castro Street was going to be advantageous, it later worked out. “Vaso Azzurro is a sanctuary, an oasis, it’s a place where you can relax, and be restored to your original self after a hard day of trials and tribulations,” he stated.
Even though, according to Michael, Vaso Azzurro specializes in both French and Italian cuisine, in my view, the cuisine tends to lean more heavily toward Italian cuisine than anything else. The reason for this, according to Michael, is, “Because Italians have been around for so long, and the food is colorful … it’s tasty … it lends itself to an innovative approach.” He added, “There is so much you can do with pasta, meat sauce, cheeses, fish, olives, and olive oil. It lends itself to incredible possibilities; it’s a very elastic food concept.” He continued to say, “A lot of Americans have Italian ancestry. Italy has strong roots in the American cultural landscape [as well]. So, when you say ‘Italian,’ people gravitate towards it because they know it, they have experienced it. Italy is a fun place to be. It has a beautiful, colorful culture. Its music and its arts are really pervasive in the American cultural landscape. So, when you have an Italian restaurant, you’re already 51 percent successful, because the concept resonates so well with the American consciousness.”
Vaso Azzurro
108 Castro St.
Mountain View, CA 94041
Phone: 650-940-1717
www.vasoazzurro.com
