It’s not for nothing that Zucca Ristorante has twice been chosen as one of the “Best of Mountain View” by Voice readers. So why do people line up for lunch, and even leave their homes on a soggy Sunday night for a drink at the bar or dinner here? Is it the food? The ambience? The service?
It’s all of the above — that rare find, the complete package. From waiters who really want you to dine well and feel cared for, to carefully selected ingredients, thoughtfully suggested wine pairings, quietly pleasing visuals, and creative (but not bizarre) dishes. Many restaurants can match Zucca on one or two of these points, but they’re often understaffed, or the restaurants themselves look tired — something keeps them from hitting on all cylinders.
The first clue that Zucca wants to win over customers might be its Web site, which displays a level of service not usually found on a restaurant site. Beyond hours of business, there’s information on banquets and catering, a wine and drinks list, and the menu — in seven different languages.
Besides offering easy access to their menu for non-English speakers, the polyglotism is a nod to the restaurant’s Mediterranean — in the broadest sense — cuisine. “Mediterranean” has become a food buzzword which usually translates into “Italian” in the U.S. But Zucca (itself an Italian word for “gourd”) offers dishes, seasonings and drinks from other Mediterranean lands, including France, Spain, Greece and Turkey.
We chose appetizers from the tapas menu (one for $4.95, three for $12.95, five for $15.95) for a quick trip around the Sea. Among the choices: Sicilian marinated green and black olives with just the right amount of saltiness; the richest tzatziki I’ve ever had, so thick it tasted like cream instead of yogurt; a potato and mushroom croquette with crispy outside and soft inside; and za’atar pita and honey pears, with the za’atar (a thyme-like herb from the Middle East) balancing the sweet honey and a rather quiet aioli.
These got along swimmingly with the Prosecco Carpene Malvolti from Italy, a dry sparkling white ($18 for a half-bottle).
The wine was a tough choice. Zucca’s drink menu is bigger than the food menu, and includes Mediterranean liquors, wines by the glass, half-bottle, and bottle, and 5-ounce “Fat Cat” martinis in a rainbow of flavors. In fact, when you first walk in, there’s an elevated and candlelit bottle of vodka that brings to mind a little altar. It proved to be the kind of place people stop for drinks throughout the evening, as well as a place to go for food and drinks after work. At times it had more of a big-city bar vibe than a Mountain View restaurant.
One Sunday night I broke the cardinal rule of not ordering fish at the end of the weekend, as fresh fish often arrives in-house on Fridays. The swordfish special tasted a bit fishy, but not so much that the dish was ruined for us. The orzo that came with it was a tad oily. But altogether with the grilled zucchini, bell peppers and red onions, the dish was better than the sum of its parts.
While waiting for the swordfish, we had plenty of time to take in the ambience. Zucca can bring your food quickly — great for making performances on time or beating the miserly one-hour parking on Castro — but be sure to tell the waiter at the beginning. Otherwise, the pacing is, shall we say, Mediterranean. But there’s interesting local artwork set off by the beige walls and candlelight, and the sconce lights along one mirrored wall give the illusion of floating in thin air while seeming to enlarge the narrow space.
We also tried the penne with prawns, garlic and red peppers ($15.99), a spicy mix that grabs your attention. It wasn’t subtle, but I liked it better than the swordfish. Portion sizes were neither overwhelming nor hummingbird servings (the exception being wrap sandwiches at lunch, which were slightly intimidating). Though dessert choices include liquid desserts or cheese plates, we went with French lemon meringue tartlet with raspberry sauce ($7.50). The meringue was heavy, like a tart, but also very creamy — nearer to a cheesecake and quite nice. The warm chocolate cake ($7.50) was, unfortunately, not very warm, but I liked the taste. Like a not-too-sweet flourless cake (or fudge), this cake was extremely chocolaty, with vanilla bean gelato for respite.
Lunch, unless it’s a rainy NorCal afternoon, is a fine time to enjoy the sidewalk tables of Zucca. As it was, once again, sodden, I dined indoors, warming up with a bowl of the soup du jour, cream of cauliflower ($6). It was truly creamy with good cauliflower flavor and no heaviness. Its reserved, savory calm contrasted with the bright, punchy flavors of the winter salad ($7.95) of frisee, radicchio, grapes, gorgonzola and candied walnuts. The raspberry dressing had just the right amount of vinegar smack to it to balance the salad, if not much raspberry flavor. Together with the rosemary bread and oil-and-balsamic dip (served before dinner, as well), this was nearly enough lunch for us.
And then came the sandwiches. We ordered two of the grilled pita wraps and got two huge sandwiches rolled up in soft pita and served with pepperocinis (little green peppers) and a side of greens. The Turkish lamb k–fte ($8.99) is made with highly seasoned ground lamb, like a meatball, and tempered by cool tzatziki cucumbers and yogurt. The grilled chicken ($8.99) was dressed with a tarragon tomato aioli and carmelized onions. Both sandwiches were delicious.
Zucca’s pitch isn’t cheap eats, but it’s such a solid and pleasing (and obviously popular) place that you get your money’s worth. Really, Zucca wasn’t even that expensive — I’ve paid more for worse. It’s also one of the few places on the Peninsula that manages to be a very nice restaurant for lunch and dinner, as well as a casual after-work place. Is that another “Best of” on the horizon?
Zucca Ristorante
186 Castro Street, Mountain View
(650) 864-9940
www.zuccaristorante.com
Hours:
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday-Saturday 4:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Reservations: yes
Credit cards: yes
Valet Parking: no
Alcohol: yes
Outdoor seating: yes
Takeout: yes
Catering: yes
Banquet: yes
Wheelchair access: yes
Noise level: loud
Bathroom cleanliness: fine
