|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
On its surface, Vaso Azzurro seems like your typical old-school Italian restaurant, with crisp white tablecloths and a menu of classic Italian American dishes. But sit for a bit and you’ll quickly realize just how unique the place is.
Waitstaff randomly burst into operatic song, serenading tables and eliciting smiles. The majority of guests are regulars and are greeted with a hug and boisterous banter from members of the Sadri family, who’ve owned the restaurant since 2005.
“We always treated this place as a sanctuary,” owner Michael Sadri said. “This is where (guests) come to be attended to. This is where (guests) come to be listened to. We heal our guests, and the guests heal us in return.”
But after service on Wednesday, Vaso Azzurro will no longer be at its longtime address in downtown Mountain View. The Sadri family sold their lease to a new owner, Virginia Qian, who will transform the space into Cafe Ikebana, a day-to-night cafe and lounge. Michael Sadri said he hopes to reopen Vaso Azzurro in a new space within walking distance of its current location, although no lease has been signed. If all goes to plan, he’ll announce the address of the new location by the end of the year and reopen in March, he said.
“I cannot wait till I say, ‘Hey, get your asses back to me. Let’s get fat and happy!’” Sadri said.
Sadri said that the family has decided to relocate Vaso Azzurro in search of a space that better fits their future business plans, particularly a space suitable for an in-house pastry program, coffee program and small marketplace selling housemade goods. Vaso Azzurro halted its lunch service post-pandemic, but Sadri said he plans to keep the new location open all day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“We want to get into coffee and pastries in the morning, segue that into lunch, and then segue that into dinner,” he said.
While Vaso Azzurro bakes its own bread and desserts, its current location can’t support a higher output of additional pastries and pies. Sadri said he’s looking for a space with a bigger kitchen and ideally a private dining room.
“My God, if we had a private dining room (at Vaso Azzurro), I could have run for president of the United States,” he said with a laugh.
Sadri plans to invest in a “big badass cappuccino machine,” he said, and is working with Central American coffee farmers and an Italian coffee roaster to create Vaso Azzurro-branded coffee beans. These beans will be available for retail purchase, as well as other housemade items such as Vaso Azzurro’s signature olive oil dip.
“We are deadly committed to reopening,” Sadri said. “Besides, what else am I gonna do? I don’t know anything else.”
Sadri grew up in the Bay Area and received a degree in sports medicine from San Jose State University. He worked in that field for six months before being fired, he said, and he’s worked at restaurants ever since, noting that it’s “more aligned with (his) personality.”
Sadri and his brother were living in Utah to help a friend run a restaurant when they decided to purchase Vaso Azzurro, which had been in Mountain View since 1999. The brothers were in the Bay Area for a two-week vacation to see family and saw that an Italian restaurant was for sale. While originally they planned to open an American bistro concept called JJ Michael in the space, they were happy with the Vaso Azzurro concept and kept it as is.
And while it’s bittersweet to close Vaso Azzurro, Sadri said he’s looking forward to a break.
“For 30, 40 years we worked in December,” Sadri said. “I want to see how it feels to be at home, how it feels to go and visit my grandchildren at Christmas.”
Vaso Azzurro, 108 Castro St., Mountain View; 650-940-1717, Instagram: @vaso.azzurro. Final day of service Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 5-9 p.m.
Dig into food news. Follow the Peninsula Foodist on Instagram and subscribe to the newsletter to get insights on the latest openings and closings, learn what the Foodist is excited about eating, read exclusive interviews and keep up on the trends affecting local restaurants.
