Nonni's Bistro- Pleasanton
By
Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives
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We
enjoy our day trips to small towns in the Bay Area and
are always looking for new and interesting dining destinations.
We went to Downtown Pleasanton for their Annual Antique Fair a
few weeks ago and noticed that there were quite a few restaurants
with both indoor and outdoor dining options on Main Street. Nonni's
Bistro which recently opened in July 2010 was quite charming
and inviting so we decided to sit outdoors and have Brunch which
is served on weekends from 8:00 A.M to 3:00 PM. The décor
is welcoming and pleasing with Scandinavian colors outside and
interesting Art on the light colored walls inside. The tables
are spaced nicely but not to far if you want to chat with other
diners. We loved their fabulous Scandinavian Eggs Benedict which
is made with house made Ice Smoked Salmon, braised spinach
and onions.
We
were also impressed by their Curried Egg Salad Sandwich
from the Lunch menu made with arugula, scallions, and shredded
carrots. We were told that they had live jazz on Thursday and
Friday nights starting at 6:00 PM and returned for dinner on beautiful
warm evening.
We
ordered wines by the glass and perused both their Small Plates
Afternoon Menu which is available Thursday thru Sunday starting
at 4:00 PM and their nightly Dinner Menu. We enjoyed their house-made
Smoked Salmon Carpaccio which was served with capers,
onion and hardboiled egg. It was delicious! Next we had their
luscious Mushroom Soup which was served in a small tureen.
It was made with pureed Chanterelles, Button, Portobello and Porcini
mushrooms. Our favorite small plate was the Risotto with Short
Rib with red wine reduction. It was really luscious and the
portion was large enough to share or be an entrée. Our
favorite Entrée was the Prawns and Gnocchi which
consisted of sautéed white Mexican Prawns tossed with chicken
Italian sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms in a light cream
sauce. The menu also has Classics such as Beef Stroganoff, Coq
Au Vin, Moules and Frites, Steak Frites, Salmon and Braised Peppered
Short Ribs.
As
ever we saved room for dessert. The Espresso Chocolate Pot
Au Crème was exceptional. It was light, not too rich
and delicious! An Espresso and a Muscat after dinner drink were
the perfect finish, as we relaxed and listened to the light live
jazz by Twos Guys who added to the evening but were not too loud
so you could enjoy conversation during dinner. The Wine List features
local Livermore Valley, California and International wines with
quite a few choices by the glass. We liked the 2010 Hannah-Nichole
Sauvignon Blanc and the 2009 Tamayo Ryland's Block Malbec.
We
enjoyed chatting with Restaurateur/Executive Chef Jon
Magnusson who was born near Reykjavik, Iceland. He honed
his culinary skills in Europe, South America and for many years
in Carmel, California before opening Nonni's Bistro.
Nonni's
Bistro features excellent European Cuisine made with
fresh, local and healthy ingredients. They are open 7 days for
Lunch and Dinner and be sure and try the Brunch on the Weekends.
Nonni's
Bistro- Pleasanton
425 Main Street
Pleasanton, CA. 94566
925-600-0411
www.NonnisBistro.net
