The Campbell Reporter

Business

Tigelleria explores untapped Italian cuisine

By Cathy Weselby

A new bistro has opened downtown that will challenge Campbell residents' preconceptions about Italian restaurants.

Tigelleria, located on the corner of E. Campbell Avenue and Fourth Street, offers an unexplored aspect of Italian cuisine, tigelle (pronounced tee-jell-ay). Tigelle resemble a flat English muffin and are served warm, cut in half and filled with cured meats and cheeses.

Owners Elisabetta Benetollo and her husband, Mirco Caramori, hail from Modena, where tigelle are traditionally served.

Benetollo hopes to dispel the myth that the typical Italian restaurant has "red checkered tablecloths and O Sole Mio playing in the background."

The restaurant, which was the former home of Campbell Florist, has been completely transformed. The interior is now a cozy bistro with deep sky-blue walls and warm amber lighting. A Murano glass chandelier hangs in the foyer and Federico Fellini films flicker on the wall behind the bar.

The 40-seat restaurant opened on Dec. 7 and cost more than $500,000 to remodel, including all new plumbing, electrical, kitchen appliances and a new heating and cooling system.

The genesis for Tigelleria came when Benetollo received a tigelle maker a few years ago as a present and started making them at home. She noticed when she made tigelle for guests that they would relax and converse more easily. Benetollo and Caramori envisioned a restaurant that encouraged socializing like they experienced at home.

When the Benetollos first arrived in the South Bay in 1994, Elisabetta Benetollo was "shocked" at the lack of nightlife. Now, she says she's seen a change, and more people are going out at night and socializing.

"It's becoming more like Europe," she says.

In Italy, Benetollo says there are more opportunities for meeting people and feeling part of the community. She feels that same community spirit in Campbell.

"We've been welcomed very warmly by the people in Campbell," Benetollo says.

The menu at Tigelleria includes both traditional and nontraditional entrées, pastas, soups, salads and desserts.

Traditional entrées range from a selection of Italian cold cuts, cheeses or grilled vegetables served with warm tigelle. The last tigelle is traditionally served with Nutella, a chocolate hazelnut spread, as dessert.

The more unconventional combinations were created by sommelier Bernardo Pasquali, a chemistry professor who experiments with flavor combinations, balancing authentic Italian ingredients for the American palate. The "Red Ferrari" entrée has aged Parmesan cheese sprinkled with 15-year aged balsamic vinegar and prosciutto di Parma.

Pasquali includes suggestions of Italian and Californian wines for pairing with the entrées.

"We strive to create the perfect union of flavors," Benetollo says.

She explains that the right combination of food and wine is important.

"If you have a sweet, creamy tiramisu with a dry champagne, the tastes fight each other," Benetollo says, citing an example of an incompatible pairing.

All of the meats and cheeses are imported from Italy, and 70 percent of the ingredients used are organic. Benetollo says they are looking for distributors of organic salami and prosciutto to increase the percentage. She acknowledges that using imported ingredients is a challenge now, given the high euro exchange rate, and says they have worked to balance price and quality.

Benetollo knows she is offering the community something different, and she hopes that people will take the opportunity to try simple food and "just enjoy the flavor."

For more information on Tigelleria, 76 E. Campbell Ave., call 408.884.3808 or visit www.tigelleria.com. Parking is available in back of the restaurant and in the parking garage on Second Street.