Rose Garden Resident

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Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Prep Work: Lyle Koch, owner of Antonella's Ristorante, set a Nov. 27 reopening at his Rose Garden restaurant after a car crashed through the building earlier this month.

Antonella's Ristorante thrives despite some bad luck

By Mary Gottschalk

Lyle Koch does not care for adversity, but he's become adept at dealing with it.

When Koch bought Antonella's Ristorante on the corner of Park and Naglee avenues, which had been closed for more than a year after the previous owners had a public falling out, he chose Sept. 11, 2001, to open his doors.

"It was horrid," he says with complete candor of the day now simply called 9-11.

"A lot of people came in just to see what was happening, and they said they just wanted to get away from the television and the news."

Those that did come, ate and drank and returned, helping Koch begin building a clientele.

Yet, like every other Silicon Valley business, he had to deal with the sharp drop in the economy following 9-11.

"It was a huge slump for six months. It was my executive chef, myself, a server and a dishwasher," Koch recalls.

"I was serving, I was busing, I was setting up. My chef was prepping and cleaning. I couldn't afford to have help.

"As things slowly picked up, I've been able to return my staff. I've got a great staff with very little turnover."

Koch says several of his employees have been with him since opening day, although most initially had part-time hours.

Employees with him from the start include executive chef Gustavo Cruz, sous chef Arturo Perez and servers Brenda Xenos, Sarah Curry and Mary Greenfield.

Just as his business improved, a second mishap struck a couple of weeks ago. An errant driver crashed through the front of his restaurant, stopping in the hallway, just seconds after Koch had walked by.

Although the kitchen was essentially undamaged in the Nov. 3 crash, the need for city and health inspections kept the restaurant closed until Nov. 27, thwarting Koch's plans to keep his takeout and catering business going in the meantime.

Even now, with catering and takeout up to full speed, the dining-in operation has gone from 82 seats to 66 until repairs are finished.

A temporary hallway has been set up between the entrance and kitchen area and the patio dining area.

While Koch admits he has occasionally wondered about a curse, he prefers to look ahead.

A native Californian who grew up in Contra Costa County, Koch won a regional cooking competition that brought him a full scholarship to Cal Poly-Pomona. There he added bachelor's degrees in restaurant management and business administration to his associate's degree in culinary arts.

After graduating in 1990, Koch went to work as an apprentice at the Grand Hotel in Berlin and then to a restaurant in Bendize, Italy.

Returning to the United States, he worked for Scott's Seafood restaurants in San Francisco, Costa Mesa and Hawaii, before moving on to Ruth's Chris Steak House in Chicago and Indianapolis.

The Bay Area beckoned once again, and Koch worked for Pasta Pomodoro, opening the one on The Alameda near Race Street and overseeing it for its first eight months.

While he was at Pasta Pomodoro, Koch learned Antonella's was for sale.

"Owning your own restaurant is the dream of everybody who is a chef or works in a restaurant," Koch says. "You're working 12 to 14 hours a day for somebody, and you feel you might as well put those hours in for yourself.

"It's a whole other story when it's your checkbook.

"When I went to buy this restaurant, the banks turned me down for a loan, so I had to take out a line of credit against my home to get the money to open the restaurant. After Sept. 11, I had to take out second mortgages to keep the cash flowing to stay open."

Koch persevered and now has a definite niche in the Rose Garden area, attracting not only residents within walking distance, but patrons from Willow Glen and Campbell, businesses along The Alameda, attorneys from downtown and parents responding to his generosity to local schools.

Lincoln High, Hoover Middle, Trace Elementary and St. Martin of Tours schools all benefit from his generous donations.

Longtime patrons of Antonella's welcome Koch's personal style as he suggests appropriate wines and opens the bottles himself.

Circulating frequently throughout the restaurant, he often pulls up a chair to talk to customers.

"Giving attention to the guests" is Koch's mantra.

It's not unusual for someone who called in an order later than usual to find Koch delivering it himself.

"I'm married to the restaurant, and my staff is my family," Koch says, admitting that he's there "pretty much all the time."

"I don't have a manager, it's me."

Along with the personal attention, Koch believes it is the Italian orientation of the food, reflecting his personal taste, that brings repeat business.

"We're much more than a pizzeria. It was originally opened as one, but we've expanded well beyond that."

Antonella's menu is extensive and does include pizzas with almost 30 topping choices, but Koch is proudest of his other dishes.

Lobster ravioli in marsala wine sauce, chicken marsala, veal picatta, pork chop in aged balsamic with caramelized red onions and the herb-grilled fresh salmon filet are customer favorites.

Koch expects DeMattei Construction on The Alameda to do his reconstruction work, but says realistically he doesn't think it can be finished until February.

Koch says he will remain open and is honoring all his catering commitments during the important holiday season. About 35 percent of his business is catering, and 65 percent is the restaurant.

"It's been a tough location at times to keep a full-service restaurant going," he admits.

Still, Koch has no intention of giving up.

"We take pride in the food we serve and the care and concern we give, you just don't get at Chile's, Olive Garden or 'monster' restaurants," he says.

Antonella's Ristorante, 1701 Park Ave. at Naglee Avenue, 408.279.4922, www.antonellasristorante.com.