New chef leads Donato Enoteca in Redwood City

“After 16 years, it’s good to make a change, right?” Scotti said. 

In the spirit of change, Scotti has taken a step away from the kitchen. Welcomed as the new head chef is Marco Bertoldo, from the Veneto region of Italy, who has worked diligently to bring his own flavor to the new menu. 

Gone are the Donato Enoteca staples, and guests can now find a wide variety of smaller plates divided into vegetarian, seafood and meat options for dinner. The new Venetian cicchetti, or Italian tapas, served on colorful, funky Italian plates are served every day from 4-6:30 p.m. 

Bertoldo, 27, brings in a fresh perspective from his experience working in Switzerland and most recently as executive chef at Poesia in San Francisco. Scotti now gets to revel in table-side interactions with his Italian charm. 

The happy-hour cicchetti includes dishes like prosciutto-wrapped melon and an American-esque “burgherino” or mini-lamb slider that comes with shoestring fires and a side of a special plum ketchup made in house. 

A new dinner menu highlight includes the pizza crunch alla scapece, which is a crispy pizza topped with zucchini marinated in cardamom, lemon, mint and gin. Another already popular dish is the baccala mantecato, a braised salted cod with squid ink polenta. The classic tagiolini al ragu, or shoestring pasta with Bolognese sauce, is similarly loved. 

In addition to the menu, newly featured is a large marble U-shaped bar in an upgraded, modern room that can seat approximately 20 guests and highlights a new signature cocktail menu and expansive wine list. 

With everything that is new of Donato Enoteca, constants remain: Scotti, the authentic Italian sensibility and, for regulars’ delight, Ventura Osuna — the head bartender. 

Happy hour at the new bar brings in dedicated loyal customers that now sit alongside new interested patrons, sparking conversations across the bar and, on most nights, with Osuna closely involved. 

Timothy Oleno and Marylue Timpson have spent their Wednesday afternoons at Donato Enoteca for 15 years, almost without fail. While their consistency is in part due to their need to vacate their home in Atherton while it’s cleaned, the couple chooses to come downtown Redwood City every week for the staff at the restaurant. 

“The people that meeted and greeted us kept us from going anywhere else,” Timpson said. 

More than anyone, Osuna keeps the couple coming back each week. The bartender’s charisma and attentiveness shines during their visits, and Oleno and Timpson aren’t the only ones who think so. 

Another couple, Jim and Lisa who live in Redwood City, said Osuna adds to the friendly nature at the bar, invoking conversations that extend beyond the people you came to eat and drink with. 

The welcoming nature and innovative menu has brought in new business, Scotti said, but there are loyal customers who have stuck through the change, which is a testament to the highly attentive and beloved staff, Oleno said. 

“The best thing you can do as a restaurant owner is hire a really good bartender,” Oleno said. 

Jim has already visited the restaurant more than a handful of times since it has reopened. He usually sits at the bar and shares his love for the restaurant and its owner while he works his way through the menu. 

“Well, everyone loves Donato,” Jim said to a new customer seated beside him. 

The restaurant is open 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4-9:30 p.m. for dinner Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.