Tattoos, Harleys and Italian Soul Food at Open Kitchen's New Hours

Photo by Jen Mangham

Sandra Stefani

If she wasn't cooking, Sandra Stefani of Open Kitchen would be traveling across the country on her Harley, tasting along the way. Lucky for us, Stefani finds joy in serving those in need of her signature Italian Soul Food cuisine. So much so in fact, that she and business partner Ines Chattas recently started serving up dinner on Thursday nights. "I missed doing dinners," said Stefani, "It's my way of sharing my home, and many of my favorite dishes to cook are not exactly lunch-friendly"

When we penned our last review, the cozy caterer was only open for lunches, monthly wine dinners and specialty cooking classes. Inevitably, this proved not enough for Stefani's dedicated following, and thus the Thursday night dinners dubbed "No Reservations" at Open Kitchen were born.

The menu changes weekly but customers can generally expect old favorites from Casa Toscana like the hearty Tuscan-style grilled beef steak topped with arugula and pecorino cheese ($29), as well as an array of "non-lunch-friendly" dishes.

Typically, the menu will be limited to one or two options for each course. To start, try the grilled eggplant stacked with balsamic tomato, wilted spinach and melted gorgonzola towers ($12), and an order of oh-so-trendy and tender veal meatballs ($13), in a tomato dip spiced to your liking. The pasta course last Thursday featured a summer-inspired colorful blackberry basil risotto with mascarpone cheese ($18). Colorful, contemporary and fresh enough to make fool you into thinking a risotto could trim your waistline, this risotto is a must for this summer and will be popping up on the Thursday night menu throughout the season.

Photo by Jen Mangham

Summertime Blackberry Basil Risotto

Also offered as a pasta course was wheat-thin pasta topped with a chunky shrimp and tomato sauce ($20). For the main courses, Stefani prepared a polenta crusted trout ($27), the epitome of Italian Soul Food, paired with a delicate asparagus risotto cake. The limited menu is curated by Stefani and Chattas to make the most of the season's offerings, just as you would find in Italy.

Photo by Jen Mangham

Pasta Course, wheat-thin pasta and shrimp

not accepted. If you find yourself waiting for a table, stick around and pick up a bottle of the Zuccardi boys' CabSauv and hangout in the kitchen with Stefani. Her stories and charisma bring the food's down-to-earth style and powerful flavors to life, and hey, if you play your cards right you may even score a peek at Stefani's infamous ink!

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