It’s been in the works for a while now, but now it’s official: Ristorante D’Angelo’s will officially take over the space that since 2017 was known as Alloro Ristorante on Bank Street in Grass Valley.
Ristorante D’Angelos will officially open for business on April 16, but the menu, quality, and heart of the business will remain with one owner stepping out of the picture.
Enrique Torres and his brother Victor have operated Alloro together these years past, but each is choosing a different fork in the road.
Gina Fistarol has a deep history with the building; a former owner of the space, Fistarol was by her husband Oscar’s side as they owned the building that houses Ristorante D’Angelos, back when it was called Villa Valencia and Trattoria Milano.
A friend and trusted spokeswoman for the Torres family, Fistarol was passionate that people know the heart behind the operation.
“(Enrique) has been cooking in various Italian restaurants for the last 30 years, for Italian people,” Fistarol said. She also speaks Spanish, and helps Torres convey his feelings on the matter. “He worked in the Bay Area. He worked in Marin County. He’s worked for several restaurants here, so always learning from Italian people how to do his craft.”
Fistarol said she witnessed Torres bring his dream to life with the opening of Alloro Ristorante after working for years for Fistarol in a very Italian cucina.
“In 2017 he had the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of opening up his own restaurant,” said Fistarol. “He came to us wanting (this building) because this had been several different Italian restaurants here. He had come in and with his family and his brother, Victor, they wanted to open up their own place to fulfill his dream of actually having his own space.”
Fistarol said that Torres acknowledged that his children were growing older as they are wont to do; they have been brought up in the restaurant industry and eventually will take over, if he has anything to say about it. That’s why Enrique said that his new restaurant’s name is after his grandson, D’Angelo who may one day be in charge of the kitchen and menu.
“Now that his children are older, he really wants to pass the baton off at some point; he’s getting older,” said Fistarol. “Enrique is the epitome of what hard work is; he’s here in the morning and he’s here till the night.”
Age may be one thing, but Torres is not showing any sign of slowing down,
Torres’ son Diego concurs, and said that he doesn’t really ever remember his dad taking a proper vacation, always dedicated to the food in his respective restaurants, even when he wasn’t the proprietor.
The reason for the change that will introduce Ristorante D’Angelos is fairly simple, Fistarol said.
“(Enrique Torres) just wants to really focus on having his children kind of eventually take over the reins, but within their family. So they parted ways with Alloro to do their own thing with their own family, their own family nucleus,” said Fistarol.
Beginning April 16, Ristorante D’Angelo’s will be open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will reopen for dinner from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. seven nights a week.
“The menu will look mostly the same, but they’ll be adding new things as well to the specials,” said Fistarol, who is not shy in advocating for her friend.
“I think the most important thing here is that this is really kind of a culmination of Enrique’s hard work for 30 years,” Fistarol said. “He worked for us forever. This is something he’s going to be able to pass on to his children and his grandchildren, and that’s important.”
Torres’s son Diego, the father of D’Angelo, will manage the restaurant, keeping in line with it being a family business. And just because someone comes from Hispanic heritage doesn’t limit them to one type of special cuisine. Torres has been under the tutelage of many experienced chefs who exemplify Italian cooking.
“The first person (Torres) worked for was actually from Florence,” explained Fistarol. “In Italy there are regions and subregions; things can get very regional and the food can change. I think there’s a variation showing that he’s across the spectrum of working for so many different people.”
In other words, the cuisine being set for the menu isn’t necessarily standard American-Italian fare, but it is authentic, varied, and if the proprietors are asked, quite tasty.
Ristorante D’Angelo’s will be ready to welcome guests April 16 at 124 Bank Street in Grass Valley.
Dining and Cooking