[Download Full Movie Like Brothers In Italian
Melvin Amey
Warmth and aroma are the two major ingredients that make up any good Italian restaurant, and you'll quickly discover both at this popular Manteca dining spot. Owner and lead chef Alberto Vega hit the right combination of old world Italian charm and serving up mounds of pasta, just like mamma used to make.
Straddling the fence between fine dining and casual cuisine, a vibrant mural of a quaint Italian countryside covers one wall while the restaurant's while table linens add an elegant touch. Originally from Mexico, Vega trained as an apprentice chef at Angelina's in Stockton, where he learned everything he knows about cooking and running a restaurant. "When I first came to America, I worked in the fields, at a pizza place, and a car wash," Vega said. "Then I got a job as a cook at Angelina's, and it is there that I learned to create and prepare my own Italian dishes."
Vega prides himself on experimenting with different flavors; his house specialties--Veal and Chicken Piccata--are requested daily by regulars. His staff and customers also enjoy taste testing his experimental cuisine and provide him with valued feedback. "My customers will say, 'Oh, you need to put this on the menu, Alberto!' and I will answer, 'OK, OK, I will,'" Vega says with a smile.
Ever since he took over what was a foundering Chinese food operation on Yosemite Avenue six years ago, Vega has transformed the relatively humble operation into something that Manteca residents simply can't get enough of--De Vega Brothers Italian Cuisine.
Despite the successes that Vega--who operates the business with his brother Rafael--has had since bringing his charming old-world flavor to Manteca, you're not likely to find him doing anything but what has made him successful.
When out on location catering parties in some of Stockton's more exclusive neighborhoods like Brookside, Vega proclaimed one day to his boss that he would in 10 years not only in fact own his own restaurant but a house like the one they were serving in as well--something that drew sharp criticism and snickers from his co-workers.
"This is a blessing for me--I'm so young and doing what it is that I've always wanted to do," said Borges--who traded in a fast-food get-up for a true chef's coat. "Just like with Alberto, this is my dream and in less than 10 years, I want to own my own restaurant.
Where can you get a finger-lickin' plate full of authentic pasta in an intimate atmosphere that literally transports you to a faraway Italian city? De Vega Brother's menu, featuring a savory, yet subtle veal piccata, is not only a testament to the good taste of the Italian, but the wine list is also proof that they know how to live it up. This menu is the ultimate testament to good eats and timeless tradition.
De Vega Brothers opened as a tiny Italian restaurant on Yosemite Boulevard near downtown Manteca about 4 years ago. Due to an expanding and hungry clientele, the family business soon moved to its current location at 515 N. Main St.
The restaurant seats 75 people, more than double the capacity of the original site. Nestled in a major wine-producing area, it's no surpise that De Vega Brothers features an extensive wine list with several local and imported choices. Even as part of the decor, a bottle of wine is on each table, with the winery selection rotated every few weeks. Among the pricier bottles are a $60 red Meritage Grand Reserve from Charles B. Mitchell and a $50 merlot from Delicato's San Bernabe Vineyard in Monterey.
Good news for folks who create their Italian favoites at home: De Vega Brothers sells its homemade meat sauce to go. And owner Rafael Vega says the family is talking about opening another restaurant perhaps in Modesto or in its hometown of Stockton.
We took Highway 99 south to Yosemite Avenue and stopped a block east of Main Street at De Vega, which brothers Alberto and Rafael opened two months ago. They've been attracting a loyal following of regulars ever since.
This promising beginning was matched by a Mediterranean pasta of mildly spicy marinated prawn, with lemon zest, diced tomatoes, cracked black pepper, bell peppers, garlic and fresh herbs, tossed with rigatoni.
Equally appealing was a linguini and chicken dish with mushrooms, peppers, dried tomato puree, garlic, herbs, fresh cream and Parmesan cheese. It was wonderfully flavorful and subtly seasoned, with a coordination of elements that defines good cooking.
De Vega Brothers has created a slice of the Italian Riviera right down to warm hues and a cozy feeling in the semi-formal atmosphere of the North Main Street restaurant just south of Manteca Ford Mercury.
And to someone who loves pasta and knows that a meal prepared in the classic style of Italian cuisine may fly in the face of the low carb mantra, it gives you enough energy to power you through the day: De Vega is a bit of culinary heaven.
You would also be wrong to believe that De Vega Brothers is exclusively Italian. There is a host of lunch options ranging from the teriyaki chicken sandwich to the De Vega Burger that have the distict De Vega taste but aren't traditional Italian.
The De Vega tortelline is among the best you'll find in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. It is never undercooked or overcooked. The pesto and alfredo sauces are excellent. This time, however, I tried the marinara sauce instead. It changed the taste somewhat but it was still satisfying.
So how good is the tortelline? The taste is good enough that you want to savor it. That is how you can generally tell whether I like pasta. Perfectly cooked pasta makes you want to savor every bite. Anything not close to perfection is run-of-the-mill and it becomes just carbo loading inhaling time.
Unlike some restaurants, the dinner menu is significantly different, offering more chicken and veal options, seafood -- including sauteed scallops that's to die for with soup or salad and your choice of pasta -- pasta dinner and charbroiled entrees including filet mignon.
De Vega Brothers, after all these years, still serves the best eggplant parmesan in these parts. It's fresh, cut thin for taste and prepared by someone who obviously knows eggplant is a treat, not a filler.
On a Saturday night, the brothers serve more than 3000 meals, including 600 to 700 at Hendricks alone. The restaurants are busy even on Mondays, serving 150-200 meals at each location, with the numbers growing as the week goes on. Lunchtime also is hopping at the Americana Manhasset and Wheatley Plaza.
Location, location, location. Cipollini Trattoria and Bar opened in 2005 on the south side of the ultra-fashionable Americana Manhasset and has been hip and hot from the first moment. Cipollini has a Manhattan-style ambience, casual and sophisticated, and draws a chi-chi crowd for both lunch and dinner.
Inside the long, narrow dining room, the decor is casual yet chic, with dark wood paneling and wood floors, massive framed mirrors on the walls and spiffy oversized lampshades hanging from the high ceilings.
Sophisticated and sleek, Toku Modern Asian is a gem. It fits right in with shops like Prada, Chanel and Hermes, its neighbors at the Americana Manhasset. The menu is varied; the food is fresh, flavorful and well prepared. The stunning decor is modern yet comfortable. The ambiance, the service and the delicious, beautifully-presented dishes are all winners.
Among the winners are the Asian Caesar salad with crunchy wontons, cashews and ginger aioli, the tasty calamari salad and the crisp tuna spring rolls. Western entrees have an Asian kick, such as braised short ribs with pad Thai noodles, sweet soy marinated skirt steak with wok sauted bok choy and Chilean Sea Bass with Maitake mushrooms, Asian salsa and black bean sauce.
Among the house rolls are the Pacific King with king crab, avocado, Asian pear, wasabi-avocado crme and the Americana featuring Maine lobster tail tempura, asparagus and spicy sauce. Top the meal off with a Fuji Tatin, a roasted Fuji apple tart with a calvados reduction, a warm brownie with green tea Chantilly creme or be good and opt for a delicious seasonal exotic fruit plate.
This is the place to go for a cup of joe and a melt-in-your-mouth brownie or a quick lunch, packed for takeout, or enjoyed at the white marble communal high table with 12 stools. Tucked into the walkway around the corner from Cipollini at the Americana Manhasset, lots of umbrella tables outside make Pronto a great choice in nice weather.
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