First and foremost, exactly who am I? I figure that our budding relationship has reached the point that I might adequately introduce myself as well as fill you in on a little method behind the madness.
I am a 17-year veteran of the restaurant game here in the Tri-Valley and San Francisco. I was Dining Room Manager at Ruby Hill Golf Club, Assistant GM at Forbes Mill Steakhouse and the Manager at Walnut Creek Yacht Club, where I successfully wrenched myself from Food and Beverage in the hopes of doing something “greater.”
Currently I install and train medical clinic staffs on IT operating systems in developing countries (a whole other story) which has given me a whole new appreciation for our corner of the globe.
I left the food game clutching my completed manuscript entitled, “What Seems to be the Problem?”; a satirical advice piece on how to not be “that guy” when dining out or looking for employment at your local watering hole/feeding trough. I hope to have this published and delivered to you all soon.
What exactly is my criteria for the places that I deliver to you on a monthly basis? Let this be heard: I am a lone ink slinger! Nobody paves the road I traverse. I write about things that inspire me, or at best move into my line of site and stay there for reasons that beg to be explored by the written word. Nobody hands me my “assignment” for the month or offers goodies to write about their restaurants. I am not anonymous—Toby is my real name. I don’t hide and I’m not sure in advance what I’m going to write about. In addition, I make honest mistakes. I forget to mention names. I make inadvertent references to one place while writing about another. I write without a net. I will not write a negative review. While I am not impervious to negative dining experiences I figure that I only get to talk to you all once a month and that time is better spent exploring the amazing places our area has to offer.
Most importantly, I was recently drawn back into the business, if only temporarily, and can be found behind the bar at Incontro, a beautiful Italian Restaurant that inhabits the old La Ultima restaurant on the main strip in Danville. While my time there mostly serves the purpose of helping my friend and GM, Jenny Finke, get her gorgeous bar established in the neighborhood, I am secretly having the time of my life. The staff is professional and worldly, the food is ridiculously amazing, and I fell in love with the bar upon first sight. Eight seats, specific selection of spirits and Italian Wines, flat screen TV, top lit wood and mirrors, and a huge picture window looking past the elevated Victorian porch and stone patio onto the main strip of Danville. The whole scene really needs to be painted by Norman Rockwell.
Incontro moved owners and property roughly a year ago literally down the street by a few miles from San Ramon. The atmosphere of the newly renovated property is old-worldly. Soft light and compartmented dining rooms allows for diners to truly feel like you are a guest in an Italian home and being served the type of meal that will allow you to feel you had your passport stamped. The wine list showcases modest, yet thorough, selections of Italian wines but true to their understanding of our community, tasting notes have been added to each selection.
I may or may not be behind the bar when you arrive, but do not let that stop you from coming in and sitting down. In a word — come for the Toby, stay for the pasta. Once again, you will thank me!
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