A LITTLE ITALY: RESTAURANT BRINGS WHAT ITS OWNERS CALL A `CALIFORNIA ITALIAN' TASTE TO THOUSAND OAKS.Byline: Krystn Shrieve Staff Writer Francine and Jamie Alba, both raised in Italian families where hearty home-cooked meals were the day's highlight, will bring that homemade taste to the area when their restaurant, Sisley Italian Kitchen, opens Sunday. The restaurant, which will open at the north entrance on the upper level of The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , is the couple's fourth location. The Albas, who are actors, met in 1978 when they were shooting ``Nunzio'' in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . Nine months later they met again in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , fell in love and were married. The Albas often often cooked dinners for large groups of Italian actors - including celebrities such as Al Pacino - at their Los Angeles home. In time, these dinners became known as ``Camp Alba'' and friends started urging them to open up a restaurant of their own. Their first restaurant on West Pico Boulevard Pico Boulevard is a major Los Angeles street that runs from Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica to Central Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles. It is named after Pío Pico, the last Mexican governor of California. in Los Angeles opened in 1989. ``The secret of our success is that we treat our guests like family,'' Francine Alba said. ``They can always count on the freshest, healthiest, home-cooked meals you can find - with the kind of selections and huge portions our grandmothers used to put on the table.'' The cuisine is described by the couple as ``California Italian.'' Their grandmothers' recipes, as well as others which the couple gathered during trips to Italy, can be found on the menu. ``We always update our menu, so we make it a point to sample everything from the largest restaurant to the tiniest trattoria trat·to·ri·a n. pl. trat·to·ri·as or trat·to·ri·e An informal restaurant or tavern serving simple Italian dishes. [Italian, from trattore, host, from trattare ,'' Jamie Alba said. ``An example is our tiramisu tir·a·mi·su n. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. . That recipe was shared with us by the owner of a small restaurant in Padova.'' What started as a single restaurant on the Westside of Los Angeles employing 75 people has grown to four locations and a staff of more than 350 people. The other restaurants are in Los Angeles, Valencia and Sherman Oaks. ``The response has been amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. ,'' Francine Alba said. ``We have a group of incredibly dedicated people who come one, two or three times a week. There's even a couple who eats here every day of the week.'' CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 3) Sisley Italian Kitchen's newest restaurant will open its doors in Thousand Oaks on Thursday for a grand opening celebration. It will open on a permanent basis beginning Sunday. The restaurant features family recipes. |
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