Donostia Now Open in Los Gatos

Donostia, the new tapas bar in Los Gatos, has been in operation for about five months now and it's reporting a nice reception from the community.

Located at 424 No. Santa Cruz Ave. inside the Los Gatos Shopping Center, the business held a couple of soft openings in late February and then formally opened in March.

It's located just a few doors down from its cousin restaurant Enoteca La Storia, owned by Michael Guerra and Joe Cannistraci.

"It's going very well," said server Sean Wright. "Most of our advertising has been word of mouth."

With a capacity to sit 32 people, the restaurant employs about 10 staffers, including several servers and head chef Agustin Elbert from San Sebastian, Spain, who's been featured on Wine Spectator and has worked at Rekondo, Akelarre, Arzak and El Lagar restaurants in San Sebastian, Spain.

Upon walking in, you get the feeling that you're in a small beach-front eatery. On one of its walls hangs a gorgeous wave-patterned tile work of art created by Cannistraci. He also poured the concrete counter, which features shells and has a protective layer on top.

Behind the counter hangs another work of art made out of volcanic rock, which was purchased by Cannistraci and Guerra.

The most popular dish on the menu are the croquetas de jamon (ham) and bacalao (codfish) mixed with bechamel, a decadent white sauce, according to Wright.

The next most ordered dish are the carrilleras en salsa, or slow-cooked beef cheeks with romesco sauce and chickpea puree, said Wright.

Unfortunately because of the restaurant's small size, it doesn't take reservations, but generally there's no problem accommodating people, he added.

The menu also features cold and hot pintxos, or the Basque equivalent of tapas and cheeses and charcuteria or cold cuts.

The restaurant is open 5-9 p.m. Monday; and 5-10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; and 5-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed on Sunday. A bakery allowed on the premises is not restricted to these hours.