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Chianti's celebrates 1st anniversary on Main Street
Italian restaurant praised for tasty recipes

Chianti's, a popular Italian restaurant in downtown Pleasanton, will celebrate its first anniversary Tuesday with a special daylong menu that includes complimentary glasses of champagne.

The restaurant, located at 436 Main St. and officially named Chianti's Ristorante Italian, is packed with customers on most evenings and at lunchtime during much of the week.

Owned and operated by Al Mancini and Masood Kabriri, it offers genuine Italian recipes ranging from Carpaccio Salmone, which consists of finely sliced smoked salmon topped with mozzarella cheese, capers, red onions and fresh tomatoes. The menu includes baby Manila clams, sautéed prawns, sautéed chicken, veal and port ranging in price from $10 for lunch to $16-$20 for dinner.

"We dug in our heels and opened for business a year ago in a very tough economy, and our food and service had such wide appeal that we quickly ran out of space," said Mancini. "Not a bad problem to have."

The restaurant can seat 445 patrons inside and another 20 or so outside.

"I know there are a number of very good Italian restaurants in the Tri-Valley," Mancini said. "We just happen to think ours is one of the best, which is why our business continued to grow in a down economy and now is moving forward at an even faster pace as the economy picks up."

One San Francisco reviewer wrote online: "They're a new restaurant, but I think their menu is really promising. I can't wait to go back and try more."

Chianti's is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.