Business: Atherton couple brings Palermo to Menlo Business: Atherton couple brings Palermo to Menlo (August 24, 2005)

By Renee Batti

Almanac News Editor

The summertime sounds of hammers, drills and circular saws in Menlo Center will soon give way to the welcoming aromas of grilled seafood, fresh herbs and simmering tomatoes with the autumn opening of Palermo Italian restaurant, just around the corner from Cafe Borrone.

Renato and Diane Cusimano of Atherton hope to open the eatery the third week of September in the space previously occupied by Bonsai Japanese restaurant. Mr. Cusimano said.

Although the menu will include food from all over Italy, it will highlight seafood -- a staple of the cuisine of Sicily, Mr. Cusimano's native land.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week, serving lunch and dinner beginning at 10:30 a.m. There will be seating for about 100, Mr. Cusimano said, with 11 tables on the patio.

As executive chef, Mr. Cusimano has already created the menu, which should be enticing to lovers of "small plate" dining. The antipasti/side dish menu includes cured sole and white anchovies, carpaccio of fish, seafood salad, fried calamari, and heirloom tomatoes with marinated anchovies.

Small plates focusing on the harvest of the land rather than the sea include shaved raw artichokes with parmesan and lemons, caprese (fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil), fava beans with pecorino, fried peppers with garlic and olive oil, and a range of salads.

The lunch menu emphasizes panini -- small sandwiches with fixings as simple as mozzarella, tomatoes and basil or as complex in flavor as grilled chicken, roasted peppers and arugula.

In addition to the "small plates" that are served all day, the dinner menu includes a range of pastas and salads, as well as seafood, veal and chicken dishes. These entrees, or secondi, are full-portion plates.

Mr. Cusimano said he and his wife grabbed the opportunity to open a restaurant close to home when the Menlo Center space opened up earlier this year. They had owned and operated Palermo in San Jose for 18 years before closing it in February, and had a restaurant by the same name in Palo Alto until about 10 years ago, he said.

Another reason they're glad to set up shop closer to home: Their daughter, Giacoma, begins her sophomore year at Sacred Heart School in Atherton, and having a long commute while trying to stay close to a child's school community tends to raise the chaos level for working parents.

The restaurant business, Mr. Cusimano said, is in his blood. A native of Palermo, Sicily's seaport capital, he moved with his family to the United States about 26 years ago. The family had two restaurants in New York City -- both on Mulberry Street, the heart of Little Italy.

Mr. Cusimano said a few of the dishes on his new menu will reflect the cuisine of Little Italy.

Palermo's wine list will be heavy on the Italian and California wines, he said, although he also will include some from Australia and Chile. There will be a small bar area in the cozy space, which Mr. Cusimano said will be casual in decor, with an open kitchen and an antipasti display area.

Diane Welch-Cusimano is the restaurant's bookkeeper, and will take on the roles of hostess when it opens its doors, he said.

Palermo is on the north side, facing Santa Cruz Avenue, of the Menlo Center at 1010 El Camino Real, in Menlo Park.

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