Two of celebrated chef David Kinch’s culinary ventures have signed leases to become the first tenants at The Junction, the retail, restaurant and gathering spot planned for the North 40 housing development in Los Gatos.
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Groundbreaking for the Mentone restaurant and Manresa Bread bakery is scheduled for this September, the Harmonie Park Development Co. announced Wednesday.
“To have operators of this caliber choose The Junction as their address is an honor,” CEO Don Capobres said in a statement, “and we look forward to welcoming other businesses to our thoughtful collection of experiences.”
This will be the second Mentone, after the original in Aptos. That restaurant, with a casual menu that draws influences from the Italian-French Riviera and coastal California, drew headlines when Kinch and team opened it during the 2020 pandemic. They offered takeout meals only at first, with Kinch himself — masked, gloved and safely distanced — making artisanal pizzas.
Mentone was Kinch’s fourth major venture. The first, of course, was his legendary three-Michelin-starred Manresa restaurant, which later morphed into Ritual at Manresa, a high-end dining experience featuring Michelin chefs.
In 2013 he launched the Manresa Bread bakery pop-ups with acclaimed baker Avery Ruzicka, now a two-time James Beard Award finalist. The first bakery-cafe opened in Los Gatos, and she has since expanded to Los Altos, Campbell, Santa Cruz and Palo Alto.
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Then, in early 2016, came the Bib Gourmand-honored The Bywater, his NOLA-inspired restaurant and bar, also in Los Gatos.
At The Junction, fans of Mentone and Manresa Bread can expect to find spaces and experiences tailored to this gathering spot, which sits in the middle of the North 40, near Los Gatos Boulevard and Walker Street. Together, the two businesses will occupy 7,170 square feet.
According to the early plans from Kinch and Harmonie, this upscale Mentone will feature a seafood bar, a bar serving martinis and negronis (along with a roaming bar cart) and an atelier where diners can watch the chefs making pasta.
Ruzicka said her Manresa Bread will be part retail bakery, part working bakery — with space for customers to linger over sandwiches, pastries and espresso. Look for a “bread-and-butter happy hour” too.
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Details: https://junctionlosgatos.com
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