ALL ABOUT FOOD: Finding the American dream with Italian cuisine

There is something bright, shiny and new on the corner of South Coast Highway and Laguna Avenue, and the person behind it is also bright with enthusiasm, shiny with personality and new to our town.

Ali Jalali, with his Persian background and Italian soul, has opened Medici Bistro/take away gourmet, with a Mediterranean menu featuring pastas, pizzas, salads and focaccia sandwiches. He has completely remodeled the former Jamba Juice location, adding an open kitchen and a brick oven. The heart of his concept is “fresh, fresh, fresh,” using only the finest ingredients.

Gelato, smoothies, great Italian coffee and house-made, flavored Italian sodas complete the picture. All this is prepared to order and can be packed to go or may be eaten on site at tall stools along the window counters. Call ahead, and your food will be waiting for you.

Ali’s story exemplifies the American dream, and he tells it with emotion, humor and a great deal of genuine charm. This very likable gentleman told us about his childhood in Iran. His father died when he was only 1. So, by the time he was 10, he and his older brother were working in his uncle’s restaurant in order to help support the family and pay for school. There, he gradually learned all aspects of the restaurant business.

At 21, to escape the chaos of the revolution, he borrowed a little money from his brother, said goodbye to friends and family and went to West Berlin on a student visa. Studying German and searching for employment, he found a job at an Italian restaurant and poured himself into the work with gusto, making pizza and learning everything he could. The boss took him aside one day and said, “Everyone loves to work with you, and I would like to offer you a job in my new full-service restaurant.”

Three years later, this happy time came to an end when clashes between Germany and Iran resulted in Germany’s refusal to renew Iranian student visas. Desperate to find a country that would admit him and never expecting that he had a real chance to get in, he applied to the United States and luckily got a student visa.

He somehow ended up in Downey, where rent was cheap, and he commuted by bus 2½ hours a day to language school in downtown Los Angeles. He studied English there and at home for 12 hours a day. Chatting with someone on the bus, he expressed his frustration with the long commute and asked if there were any places where he could be closer to a city and work, while still finding affordable rent. The man suggested San Francisco, and a few days later, he was on a bus to the city by the bay.

After four days in San Francisco, when he had only $10 left in his pocket, he found a restaurant job as a busboy. The catch was that he needed to show up for work in tan pants and a white shirt, neither of which he owned. A new friend saved the day by taking him to the Salvation Army where he purchased his outfit. He reported for work but was concerned about how he would manage bus fare to get home and back to work the next day with only 90 cents left to his name. In his emotional re-telling of this story, you could still sense what an anxious time this was for him. At the end of the day, a co-worker kindly gave him $5, allowing him to keep his job. He said this was a turning point in his life.

He stayed in the restaurant for four years, working his way up from busboy to very popular waiter. His customers nicknamed him Al Pacino because of his resemblance to the actor. “I had more hair then,” he said. For the next few years, he worked for several restaurants in management, finally becoming general manager of an Italian restaurant, supervising a staff of 40.

In 1989, he decided to pursue his dream of having a restaurant of his own and quit his job to look for a location. He found a place in the marina and spent a good deal of time convincing the landlord to give him a lease in a location where five previous restaurants had failed. In February of 1990, he opened Pasta Bene featuring house-made pasta. Six months later, the landlord offered him the opportunity to open a second restaurant when he saw how successful Ali’s first venture had become. With his boundless energy and work ethic, as well as his personable manner with customers, Pomodoro Gourmet Pizza was a success as well.

In 1993, he married and had two boys. When he realized that his work schedule was keeping him away from his family, he decided to sell the second location. His eyes moist with emotion, he said, “I didn’t want to miss my boys growing up. That time can never be recaptured.”

He and his family often came down to Southern California to visit a college friend and an uncle. His wife and kids loved it here, and when Ali heard the former Jamba Juice location was available, they bravely decided to make the move.

Stop by to chat with Ali, who loves talking to his customers and getting to know them. While you’re there pick up some excellent spicy hummus or one of the special salads with his delicious signature ginger balsamic dressing.

Pizzas include the traditional as well as more inventive offerings like the Spinaci with roasted red potato, spinach, ricotta, Gorgonzola and mushroom. His favorite focaccia sandwich is the Portabello mushroom, roasted red pepper, mozzarella and pesto. There is always a fresh fish of the day and a selection of pastas including the simple linguine with tomato basil, garlic and marinara or the more elegant with fettuccine with shrimp, capers, mushrooms and white wine garlic sauce.

Medici Bistro is located at 397 S. Coast Hwy.,(949) 497-2277.

ELLE HARROW and TERRY MARKOWITZ owned A La Carte for 20 years. They can be reached for comments or questions at themarkos755@yahoo.com.