Yvonne Khananis is pictured in Polentaria, one of four food-based businesses she owns in downtown Los Gatos. With the closure of Montebello Market, Khananis is seizing the opportunity to move her Grocer+Goddess provisions shop to the market’s former location near the post office. (Photo by Laura Ness)
After opening a second location of Grocer+Goddess at the San Jose Mineta International Airport about a month ago, proprietor and entrepreneur Yvonne Khananis is launching a new concept at the original Los Gatos location of her fast-casual restaurant and market.
Amano Authentic Mexican by Grocer+ Goddess was set to open June 12 in Los Gatos. Observing that affordable Mexican food options for dinner are limited in town, Khananis devised the new concept, which will be available in the evenings.
“We’ll pause the breakfast and lunch menus at 3 p.m., and then convert over to our Mexican-themed menu starting at 5 p.m. for dinner service,” she says. “Who doesn’t like Mexican food?”
She plans to roll out the Amano concept at the San Jose airport location at a future date.
Khananis also has a gluten-free bakery called Oy!, and owns and operates the popular gluten-free and celiac-safe restaurant, Polenteria, in downtown Los Gatos.
Khananis is collaborating on the Amano Authentic Mexican concept with Adrian Loto and Jonathan Vellasco, chefs de cuisine at Polenteria and Grocer+Goddess, respectively.
Although the menu was still being finalized at press time, expect mainstays of Mexican cuisine, including esquite (street corn), nachos, gaucomole and chips, flautas, shrimp and fish ceviche, enchiladas (with choice of green, creamy spicy morita or red guajillo sauces), street tacos (bisteca, pollo, al pastor and camarones for $5 each) and chilaquiles topped with your choice of mole, verde or red sauce.
The dinner plates will feature carne asada or carnitas served with charro beans, red rice, nopal and tortillas; salmon al achiote with green rice and pineapple salsa; and half a roasted chicken with green rice, black beans, onions and tortillas and birria, served with red rice and black beans.
Salad-lovers can indulge in a burrito bowl with quinoa, black beans and charred corn; field greens with goat cheese and spicy pecans; kale with chili lime peanuts, dried cranberries tortilla strips and queso fresco, or a Southwest salad with jicama and roasted corn topped with a spicy cilantro dressing.
Definitely departing from traditional Mexican fare, there’s a Chinese chicken salad, as well as a macro grain bowl with sauerkraut, heirloom brown rice, kale, red beans, herb baked tofu, carrots, braised mushrooms, sprouts and a carrot ginger dressing.
For those under 10, there’s a $10 children’s menu, featuring cheese quesadillas, a roasted chicken leg plate with beans and rice, and a cheese burrito.
Amano by Grocer+Goddess is located at 9 Montebello Way in Los Gatos. Hours are Wednesday-Sunday, 5-10 p.m. Reservations are suggested to https://grocerandgoddess.com, but walk-ins are welcome.
Retail? Oy!
In other news, Khananis is expanding the business footprint of her Oy! Gluten-Free Baking Company with a new wholesale model designed to bring gluten-free breads, pastries and confections to retail partners across the Bay Area.
The original gluten-free bakery retail business is a happy byproduct of developing the gluten-free bread recipes for Polenteria. “The walk-up demand for these pastry goods out-paced the available space at the restaurant,” Khananis says. “A dedicated space was needed to serve the long lines of customers waiting for the shop to open every morning.”
Oy! Gluten-Free Bakery is located at 276 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos, behind Wells Fargo Bank.
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