Mezzo Ristorante: Sips & Sounds on the Patio
Photo courtesy of Mezzo Ristorante
Most San Joaquin County chefs are quite aware of how lucky they are to have unique access to some of the finest produce in the country. That access helps them build menus and create specialties that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. Daniel Cortez, executive chef of Stockton’s Mezzo Ristorante, has a great appreciation for the top-quality foods grown locally. That year-round access, he says, is key to turning out innovative quality dishes.
“I started cooking at age 17 and as soon as I graduated high school, went straight to culinary school,” he said. In his case, culinary school was none other than the Sacramento campus of the renowned Le Cordon Bleu. Daniel then went to Hawaii, where he continued to learn about the culinary arts before spending years cooking at a variety of highly regarded Bay Area restaurants. “I worked in Napa, Sonoma, San Francisco and I enjoyed it a lot!” he enthused. “I worked in a lot of French kitchens where I learned so many techniques that I could apply to all different cuisines as my career continued.”
Now at Mezzo Ristorante, Daniel finds a great deal of creative opportunity to apply his skills and imagination. “I am inspired by all kinds of classic dishes such as spaghetti and meatballs, for example, and I will put my own twist on the classics in order to have different ways to present them.” The restaurant makes pasta dough daily using Caputo and semolina flour and extrudes it into a variety of shapes. He says the unique pasta shapes often lead him to select specific sauces for each. Casarecce, for example, is the perfect pasta to highlight seasonal sweet corn. He elaborated, “Whatever we do at Mezzo is led by good technique and the best ingredients available.”
In addition to their stunning foods, a brand-new summer highlight at Mezzo Ristorante is their Wednesday night live music event called Sips and Sounds on the Patio. “It’s really very special out there,” Daniel said, “under the shade, with the breeze, the music, enjoying the company of others and all the rotating special bites we offer in addition to a new handcrafted special cocktail every week. And for something this nice, I really do strongly recommend making a reservation so you don’t miss out.”
A few examples of the weekly small plates offered during the patio music events include New York steak skewers in a balsamic sauce with arugula salad. Mezzo’s outstanding carpaccio will also be featured along with their specialty Caprese salad, both items for which they are well known. Other skewered dishes will include seafood or chicken with a variety of flavorful sauces. “We like to change it up from week to week,” Daniel explained.
Daniel reports that one of Mezzo’s top-selling dishes is the burrata served with honey, pine nuts and prosciutto. “It’s just this incredible combination of flavors and textures, salty, sweet, creamy, crunchy. It’s outstanding.” Daniel shares Mezzo’s passion for bringing people together over beautifully prepared dishes, experiencing an inviting ambiance infused with warm hospitality.
A perfect meal deserves the perfect finale and Mezzo’s desserts are truly not to be missed. The summer Peach and Cream Crostata features vibrant fruits from Lodi’s Golden Bear Ranches. The chocolate cake is also very popular, as is the tiramisu, which Daniel says is his personal favorite. “It’s just so delicious!” he exclaimed.
Visit Mezzo Ristorante, 3499 Brookside Rd. Suite A, in Stockton. Call 209-473-7300 or check mezzostockton.com to learn more.
Sips and Sounds on the Patio will take place from 6:00-8:30pm on the following Wednesdays:
August 13th
August 27th
September 11th
