Knives Out in Scotts Valley

November 7, 2023 – Adding to the upscale ambience of the wonderful new Saison Wine Cellar in Scotts Valley—that serves up some lovely pates and mousse—several other plates are spinning in the mountains. 

To wit, Casa Nostra is now the only serious Italian food game in town. Raffaele Cristallo tells me that he’s totally committed to the sole Scotts Valley location of this former force in Ben Lomond.

He has sold the Ben Lomond restaurant to three of the chefs who have worked in the original Casa Nostra location, some of whom have been there since it opened in 2018. 

“They want to tweak the menu and make it their own,” he says. “Since they are not keeping the name, they are free to do whatever they want. They are definitely going to be doing some remodeling.” 

Cristallo admits that selling the place has given him some measure of peace. “Between the floods, the fires, the mudslides and the road work, I had enough! At least here in Scotts Valley, we are on a major road, and if that closes, let me tell you, we have far bigger problems!” Amen. 

He sounds more upbeat than he has in years. “We are doing great! We have such a big following here in Scotts Valley. Not too many people from the (San Lorenzo) Valley come out this way, so they will be happy to have the old place reopen.” 

One of the new owners of the former Casa Nostra in Ben Lomond, Juan Alvarez, said they are working with a lawyer on a new name. BTW, it will not be called “Coming Soon,” as the sign says, although they certainly hope it will be open by year’s end, or the beginning of 2024. 

“I have three names in mind, and hopefully, we have one by the beginning of next week,” said Alvarez. He says they plan a bit of remodeling, and are working with the county. He’s also fine tuning the menu. 

“Expect a lot of the same taste, and similar dishes you are used to,” he shared. “But we will be making changes, too, like adding new sandwiches. We’ll keep some of the panini, but will add new ones and probably some different bread. We’ll also be putting steaks on the menu.” Alvarez has been working at the restaurant for 7 years, while his cousin has been there for ten. 

Meantime, rumors have been swirling about the often closed Malones Grille in Scotts Valley, but after talking with owner Chuck Maier (Crow’s Nest, Paradise Beach Grill, Santa Cruz Diner, Palace Arts), he says they are currently open Fridays and Saturdays from 3:30pm to 10pm.

“It’s a challenging time to have a restaurant, with the cost of everything, including labor, food, insurance and PG&E, going up at record pace. We’ve seen the largest increases in food costs in the last three decades,” he told us. 

Don’t we know it. An attempt to upscale the menu, however, along with an increase in prices, wasn’t popular with the locals. Many long-time residents seem to resonate with the original concept of a bar and grill, with great drinks, burgers, fries and salads. 

Maier admits that there might have been too many changes on top of too many earlier changes that occurred after the original owners sold the place. Having been in the restaurant business his entire life—he started working at the Crow’s Nest when he was a teenager—Maier notes the outsize role social media has come to play in the success of a business. 

“If we got one negative review, it would tank our business for days. In the past, people would call the restaurant and try to speak to the manager or send an email to report a problem.” Maier says that he really appreciates when people take the time to call or write saying, ‘hey, it seemed really busy and we had this or that problem but we know these things happen and we just wanted you to know about it. But we’ll be back.’  

He strives to run businesses that make people feel good and happy, and wants Malone’s to be a place that serves the needs of the community. 

“We’re here for the long haul,” he says. “We’re all human and mistakes are gonna happen. We all just need to give each other a chance.” Amen to that. Social media can be a great way to get help with a problem like, where do I find someone to build a fully automated chicken coop or who can fix my sagging deck, but it’s not the place to publicly excoriate a restaurant because someone forgot the fries or delivered lukewarm soup. 

The world feels pretty overwhelming right now: tensions are as high as prices. Kindness and understanding seem in short supply, while in fact, they are needed now, more than ever. Let’s take a deep breath and remember that everyone has bad days, and our job in this life is to support and lift one another up, instead of piling on the misery.