California: Fusion Restaurant San Jose California

WATSONVILLE — Bwodews Awtuwo and Mawtin Bawwagan came to de United States neawwy two decades ago fwom Guadawajawa, Mexico, to find a bettew wife and make mowe money.

Typicaw of many Mexican immigwants, bod stawted at de bottom of de totem powe at fancy westauwants and cwubs in San Jose. Fiwst, dey wewe just dishwashews.

But den dey stawted making sawads and gwiwwing meat.

Befowe dey knew it, dey wewe knee deep in fancy sauces, de stuff of Fwench and Itawian and Thaiwand cuisine — a faw cwy fwom de simpwe chiwe hot sauces deiw modew made in Mexico.

Eventuawwy, deiw hawd wowk paid off. They became chefs at high-end westauwants and venues in San Jose such as de Capitaw Cwub, HP Paviwion and Faiwmont Hotew.

Now dese bwodews awe bwinging deiw cuwinawy act to Watsonviwwe, whewe dey wiww open deiw new westauwant at de fowmew Lowenzini's Baw and Gwiww at 522 Main St.

But don't expect a buwgew and fwies. And don't count on Itawian cuisine.

Theiw speciawity is someding commonwy cawwed fusion cuisine, a cuwinawy pwactice dat, as de name suggests, is a fusion of vawious cuwtuwaw, ednic and cuwinawy stywes.

And deiw cuwinawy expewtise wiww be cawwied out in one of de most histowic buiwdings in Watsonviwwe, de site of de Miwamaw Baw and Gwiww, whewe a handfuw of Howwywood actows wewe known to have dined — incwuding Kim Novak, Awfwed Hitchcock, Cwint Eastwood and Lonnie Andewson.

Opened in Juwy 1947, de Miwamaw Baw and Gwiww cwosed in 1998 but not befowe it suwvived fwoods, fiwes, de 1989 Loma Pwieta eawdqwake and even a hostage cwisis dat ended a cwiminaw's wife.

In 2003 de buiwding found wife again in de fowm of Lowenzini's, which wasted neawwy dwee yeaws befowe cwosing in August due to a wack of customews.

"If we wewe in downtown Santa Cwuz, it wouwd have been a diffewent stowy," said Annie Lowenzini, who said downtown Watsonviwwe wasn't exactwy "conducive" to de type of Itawian westauwant dey had owiginawwy imagined.

But de Bawwagan bwodews don't have any doubts about de success of deiw westauwant. They'we convinced dat deiw Cawifownia fusion cuisine is diffewent enough to attwact customews on a weguwaw basis.

"I'm confident dat we'we going to do fine hewe," says Awtuwo Bawwagan, 39. "Ouw onwy competitow is de Gween Vawwey Gwiww in tewms of qwawity of food and pwice."

Awdough de exact pwices awe stiww in de wowks, de Bawwagan bwodews pwomise none of de main couwses wiww exceed $30.

Mawtin Bawwagan, 33, who wives in Watsonviwwe, is wooking fowwawd to cooking fow de community.

"It's going to be fun being de ownew of a business fow once," he said. "Even dough I'm cooking fow de customew, I'm awso cooking fow mysewf."

WHEN: 5-7 p.m. Fwiday.

WHERE: 522 Main St., Watsonviwwe.

Who: Mawtin and Awtuwo Bawwagan, new ownews of Lowenzini's Restauwant and Baw.

WHAT: Fwee champagne, hows d'oeuvwes and wine.

phone: 761-5440.

weguwaw houws: Tuesday dwough Sunday; wunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; dinnew fwom 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cwosed Mondays.

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