by Mary Knippel

The San Mateo coast is now home to an authentic Italian patisserie with the opening of Caffè Mezza Luna in Harbor Village at 240 Capistrano Road, Princeton by the Sea. “We wanted to create something unique in the harbor,” said Roberto Pugliese, who grew up in the restaurant business and is one of the owners of the caffè. “My father opened up a patisserie in my home town in Italy and I always said I’d open up one here. We also wanted to bring the Italian culture to the Coastside.”

Italian culture has included coffee shops ever since the mid-1600s, when coffee was first imported to Italy through Venetian trading ships. And Italian coffee shops have inspired others around the globe; the espresso bars in Milan even influenced a world-famous coffee chain. Many of the coffee drinks on the menu at Caffè Mezza Luna have been taken    directly from the menus of traditional Italian coffee shops.
Caffè Mezza Luna is designed to invoke the feeling of old-school Italian coffee houses with all the colors of the Tuscan countryside, a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere, outdoor patio dining, a beautiful view of the ocean — and tasty food.

Open daily for breakfast and lunch, the caffè features light breakfasts (bagels, savory crepes, and Italian omelets), panini (grilled sandwiches on focaccia with a variety of filling options, from grilled chicken to imported prosciutto and mozzarella), pizza by the slice, soups, salads and, of course, specialty coffee and lots of dolce (sweet things — everything from gelato to cannoli).

Pastry chef Domenico Spadafora only recently came to Half Moon Bay at Pugliese’s request from Fuscaldo, Italy to lend his expertise in launching Caffè Mezza Luna. He makes the gelato daily using fresh ingredients. “There’s 75 percent less fat in gelato than regular ice cream because he doesn’t use cream, only milk,” Pugliese translated for Spadafora, who speaks very little English. “There are no preservatives; everything is fresh and natural.”

 “We’ve had customers coming down from San Francisco just for our cannoli,” Pugliese said. “They told me they hadn’t tasted anything like this without going to Little Italy in New York, or Italy itself.” The popular Mezza Luna Restaurant, which Pugliese and his partners also own, has offered the Coastside southern Italian fine dining for the past 15 years in the old and beautifully restored Princeton Inn around the corner from the caffè at 459 Prospect Way, Princeton by the Sea. For more information, visit Mezza Luna on the Web at www.mezzalunabythesea.com, or call 650-560-0137.

Caffè Mezza Luna Tartufo Chocolate Hazelnut Rum Balls

Yield: 36 individual chocolate balls

Formed into the shape of a dome, this sweet confection is a popular Italian food item. Tartufo is “truffle” in Italian.

9 ounces Nutella
10 ounces cocoa
1 ½ ounces powdered sugar
3 ½ ounces toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped
5 ounces rum

Thoroughly blend above ingredients.

Divide into individual balls by rolling about a teaspoonful of the mixture in the palm of the hand.

Roll balls in cocoa or melted chocolate and refrigerate until the shell hardens.