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Sicilian and “Neapolitan-ish” style pizzas and Pakistani American fusion desserts are the newest offerings at State Street Market – and sushi is coming soon.
It’s been three years since State Street Market opened its doors, and the Los Altos food hall has undergone quite a bit of change. Cetrella replaced el Alto as the market’s anchor restaurant after about a year of vacancy, nearly all food stalls (except Murdoch’s and Little Blue Door) were overhauled after a temporary closure early last year and Ikuka closed in August, leaving an additional vacancy in the food hall.
Most recently, State Street Market replaced Bibo’s NY Pizza with Miko’s Calitalia, a debut concept created by Konjoe Burger owner Joey Camacho. The new food stall specializes in Sicilian and “Neapolitan-ish” pizza, described as a hybrid between Neapolitan and New York style pizza by Camacho.
Bibo’s, which recently became the official pizza partner of the San Jose Sharks and is opening a brick and mortar in downtown San Jose next year, had been slinging New York style pies at State Street Market for a year before the market chose not to renew its lease. The news came as a shock to owner Fouad Elian, who had hoped to continue operating within the market.
“I’m still surprised by it all,” he said. “We loved being a part of that community. It was a fun year. I was very proud of what we were able to put on plates.”
Camacho, who operated the neighboring stall to Fouad, soft opened Miko’s Calitalia earlier this month and plans for a grand opening sometime in November. While it currently only serves pizza, it plans to later introduce pasta dishes and “foldies,” sandwiches made with pizza dough.
“We were presented with an opportunity, but ultimately, when it came down to it, the Konjoe Burger has been pretty successful and definitely well received by the community,” Camacho said. “And I think just given our successes there, it made sense for us to try a new concept in the marketplace.”
Like the name Konjoe Burger, which is the Japanese word “konjo” fused with Camacho’s name, Miko’s Calitalia also holds special meaning: It’s named after his two daughters, Jamie (“Mimi”) and Korinne (“Koko”).
“They love pizza. They love pasta,” Camacho said. “And when I was thinking about a name, I wanted to do something that reminded me of family, because I definitely wanted to be something more family oriented. And what better way than to name it after my kids?”
The term “Calitalia” is to represent that the food at Miko’s is Italian food with a California twist.
“The thing that I like most about pizza (and pasta) is that it is a vessel that allows for us to be extremely creative,” Camacho wrote in an email. “Our menu right off the (bat) will have a solid foundation built off of some more ‘traditional’ items but you can expect to see influences from the melting pot of cultures that make California such a unique place.”
In addition to Miko’s Calitalia, another recent addition to State Street Market are bi-weekly pop-ups by Pakistani fusion bakery Lá Jawab Treats that began Oct. 20. Created by brother-sister duo Naiel and Punhal Chaudry, Lá Jawab launched into the spotlight after Naiel Chaudry won season 11 of Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship.”
“We’re going to do every other Sunday, and that is basically because we have school,” said Naiel Chaudry, a sophomore at Mountain View High School. “But otherwise we’d love to do every Sunday or even every day.”
In addition to bestsellers like the saffron cardamom tres leche cake jar and mango panna cotta, Lá Jawab Treats will offer loaded brownies, including its knafeh brownie inspired by a Middle Eastern pastry with pistachio cream and shredded phyllo dough and the viral Dubai chocolate bar.
“We’re going to have a couple tables with some Pakistani or American games that people can play while they have our desserts,” Naiel Chaudry said.
The next Lá Jawab Treats pop-up will be Oct. 27 (an exception from the usual schedule) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at State Street Market.
Looking to the future, State Street Market is expecting a sushi bar to open “before the end of the year in the corner spot where Little Sky Bakery is currently operating,” wrote Robert Hindman, managing director of Los Altos Community Investments, in an email. “Little Sky will stay inside the food hall in an expansion space.”
More information on State Street Market’s future sushi bar was not available by press time.
Miko’s Calitalia, 170 State St., Los Altos; 650-383-6494, Instagram: @mikos.calitalia. Open Sunday to Tuesday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lá Jawab Treats, Instagram: @lajawabtreats. Pop-up at State Street Market is every other Sunday beginning Oct. 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as Oct. 27.
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