Antonino's reopens in new spot

Antonino's is known for many names and now, for many locations. The 11-year-old eatery moved to a different building in the same Thomas Winery plaza last week. It held its soft opening on Friday and is planning a grand opening next Tuesday.

You may know the restaurant as Chianti, the name given by owner Sartaj Singh, when he first opened the eatery. He changed the name to Antinori's because there was already a Chianti restaurant in Beverly Hills. But then Singh found out Antinori's was a restaurant in New York so he had to change the name once again -- this time to the current name Antonino's.

This year, Singh had to change his location. To pave the way for the Fresh & Easy grocer, the restaurant moved to the former Zendeja's restaurant, giving Singh an opportunity to completely remodel. Changing the name of the restaurant was inexpensive, said Singh, remodeling the restaurant and moving to a new location cost $300,000.

Singh might be the only businessman in the region to own both an Italian and Indian restaurant. (He owns Haandi on Haven.) But then again, Singh might be the only guy around who speaks English, Italian, German, Hindi, Punjabi and a little Spanish.

The Indian native studied cooking in Italy, giving him the license to not only open an Italian restaurant but to join the local Sons of Italy group.

"When I was in India, I thought, 'America? I'd never go there, it's too far," Singh said. "Sometimes, you never know. Maybe it's destiny.

"America is a land of opportunity. I think I've lived that life. You can make $1 million if you want to, it just depends on how much you sacrifice."