Apologies for my recent absence. My parents have been in town for the past four days meaning that I've been eating and drinking my way silly throughout the South Bay. After all, I got my love of great food and drink from them, the quintessential scholars of the art of eating well.
Thursday night my parents landed just in time for Shrek and me to wine and dine them at the coziest joint in town serving up the best food and hospitality - our place.
Spaghetti Carbonara, chicken, and roasted carrots a la Shrek.
La Crema 2007 Chardonnay
I defrosted some of my leftover homemade Christmas treats for the occasion.
Also had our homemade blackberry-infused vodka.
Later that night I dropped my parents off at their hotel, Hotel Los Gatos.
Aside from being beautiful and luxurious, the hotel's location is within ideal walking distance to all the little shops and restaurants in downtown and Old Town Los Gatos. Check out the website if you're considering a little getaway. I hear their spa is fantastic, too, if you're looking for a little rest, rejuvenation, and self-indulgence.
Shrek and I had to work all day Friday, but met up with my parents for Happy Hour drinks and appetizers at Dio Deka. Dio Deka is the exquisite and delectable (but very pricey!) Greek restaurant located in my parents' hotel. Our appetizers and drinks alone were exceptional but set us back $120+. (And by "us" I mean Dad. "Thanks, again, Dad!")
The Spanakopita in the foreground is awesome. We had to order a second plateful.
Lamb-filled grape leaves in the background are topped with an egg white wash and yogurt on the side.
I personally did not care for them but Mom loved it.
The "Black Hole."
Our cocktail host had me at "vodka, black cherry, and pomegranate." It packs quite a punch!
As visible in the photos below, we are all in good spirits after our Happy Hour.
Dress by Club Monaco, Editor Vest by Gap, Sweater by Club Monaco,
Scarf by Burberry, Boots by Frye
From Dio Deka we progressed down Main Street about a half mile to Valeriano's in Old Towne Los Gatos. I would say it is one of the more chill places to dine around LG when pit against the likes of Dio Deka, Manresa, and Forbes Mill Steakhouse. Valeriano's has got more of a "down home" cozy vibe that's comforting. Tables are filled with families young and old and couples enjoying date night; my tummy was filled with calamari, carpaccio, lamb, veal, and eggplant parmesan. And wine. And FREE dessert.
Crispy, delicious Calamari appetizer. The serving was quite generous!
Full rack of lamb, roast potatoes, and broccoli
Veal, garlic mashed potatoes (sensational!), and broccoli
Eggplant Parmesan
Vanilla and Mango Gelati, Cheesecake, and Tiramisu - FREE.
I think dessert isn't normally free and we actually turned it down all claiming to be too full. A little later, though, our server placed a spoon in front of each of us saying, "I'd like to buy you dessert tonight, if that's alright. Just something to cleanse the palate." Cool. I thought maybe we'd all be sharing a small serving of gelato. ...Not quite. An entire plate appeared with a dessert for each of us. Somehow we found the extra room. ;)
Saturday we stopped by Los Gatos Meats to pickup sandwiches before heading out of Los Gatos and into the Santa Cruz Mountains to taste wine.
Check out their website for more info, like their selection of deli sandwiches, wild game processing, butcher shop, seasonings, and catering.
First stop: Burrell School Vineyard. I thought my parents would get a kick out of it being the retired school teachers that they are.
Enjoying our sandwiches and wine al fresco.
Taking in the view from our lunch spot
Second stop: David Bruce Winery. This quickly became a favorite of mine. Their wine is fantastic!
Sweater by Club Monaco, tee and vest by United Colors of Benetton,
Jeans by Rock n' Republic, Scarf by Burberry, flats by Tahari, bag by Badgley Mischka
Third and final wine stop: Byington Winery. Love the beautiful setting and cozy fireplace, though am not a fan of their wine. Not a problem, though, since it was our third and final stop and we were all a little snockered by this time... which made exploring the second level all the more fun!
Shrek and me: dancing fools
To give my parents a true California experience, we visited Valley Fair Mall where Mom checked out the dress selection and my dad the Sony and Apple stores. ...Oh yeah, and the NFL playoffs.
My mom parked herself in the Sony store to catch the NFL Playoffs.
Convinced Mom to try the original Vodka fruit infusion
Didn't take much convincing to try the Lil Beef Wellingtons. YUM.
Though in my book, anything wrapped in pastry dough is YUM.
To celebrate the Saints' victory (my parents used to live in New Orleans!), we grabbed drinks and appetizers at the Village California Bistro and Wine Bar.
Though in my book, anything wrapped in pastry dough is YUM.
Dinner was across the street at the White Shallot, a family-run restaurant specializing in Vietnamese and French cuisine. Seriously. Check out their menu: half is French and half is Vietnamese split right down the middle. Hence, the Pho and Steak et Frites at our table.
Pho
Steak et Frites
By the way, the Pho is phenomenal with really good cuts of beef in delicious broth. The french fries are hands down the best I've ever had, and that's saying a lot cuz I've had, well, a lot! You can tell they are made of real potatoes and are perfectly prepared and served with sides of garlic aioli and ketchup for dipping. It was our first visit there and I will definitely be back for their excellent food, prices, and service. By the way, if you go on a Friday or Saturday night, definitely make a reservation. They're packed once 6:30 rolls around. Speaking of rolling, I had to be rolled into bed I was so full from this weekend. But it wasn't over, yet...
Our final food stop was on Sunday at Bill's Cafe to grab breakfast before dropping my parents at the airport.
Bill's Famous Mimosa
"How do I drink this?!" Was my mom's initial reaction.
Dad's scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, and country potatoes
Shrek's Fiesta Scramble and hashbrowns
Mom's Healthy Omlette. It was quite tasty!
I should know - I ate half of it...
...along with my own California Omelette:
...and pancake:
Yum!
They are very popular and only open for breakfast, so plan accordingly and factor in some time to find parking and wait for a table. Even with three locations within 10 minutes of each other, we waited at least 20 minutes, which is normal. The wait's worth it!
...It was also worth the wait to have my parents visit for the first time in over a year. Already looking forward to a little Washington Hospitality in the Fall!
...It was also worth the wait to have my parents visit for the first time in over a year. Already looking forward to a little Washington Hospitality in the Fall!
