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Yet another longtime Silicon Valley tradition is coming to a close. Ole Peter Rasmussen is selling Cupertino's Blue Pheasant Restaurant & Bar. He and his wife, Lisa, plan to retire. Their daughter, Lona Means, has managed the place for more than 10 years and is leaving, too. She says, "I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'm going to really miss it. It's going to be hard."
The good news is that the buyer, Hungry Jack's Restaurant Corporation, plans to keep things pretty much the same. Means says, "As far as I know the bar will be updated and so will the menu. But it'll be similar, featuring seafood and steaks."
According to Means, the new owner is very aware of the dedicated clientele. "He's not ditching them," she says. "He wants to keep the same flavor."
Those tastes available at the Blue Pheasant include Dungeness crab cakes as an appetizer. Priced at $8.95, they're topped with a red pepper aioli sauce. For lunch, there's the Bunker Burger, and among the items on the dinner menu is the increasingly hard-to-find Beef Wellington--a filet mignon baked in flaky pastry with mushrooms ducelle and hollandaise sauce.
The Blue Pheasant, which is located adjacent to the Blackberry Farm Golf Course, has become a hangout for local folks looking for a place to call their own. It's also an attractive "Tenth Hole" for golfers ready to relax after playing the long, narrow nine hole course. It's closed on Mondays, but lunch and dinner are served Tuesday through Friday. Means thinks the new owner may change the schedule so that lunch and dinner are also available on Saturday and Sunday.
Means started working at the Blue Pheasant as a waitress some 10 years ago. She says in recent years her father has been the banquet captain (there are private rooms available for weddings and other events.) Her mother works as the hostess on Friday and Saturday nights.
Evenings are always lively at the Blue Pheasant because it's a popular dance spot. Tuesday through Sunday nights DJs spin everything from ballroom to salsa to rock and roll. Means describes the crowd as "nice, regular people who are in the 35-to-55 age group."
Although there's no word yet on when the new buyer will actually take over the Blue Pheasant, Means says, "I'll be there for awhile to help with the transition."
And look for her parents, too. They live nearby and love to play golf. She says, "Things have changed over the years. There's a lot more competition from bars and corporations."
Means says there aren't very many single, individually owned places left. "But if you need a glimpse of the old 'Valley of the Heart's Delight,' " she says, "it appears the Blue Pheasant is here to stay."
The Blue Pheasant is located at 22100 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino. For reservations call 408.255.3300. The restaurant's website is www.bluepheasant.com.
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Photograph by Sean Penello