Gourmet meals complement music at Mountain Winery
By Suzanne Cristallo
They were having supper on the deck of the little house that once belonged to vintner Paul Masson, comfortably anticipating the concert they came to hear. The evening was spectacular. One star in particular shone brighter than the rest, setting off the silhouette of treetops, framing the "Valley of the Heart's Delight" below.
"I wished on that star," recalls Mark Karakas, 47, of the September evening 14 years ago, "to make the little house my restaurant."
Two and a half years later, Ray Collishaw approached Karakas at a restaurant where he worked in Saratoga. Tauntingly, he said, "I'm going to open a restaurant at the Mountain Winery and put you guys out of business." Karakas replied: "If I'm going to be out business here, I'm going to need a place to work."
Evidently, that was what Collishaw had in mind. Within two and a half weeks of appraising the kitchen in the little house, Karakas and chef Kevin Gilday were partners and opened for business. Their Chateau La Cresta Restaurant, more commonly known now as the Mountain Winery Restaurant, celebrated its 10th anniversary in May.
The phenomenally speedy opening came because the house Masson built had a basically well-equipped kitchen where celebrities, such as Harry Belafonte, would whip up midnight omelettes when they were guests of the wine grower.
Today, chef Gilday, 40, is pleasing concert-goers and private party guests who enjoy his dinners as part of their evening. His food reflects an expertise gained from training he received at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, where he was born, and the years he spent cooking for such places as Saratoga's Plumed Horse.
The Summer Concert series at the Mountain Winery, located on 20 acres of vineyard and historic buildings high above Saratoga, has booked groups like the Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis, Rick Springfield and America. Ticket holders can add a buffet dinner for $24, or a prix fixe supper on the Chateau terrace for $64. It includes champagne and hors d'oeuvres; a complete dinner; wine, coffee or tea; dessert and tip.
Gilday prepares everything from scratch--a French base "with a California flair." He incorporates food trends in the area that indicate guests prefer meat dishes in small portions and simpler fare with micro-herbs adding more flavor. His desserts offer some table-side drama, especially the flambés.
"We have had fresh peaches marinated in liqueur and rum and flamed at the table," notes Karakas, "and the guests have gone crazy for it." Not many restaurants can offer flambés because of difficulty keeping wait staff trained in the art, he adds.
He also notes a diminishing interest in chicken or Cornish game hens. "But pastas are still craved, and anything a la mode, like fruit with a little rum, or vanilla bean soufflé with chocolate espresso sauce," he adds.
In addition to the concert dinners, the restaurant caters private parties, corporate events and some 100 weddings a year, Karakas says. The winery and its facilities were purchased a year ago by Los Gatans Jack and Anna Smith, Bill Hirschman and Liz Dodson.
Chateau La Cresta Restaurant, Pierce Road off Highway 9, Saratoga. For restaurant information, call 408.741.0763. For Mountain Winery concert information, call the Montalvo box office at 408.961.5858.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
