Photograph by Larry Brazil
Best Fine Dining: Cafe Marcella
Dining & Entertainment 1996
Whether it's people congregating around a coffee pot thoughtfully placed outside the door of the Los Gatos Cafe on Sunday mornings, a Saturday night crowd gathered at the bar in Valeriano's waiting for a table, joggers coming up from the Los Gatos Creek Trail for a smoothie at Nectar's or a latte at the Los Gatos Roasting Co., it's obvious that Los Gatans love to eat out.
It's part of the local social scene, and while there's talk that the town may have too many restaurants, try telling that to a Los Gatan when he's chomping down on one of Andales's burritos or licking a drip of Dolce Spazio's gelato oozing down the side of a cone.
It's not just the cuisine of local dining spots and watering holes Los Gatans praise, it's the personalities owners bring to them: the lively bistro atmosphere at Cafe Marcella, the charm of French street scenes on the walls at Pigalle, the Irish pub ambiance that attracts a happy mix of professionals and construction workers to C.B. Hannegan's.
Local restaurants and entertainment spots attract out-of-town visitors as well, but clearly Los Gatans are the core customers of local eateries. Ask most Los Gatans to name their favorite restaurants, and they won't even pause. What's more, they can list favorite menu items and name the waiters and waitresses. Many of the town's dining spots offer world-class cuisine--from prime rib to hot dogs--but it's their generous portions of small-town friendliness that keep patrons coming back for more.
Best Milkshake, Best Juice Bar
Nectar's co-owner Shannon Weich got hooked on health when she attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, where there was a strong smoothie influence. Her partner and co-owner of Nectar's, Stephanie Fazeli, regularly blended vegetable juices in her Los Gatos kitchen.
For the two young entrepreneurs, a healthy juice bar in downtown Los Gatos was a logical business and career choice.
Since its earliest days, Nectar's has been a hub for athletes coming up from the Los Gatos Creek Trail onto Main Street.
Nectar's offers the popular juiced wheat grass, touted as nature's richest source of vitamins. The Nectar's drink most like a milkshake is Peanut Butter Passion. A San Luis Obispo-style smoothie, it is blended with fresh peanuts and banana.
Nectar's, 81 W. Main St., 395-2333
Best Pizza
Willow Street has earned a reputation among Los Gatans for the best pizza in town. The four most popular, according to manager Miranda Weaver, are: chicken and brie, goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, Thai chicken, and chicken fajita. The recipes remain top secret but are clearly different from standard fare. The pizzas are wood-fired in a large brick oven that burns wood.
The restaurant serves pizza, pastas and salad to some 900 customers daily. Pizza recipes change every six months.
Many diners particularly enjoy their pizza with Willow Street wheat beer on tap, and pizzas can be enjoyed indoors or outdoors.
Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza, 20 S. Santa Cruz Ave., 354-5566
Best Omelet
If the crowd happily congregated around the sidewalk waiting its turn inside is any indication, the Los Gatos Cafe is certainly one of the most popular places to be on a weekend morning. Readers told us the Los Gatos Cafe serves the best omelet in town.
The menu includes a unique soufflé omelet, whipped and cooked on top of the stove. A crowd-pleaser is the prima vera, made with spinach, broccoli, tomato, mushrooms and Swiss cheese.
Owners Robert Marcote and Dean Reno, who opened the popular breakfast spot nine years ago, also offer a south-of-the-border cheese omelet over refried beans with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.
Los Gatos Cafe, 340 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 354-4647
Best French Fries
Behind the upscale McDonald's façade on Los Gatos Boulevard, hungry children and adults are consuming more than 400 pounds of potatoes daily--some 1,200 pounds of potatoes weekly. Reportedly, more than a quarter of the U.S. potato crop is shipped to McDonald's hamburger shops around the nation.
Store manager Scott Mills, an eight-year veteran of the local McDonald's, says that Ray Kroc's founding storage methods are the key to the success of the chain's fries.
The fries, cooked in vegetable oil, have been consumer-tested, which has resulted in longer cooking time and an increase in the amount of salt from the original recipe.
McDonald's 15475 Los Gatos Blvd., 356-3095
Best Fine Dining Restaurant, Best Cafe or Bistro, Best Restaurant Wine List, Best Desserts in a Restaurant
This lively bistro-style restaurant, tucked away on Village Lane, rates with readers in many ways--from the first sip of French wine to the last bite of dessert.
Cafe Marcella's simple, understated elegance was evident from the day it opened five years ago under owners Marcella Calloway, Vince Torre, and Alain and Martine Staebler. Easy sunlit elegance flanks a windowed wall highlighting the casual bistro atmosphere by day; in the evening, soft, warm lighting outlines the highly colored artistry of Israeli painter Isaac Maimon.
The cafe's extraordinary wine list introduces diners to wines from the south of France. The decorously prepared dishes, including pastas and rack of lamb, are a prelude to the most delicious desserts in a Los Gatos restaurant. A customer favorite is rhubarb shortcake. Weekend dinners are served until 10:30 p.m.
Cafe Marcella, 368 Village Lane, 354-8006
Best Meeting Facility
Planning a meeting? Readers say the Opera House is the best place to stage one. The stately Victorian was built in 1904 and actually served as an opera house until 1916. Restored following damage in the Loma Prieta earthquake, the facility offers 8,500 square feet for business meetings, corporate events, weddings, high school reunions and other special events.
The Opera House can accommodate weekday meetings for up to 114 participants. According to owner Paul Dorsa, many corporate events revolve around theme dinners. Larger events are available on weekends, when valet parking is offered.
This favorite meeting spot boasts antiques, exotic maple, plush carpets and a mahogany bar that help set the Opera House apart from many Silicon Valley meeting locations.
Opera House, 140 W. Main St., 354-1469
Best Video Store
When owner Bob Scarbrough opened Video Era four years ago, he was capitalizing on the video-rental craze, but with a marketing twist. The inventory of more than 10,000 videos is merchandised like a small magic-video kingdom, complete with theme decor to match the category of film.
Scarbrough also points to excellent customer service as a reason his store has taken the best video store prize for the fourth year running. Employee Stacy Young, for example, claims a personal acquaintance with at least half of the customers.
Customer perks include reservations, special gift orders, books on audio and armchair dream-time travel flicks, including Spain and Monterey Bay, for that well-earned video vacation.
Video Era, 218 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 395-1533
Best Sandwich
It's not uncommon for store supervisor Jennie Cunningham to prepare 10 to 15 Le Boulanger sandwiches in a single order. Whole offices often select orders of the hot breast of chicken on sliced sourdough, for instance.
And for those with more exotic tastes, sandwiches can be made with wine-wheat-walnut bread or the popular new ciabatta, an Italian delectable with the consistency of pizza dough.
Word is that Le Boulanger plans to launch a new sandwich soon. Its surprise ingredient? Roasted eggplant.
Le Boulanger, 145 W. Main St., 395-1344
Best Coffee, Best Coffeehouse
When it comes to beans, the Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co. is full of them. Owner Teri Hope buys unique coffees from "boutique" farms around the world, brewing them daily. The majority of patrons prefer to sip eye-opening espresso and the Los Gatos blend created by the Coffee Roasting Co., which roasts and blends it on the premises.
Browsers may peruse jars of Sumatran, Kenya Colombian, Mocha Java and Costa Rican coffee beans, along with cups, mugs and teas, or sample the dessert and savory wares of the Crêperie, a separate restaurant within the shop. In the espresso bar, patrons linger over of steaming or iced java at tables or the bar itself.
A range of music, from classical to jazz, is offered Saturday nights.
Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co., 101 W. Main St., 354-3263
Photograph by Larry Brazil
Best Croissant: La Maison du Croissant
Best Croissant
Thuy Duong learned to make pastries at a French cooking school 40 years ago. She owned a bakery in Vietnam before moving to the United States in 1975, later opening La Maison du Croissant in 1982. Her son, John Nguyen, manages the bakery, which also serves a variety of espresso drinks to accompany croissants and sandwiches.
Almond, chocolate (made with semisweet chocolate chips that melt when warmed) and plain are the most popular croissants, Nguyen says. People also enjoy croissants filled with melted Swiss Gruyère cheese and ham or turkey.
These flaky temptations are baked daily with lots of butter and no preservatives. Pick some up for a special brunch on a cold winter morning, and pretend it's April in Paris.
La Maison du Croissant, 303 N. Santa Cruz Ave. 395-4441
Best Bagel
These huge bagels are served New York-style: steamed and kosher. More than a dozen varieties are fresh baked daily. Bestsellers include sesame, cinnamon raisin and good old-fashioned plain.
Spread with white fish, hummus, lox, tuna or a tangy smear (whipped, flavored cream cheese), each bagel is a meal unto itself. The zesty sun-dried tomato bagel tickles the taste buds.
And for dessert, try a chocolate-chip bagel.
Noah's New York Bagels, 15996 Los Gatos Blvd., 358-5895
Best Ice Cream
Owned by Mike Orlando and Carol and Joe Hargett, Dolce Spazio makes and serves rich, creamy Italian ice cream known as gelato. On any given day, patrons may satisfy their collective sweet tooth with 12 of more than 50 possible flavors that are rotated regularly.
Hazelnut Biscotti, a blend of hazelnut liqueur-flavored ice cream and biscotti crumbs, leads in popularity, with Very Berry's combination of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries laced with olallieberry wine a close second.
Cream, sugar and flavored liqueurs go into most of these frozen confections. Sorbettos, the fruit-flavored ice creams, contain less fat. And the selection always includes one or two nonfat choices, such as lemon or raspberry ice.
Dolce Spazio, 221 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 395-1335
Best Yogurt
Owners Loc Le and his wife, Louann Le, oversee the selection of six tasty flavors shipped daily to the store.
Standards so popular they are always available include nonfat Dutch chocolate, nonfat old-fashioned vanilla, and 96-percent fat-free white chocolate mousse.
Le says they always offer one sugar-free yogurt and one dairy-free sorbet, such as orange or watermelon.
Toppings abound: crushed cookies, three kinds of crushed candy bars, gummy bears, cookie dough bits, Jimmies, chocolate and caramel sauces--even strawberries and blackberries for those who want to avoid heaping on the calories.
TCBY Yogurt, 13 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 354-5639
Photograph by Larry Brazil
Best Sushi: Sushi on the Run
Best Sushi
Behind the counter, peeling, chopping and rolling ingredients, owner Nobo Eguchi serves up fresh, delicious sushi fast. Customers step up to the counter and peer into the large mirror above to read the menu, written backward, which is posted behind them.
Eguchi owned a traditional sushi restaurant in Sonoma before taking over Sushi on the Run 14 months ago.
Dishes cater to California palates and bear unusual names. Kaz's Ginger Girl, for example, consists of grilled yellow tail, avocado, peanuts, scallions and ginger. The San Jose Roll features yellow tail, salmon and tobiko, the Japanese version of caviar.
Sushi on the Run, 114 N. Santa Cruz Ave. 354-1125
Best Martini, Best Italian Cuisine
Two good shots of gin or vodka, strained over ice, served with two pimento-stuffed green olives--that's the way Valeriano's serves its martinis.
The oft-requested libation is poured into a small wine decanter placed in a miniature gold bucket filled with ice, then served with a tall glass on the side. The customer pours and imbibes at will. Even more than its martinis, Valeriano's is known for Italian food, featuring the dishes of northern Italy: meaty jumbo sea scallops, marinated and grilled, served on a bed of braised spinach and red onions drizzled with a lemon-thyme vinaigrette. Pasta specials like angel-hair linguine and prawns with snow peas, mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil are changed nightly and have built up a regular following of dining devotees.
Valeriano's Ristorante, 160 W. Main St., 354-8108
Best Hamburger, Best Hot Dog
For 25 years, the father-and-son team of Hugh and Dan Dresslar has served Los Gatans steamed beef hot dogs and hamburgers cooked to order.
Dan experimented until he came up with the perfect blend of meat and seasonings to create a tasty, juicy dog. The Happy Hound hot dog extends the length of the bun and then some. Add the usual condiments or try the chili, cheese, sauerkraut or Mexican (wrapped in a tortilla with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes) versions. Worldly folk might choose to nosh on a Polish dog (also Dan's recipe), while those wanting to relive childhood memories of the state fair can chomp on a corn dog.
Their quarter-pound hamburgers, made from fresh, lean beef and secret seasonings, are served with Thousand Island dressing.
The Happy Hound, 15899 Los Gatos Blvd., 358-2444
Best Restaurant Ambiance, Best Restaurant to Take a Client
Attractive presentation and attentive yet unobtrusive service--whether patrons hammer out business deals on their lunch hours or linger over dinner while negotiating the finer points of major contracts--are what draws business moguls to the California Cafe in Old Town.
Signature items include pastas, fish, sandwiches and salads. The
Chinese chicken salad, served with a peanut dressing, will impress even the most discriminating client.
Romantics come for the live piano music six nights a week, soft lighting, a view of the Los Gatos Hills, cherry wood furnishings and pastel blue walls decorated with colorful Dolly Cahill Johnson paintings--a combination that invites intimacy and a creates a night to remember with that special someone.
California Cafe, 50 University Ave., 354-8118
Best Mexican Cuisine, Best Place to Eat Alone, Best Lunch To Go
Health-conscious Los Gatans voted Andale the best place for Mexican food. Cooked without saturated fat or cholesterol, the food still tastes great. Andale specializes in hefty burritos and tacos filled with rice, mesquite-grilled chicken or beef, barbecued pork or beans; sumptuous salads, which are meals in themselves, and daily specials. In addition to the usual beverages, Andale serves aguas frescas--drinks made from fresh fruit--as well as sangria and other Mexican libations.
The newer location near the Los Gatos Cinema boasts a large indoor dining area with tables and chairs, a counter along one wall for solo patrons and patio seating.
Although it also has seating, the smaller location across the street offers faster takeout service.
Andale Taqueria, 21 N.Santa Cruz Ave., 395-8997; Takeout, 6 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 395-4244
Best Steak
Dining here is a steak enthusiast's idea of heaven. The Chart House serves hand-cut, select juicy steaks broiled to the customer's liking.
Onion lovers enjoy the rib-eye, which comes smothered with onion slivers dipped in milk, coated with cayenne pepper and flour, then fried a golden brown. Hearty eaters chow down on the 20-ounce porterhouse topped with a dollop of parsley butter. Teriyaki lovers order the top sirloin marinated in the house special sauce.
The filet mignon, accompanied by a rich béarnaise sauce, and the prime New York may be ordered with or without a green peppercorn rub and shallots roasted in a red wine demi-glace. Bread and savory garlic mashed potatoes complement each entree.
The Chart House, 115 N.Santa Cruz Ave., 354-1737
Best Live Music Venue
Every night except Monday, bands serve up swing, boogie, soul, funk and classic rhythm & blues.
Owner Jim Di Benedetto has taken care to provide customers with a comfortable place to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. With the bar's antique sofas, stained glass, Tiffany-style lamps and warm mahogany, it's like having a personal concert in your own living room. Because of the small space and the strategic arrangement of tables, there isn't a bad seat in the house.
If the music takes hold and toes start tapping, there's a tiny dance floor where patrons can demonstrate their moves. Dancers, listeners and musicians alike relax between sets on the outdoor balcony overlooking S. Santa Cruz Ave. $6 cover on Friday and Saturday.
Number One Broadway, 102 S. Santa Cruz Ave., 354-4303
Best Vegetarian Cuisine
From the larger-than-life-sized color pictures of fruits and vegetables on the walls to the impressive variety of produce-centered dishes on the menu, The Good Earth is definitely a haven for vegetarians.
Whether you're a strict vegan, a lacto-ovo vegetarian, or just trying to cut back on your meat intake, you'll find something that pleases the palate without sending cholesterol counts skyrocketing. Muenster cheese and fresh spinach lasagne, black-bean nachos, or the popular "planet burger" are just a few of the vegetarian choices available.
With its simple, coffee shop-style decor and bright lighting, The Good Earth is a favorite with families looking for a quick, healthy bite. Even the smallest veggie-lover is catered to, with children's menu choices including such meatless items as bean burritos, cheese pizza, pancakes and the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Carnivores will find meat dishes on the menu, too.
The Good Earth, 206 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 395-6868
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Best French Restaurant: Pigalle
Best French Restaurant, Best Decor
With murals of French street scenes hand-painted by Ken Poisson, cozy little tables and flooring reminiscent of cobblestones, Pigalle offers the next best thing to dining in the City of Lights itself. With each visit to France, owner Diane Ogilvie brings back souvenirs: Last time, it was a bench and some chairs.
French music plays in the background as patrons consume hefty portions of country French fare served in outstanding sauces. Grilled caribou and venison chops, scallops with tomatoes, garlic butter and white wine and grilled breast of ostrich are some of the more unusual of some 25 menu items. Top off the evening with a Grand Marnier or chocolate soufflé.
Pigalle, 27 N.Santa Cruz Ave., 395-7924
Best Bar
Known alternately as a sports bar, yuppie hangout and singles meeting place, C.B. Hannegan's versatility is its main attraction.
During the day, customers enjoy sporting events on the strategically positioned TVs. But after the sun goes down, the main entertainment is the people. C.B. Hannegan's is the place in Los Gatos to see and be seen. Even the cocktail napkins are conveniently imprinted with labeled spaces for filling in names, addresses and emails, should you encounter information you'd like to preserve for future use.
Although the barkeep will gladly mix any drink desired from the multitude of bottles behind the counter, beer is the establishment's bestseller, with 12 on tap.
Owners are Chris Benson and John Hannegan.
C.B. Hannegan's, 208 Bachman Ave., 395-1233
Best Dance Club
No night on the town would be complete without a visit to the granddaddy of dance clubs, Mountain Charley's Saloon. Promoting itself as having "the best live entertainment nightly," Mountain Charley's offers dancing to live bands Tuesday through Saturday.
Playing classic rock and funk, bands offer patrons dance music with an edge. Regulars such as the The Gents and Big Men on Campus strut their stuff within spitting distance of the dance floor, playing respectable covers of tunes from The Clash, The Police and The Spin Doctors. Dress is casual, and the attitude is laid-back.
The music notwithstanding, it's worth a trip just to check out the decor. Don't miss the massive, wrought-iron chandelier dangling over the dance floor. $5 cover.
Mountain Charley's Saloon, 15 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 395-8880
Best Ballroom Dancing
If you're searching for Los Gatos' equivalent of a great Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire movie, look no further than the dance floor at Villa Felice. Every Friday and Saturday night, the Black Pearl duet creates a musical escape for romantics.
Lost elegance is rediscovered as Liz Pimentel's smooth vocals, backed by Howard Fredric on the keyboard, drift across the floor. It's the place in town to do the fox trot, swing, tango and waltz. Although the dance floor gets downright crowded at times, there's no "mosh pit" here. Novices and regulars alike glide gracefully to the strains of "Unforgettable" and "Paper Roses," and pick up the pace with "Boot Scootin' Boogie."
Dance to Pimentel and Fredric Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. No cover.
Villa Felice, 15350 S. Winchester Road, 395-6711
Best Asian Cuisine
For 14 years, chef/owner Bing Tam has served gourmet Chinese dishes with an emphasis on the cuisine of China's Szechwan and Mandarin provinces.
Among Jasmine's specialities is tangerine chicken-- tender chicken chunks fried in a light batter, then cooked in a tangerine sauce and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Old standbys like beef with broccoli and mu shu pork, chow mein and fried rice are also popular.
Fans of hot and spicy cuisine will enjoy Kung Pao beef, where slices of sauteed beef join crunchy peanuts in spicy Kung Pao sauce. Watch out for the hot peppers! Hot Yu-Shiang shrimp and Szechwan lemon shrimp are also prepared for more piquant palates.
Vegetarians will find tempting combos, such as the sauteed mixed vegetables or the snow peas and black mushrooms with bamboo shoots.
Jasmine, 20 S. Santa Cruz Ave., Lyndon Plaza #204, 395-2373
Best New Restaurant
Longtime restaurateur brothers Darin and Dean Devincenzi are living their dream of running a sports-oriented eating establishment.
Double D's, which they opened earlier this year after renovating the building that formerly housed Fiorillo's, features 14 TV sets that play satellite-broadcasted sporting events. There are also several pool tables, a dartboard, a jukebox and video games.
Patrons can select from a menu with such sporty names as Lead Off (appetizers), Hot Corner Pizzas, To The Green (salads), Sandwedges, Power Play Pasta and Slam-Dunk Desserts. There's also a full-service bar.
The restaurant's signature sandwich--appropriately titled "Brotherly Love"--is a Philly Cheesesteak made with Certified Angus beef, mozzarella cheese, bell peppers, onions and mushrooms on a sourdough roll.
Double D's Sports Grille, 354 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 395-6882
Best Seafood
The catch is always fresh and fast at Steamer's, a longtime favorite among Los Gatans for seafood and fish dishes.
The emphasis is on healthy, upscale fare, including grilled salmon with raspberry vinaigrette, vegetables and wild rice; halibut with beurre blanc, Italian cherry peppers, Kalamata olives, baby carrots and chives; and mahi-mahi charbroiled with scallions, garlic and sizzling sesame oil.
Some of the fresh catches change daily, but the large selection of appetizers, salads, pastas and sandwiches stays pretty much the same. Those who prefer turf over surf will find many beef and chicken dishes to choose from.
Steamer's offers an extensive wine and beer menu, as well as a full bar. There's even a children's menu, which includes fish and chips, burger and fries, chicken strips, spaghettini and fettuccine.
Steamer's, 50 University Ave., Old Town, 395-2722
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 23, 1996.
The busy lunch crowd at Cafe Marcella flocks to the eatery for a number of reasons: Best Fine Dining, Best Desserts, Best Restaurant Wine List and Best Cafe or Bistro. That's quite a mouthful.
Nectar's
Willow Street Wood-Fired Pizza
Los Gatos Cafe
McDonald's
Cafe Marcella
Opera House
Video Era
Le Boulanger
Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co.
John Nguyen shows off the warm-from-the-oven morsels that helped earn La Maison du Croissant the prize for the Best Croissant.
La Maison du Croissant
Noah's New York Bagels
Dolce Spazio
TCBY Yogurt
Sushi on the Run owner Nobo Eguchi prepares sushi for the California tastes of his customers who dine at the counter and then rush off to resume their busy lives.
Sushi on the Run
Valeriano's Ristorante
The Happy Hound
California Cafe
Andale Taqueria
The Chart House
Number One Broadway
The Good Earth
Pigalle owner Diane Ogilvie and her husband, Bruce Ogilvie, may look like they're sharing a toast in a Parisian cafe, but they're actually at their favorite table in a corner of Pigalle, renowned for its Best Restaurant Decor and as the Best French Restaurant in town.
Pigalle
C.B. Hannegan's
Mountain Charley's Saloon
Villa Felice
Jasmine
Double D's
Steamer's
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved