"We're told it's much lighter, brighter, cozy and inviting," said general manager Tom Beedon, who has been overseeing the changing atmosphere since his company purchased the hotel and restaurant just one year ago from Pacific Valley Investors Hotel Group for $13.5 million. Larkspur Hotels owns 20 hotels with varying names. Among them are the Pruneyard Inn and Larkspur Landing in Campbell.

The Toll House new look features bamboo floors throughout the public areas and the dining room. Autumn colors grace the furnishings. A Mediterranean theme in the newly tiled central patio features boxed Italian cypress, olive and citrus trees. A waterfall, outdoor carpeting and dense cushions mute the sounds of the outside world. A special terrace off the restaurant offers year-round dining with heaters to stave off the chill.

Beedon said that space designers adept in the art of Feng Shui helped with the new décor. "We have lots of round edges," he jokes, alluding to the ancient Asian belief that shapes and placement of walls and furniture can enhance the flow of energy and produce feelings of harmony.

It's true there is a new open feeling, especially in the restaurant where a wall between the bar and the dining room has been removed to allow for banquet seating and a division added between casual dining in the lounge and more traditional dining in the restaurant. This is the domain of new executive chef Gary Arthur.

Born in Trinidad 46 years ago, Arthur came to New York with his family of eight siblings. When he was 14, he took a summer job as a dishwasher at the United Nations. An intuitive chef took him under his wing and put him in an apprentice culinary program.

"My training was exquisite," he recalls. So were the opportunities that came quickly and often after that.

He wound his way through large hotel and resort kitchens, from banquet to sous chef, from the Caribbean to Hong Kong. He made a mark as a restaurateur and a consultant, subsequently catching the eye of Larkspur Hotels. He designs menus for all Three Degrees restaurants--the company owns three--and also serves as a director in the Los Gatos location.

"I'm 100 percent hands-on in the kitchen," Arthur said of his new position. "I'm also a man of a lot of passions. My best of the last 30 years will be on the plates here in Los Gatos." By that he means there is a hint of the Caribbean and of Asia in his northern California cuisine. "That's what I do--put flavors together," he smiles.

His main dishes vary from filet mignon ($24.50) and salmon ($19.50) to fresh rabbit ($20.50) and fried tofu with grilled rosa bianca eggplant ($16.50). Small plates include grilled oysters with smoked bacon and Moroccan flavored lamb baked in filo pastry.

Three Degrees is located in the Toll House Hotel at 140 S. Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos. It is open daily for breakfast from 6:30 to 10 a.m., for lunch from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5:30 until 10.30 p.m. Special brunches are held on holidays. Call 408.395.7070.