Photograph by Carlos Gonzalez
Werner Buege is the daytime chef at the Los Gatos Lodge, where the Garden Court Restaurant has recently undergone a face lift.
By Suzanne Cristallo
Upgrade is the emphasis at the Los Gatos Lodge's Garden Court Restaurant. Under new ownership since January of this year, the restaurant and 120-unit motel on Los Gatos-Saratoga Road have been under total renovation for the past six months.
The new look in the Garden Court is bright and white. The dark wood of the past decade has been painted out to reflect the light from the large garden and pool area the restaurant adjoins. Mirrors add to the brightness, along with the light teal upholstery of the booths. Banquet rooms have been outfitted with new wallpaper, carpeting and even a new roof.
While the revamping activity at the lodge will continue for some months to come, the Garden Court is in full operation, offering a continental menu with some "ethnic" creations by longtime chefs Jose "Primo" Bautista and Werner Buege. Bautista, who handles the evening shift, has been at the Lodge since 1986. Buege, the daytime chef, started in 1979.
"I've seen them come, and I've seen them go," says Buege of the changes in the lodge over the years. A native of Berlin, he emigrated to the United States in the 1950s.
The chefs offer a straightforward menu, with dinner choices generally in the $9-$20 range for New York steaks, broiled halibut, fettuccine del mar and the traditional hamburger. The luncheon menu includes spicy chicken wings with Sonora ranch dressing for dipping, along with steak sandwiches, reubens, BLTs and grilled ham and cheese. Salads and chicken dishes round out the menu.
A full breakfast menu with special omelettes, pancakes and cereals can be ordered in or to go.
"It's always a happy occasion working here," says Connie Schneider, director of sales, who worked for the lodge from 1985 to 1991 and then returned when the new owner, Keet Singh Nerhan from Half Moon Bay, took over. She arranges the many weddings, holiday parties and anniversaries the restaurant caters.
While the Lodge will not be promoting what it offers until the revamping is complete next year, word-of-mouth keeps open dates for private parties at a premium, she says.
The Garden Court Restaurant, 50 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road, Los Gatos. Breakfast weekdays 7-11 a.m.; Sat., 7 a.m.-1 p.m.; Sun., 7-11 a.m. Lunch Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner Mon.-Thu., 5-9 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5-10 p.m. No lunch or dinner Sunday. 354-3300, ext. 162.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 11, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved