Photograph by George Sakkestad
Klaus Pache makes several selections from the wine cellar of Saratoga's Plumed Horse, which he owns with his wife, Yvonne, and their son, Gregory.
By SUZANNE CRISTALLO
April and spring are being celebrated at the Plumed Horse in Saratoga with a special veal entrée served with fresh asparagus, crab and a sheer mousseline sauce. The French restaurant is one of the oldest established eateries in the valley.
According to Klaus Pache, who has shared ownership with wife Yvonne for 21 years and now also with son Gregory, the building has been a restaurant since 1952. Prior to that, there was a large barn on the property that housed a junk and antique shop. Seasoned wood from the barn was used innovatively to construct parts of the restaurant. Local lore says the name "Plumed Horse" is a long-ago reference to a local tinker's horse once stabled on the property. The horse's bridle was festooned with a plume for scaring away flies.
The menu at the Plumed Horse changes every month. Chef Patrick Farjas, who is from Lyon, France, creates contemporary California food with a "French twist." A la carte entrées range from $16 to $26; complete dinners including soup, salad and beverage are available for an additional $8.
Diners entering what looks like a small and cozy restaurant for the first time may be surprised by the expanse of the facility, which commands a view of the Sierra Azul hills from the lounge and goes down three floors in the rear. The Paches added a banquet facility for 100 and tripled the size of the kitchen. They offer dancing in the lounge to a live contemporary jazz band on weekends. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres are served there during cocktail hour along with light fare.
Klaus Pache, 61, grew up in the Rhine River city of Koblenz, Germany. When he was 15, his father, a survivor of two world wars and a Depression, urged him to get into the restaurant business. "He told me, 'At least you'll never go hungry,' " Pache recalls. "I've stuck with it for 46 years."
In 1961, he came to California and worked in the prestigious Alexis restaurant on San Francisco's Nob Hill. In 1969, he became the partner of Charles Morosin, who owned La Hacienda. In 1975, Pache and his wife of 10 years, Yvonne, purchased the Plumed Horse. Their years in 1960s San Francisco, which was alive with jazz clubs and exciting restaurants, gave them inspiration for their own classic restaurant.
The Plumed Horse, 14555 Big Basin Way, Saratoga. Open for dinner Mon.-Sat., 6-10 p.m. Lounge open at 4 p.m., light fare available 5 p.m. Closed Sun. For reservations and banquet information, call 867-4711.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 9, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.