Los Gatos: Hotel Los Gatos + Dio Deka; hotel review + restaurant review

Santa Cruz Mountains 

Hotel Los Gatos  

210 E. Main St., (866) 335-1700, (408) 335-1700.  71 rooms; $$$-$$$+.  Some fireplaces.  Heated pool; hot tub; sauna; full-service spa; fitness room.  Restaurant; room service. 

Located just down the street from a Ferrari/Bentley showroom, the luxuriously spacious Hotel Los Gatos has a colorful Tuscan-country style.  Public spaces are decorated with Mexican tiles and pottery, studded leather chairs, and ornate wood-inlayed Moroccan tables.  A sort of Mediterranean hacienda, it melds the two architectural styles with a terracotta-tiled roof and a spacious interior courtyard with palm trees and fountains.  Attractive art is displayed throughout.  Guest rooms are furnished luxuriously with richly colorful silk drapes and comforters, soft Egyptian cotton linens, and tile-and-granite bathrooms.

guest room at Hotel Los Gatos in Los Gatos, California

guest room at Hotel Los Gatos in Los Gatos, California

Dio Deka 

translates in Greek as Dio Deka restaurant’s address number (210) and also is the area code for Athens.  This is the only Michelin-star Greek restaurant in the United States.  Delicious upscale ethnic cuisine is served in a tasteful ambiance.  Menu winners include silogi (an assortment of delicious spreads served with housemade pita), dolmathakia (grape leaves stuffed with a tasty mix of braised short ribs, rice, and mushrooms), and lavraki (mesquite-grilled fresh fish).  More entrée options include a variety of premium steaks as well as more Greek dishes.  For dessert, don’t miss the perfectly prepared traditional Greek beignets dipped in a thyme-honey syrup (they are made with co-owner Yiani’s mom’s recipe), and do wash them down with a Greek Kourtaki Muscat from Samos Island.

Greek beignets at Dio Deka in Los Gatos, California

Afternoon tea is served in the hotel lobby on weekends by reservation.

 


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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Los Gatos: Fleur de Cocoa; restaurant review

Santa Cruz Mountains 

Fleur de Cocoa 

39 N. Santa Cruz Ave., (408) 354-3574. Tu-Sat 7:30-6, Sun 8-4; $.

Tiny, authentic French pâtisserie Fleur de Cocoa presents a case full of croissants, éclairs, decadent macarons, and buttery madeleines. French mingles with English as customers exclaim over the famous housemade hot chocolate. And a small lunch menu offers several soups and quiches as well as the traditional croque monsieur and madame (with a sunnyside-up egg) sandwiches and a perfectly dressed salad.

exterior of Fleur de Cocoa patisserie in Los Gatos, California

interior of Fleur de Cocoa patisserie in Los Gatos, California

counter at Fleur de Cocoa patisserie in Los Gatos, California

croque monsieur at Fleur de Cocoa patisserie in Los Gatos, California

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Los Gatos: We Olive & Wine Bar; restaurant review

Santa Cruz Mountains

We Olive & Wine Bar  

112 N. Santa Cruz Ave./Grays Lane, (408) 354-7474.  Daily M-Sat 10am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm; $$. 

What a great idea to allow customers to sit down and order from a menu either a snack or small meal made with the packaged items the shop also sells.  Actually tasting the products provides inspiration for using them to whip up something at home for dinner or even a party.

Sara Bega pours a taste at We Olive & Wine Bar in Los Gatos, California

Wine is among the stocked items--so you can also enjoy a taste or two of those currently in stock--and hand-crafted beers are also available on draft and in the bottle.  I came to We Olive & Wine Bar for a browse and early dinner based on the restaurant’s reputation.  Seating is in the back of the store, either inside at a bar or at separate tables, or outside in a landscaped courtyard garden that is pleasant in the area’s generally good weather.  The menu features bites (the peppadew African peppers stuffed with salami and goat cheese were cute, colorful, and delicious),

stuffed peppadew African peppers at We Olive & Wine Bar
in Los Gatos, California

salads (a burrata version prepared with tiny baby arugula was delicious and served with crostini),

burrata-baby arugula salad at We Olive & Wine Bar in Los Gatos, California

and flatbreads (the artichoke-caper with fresh mozzarella, basil, and roasted tomatoes is particularly tasty).

artichoke-caper flatbread at We Olive & Wine Bar in Los Gatos, California

A few panini are also options, and recipes for some of the menu items are available.  I tasted four wines, glasses for which were lined up in front of me with numbers matching descriptions on a menu.  This was fun.  I selected a spicy aromatic Gewurztraminer (2013 Handley, Anderson Valley) and full-bodied, smooth Tempranillo (2012 Bodegas “Viva Yo!”, Paso Robles) as my favorites.

wine tasting at We Olive & Wine Bar in Los Gatos, California

The shop specializes in California extra virgin olive oil from small growers and farmers (all certified by the California Olive Oil Council) but also stocks balsamic vinegar, gourmet foods, and small production wines from throughout the state.  You can do an enlightening olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting for no charge.  I tried two versions of white balsamic vinegar--a mild young white version and an older, more colorful and tastier version—and learned that balsamic vinegar comes only from Italy, and that it gets sweeter with age, even in bottles.

white balsamic vinegar tasting at We Olive & Wine Bar in Los Gatos, California

Amanda Sarich conducts an olive oil-vinegar tasting at We Olive & Wine Bar
in Los Gatos, California

Artisan food products sold here include tapenades, mustards, pestos, chocolate and caramel sauces, and unique spreads.  The shop also purveys some kitchen and dining accessories, and special events are scheduled. Custom gift baskets are a specialty and can be ordered in person or online.


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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Los Gatos: Very Knit Shop (CLOSED); things to do

Santa Cruz Mountains

Very Knit Shop  

CLOSED  24 N. Santa Cruz Ave., (408) 354-1434.

Sumptuous yarns in a vast array of colors and textures are a feast for the eyes in this spacious and welcoming knitter’s paradise. The Very Knit Shop has samples of darling items for babies--and even a knitted dog--to provide inspiration.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Los Gatos: Los Gatos Museums Gallery; things to do

Santa Cruz Mountains

Los Gatos Museums Gallery 

24 N. Santa Cruz Ave., 408-354-4530. Tu-F 10-5:30, Sat 10-5, Sun 11-3.

The Los Gatos Museums Gallery’s artist members are invited by a jury, and they each take turns operating the business end. So the person you ask questions of might be the very artist whose work you are admiring. Everything is for sale, and 70 per cent goes to the artist, 30 per cent to the Museums of Los Gatos.

 
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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Los Gatos: History Museum at Forbes Mill; things to do

Santa Cruz Mountains 

History Museum at Forbes Mill

Note the new name for the one-room History Museum at Forbes Mill, which is tucked away on a dead end beside the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Among the objects on display are an antique shirt press and iron from the long-gone Gem City French Laundry, and currently you can see as well a Beatles display from a local private collection (the Fab Four were presented the key to the town in 1967).


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Los Gatos: Andalé Mexican Restaurant; restaurant review

Santa Cruz Mountains

Andalé Mexican Restaurant

#21 N. Santa Cruz Ave.

Andalé Mexican Restaurant is as good as ever.  #6, the original location, also serves breakfast and, with a long counter with stools and two window tables facing the sidewalk, is a great choice for solo diners. My all-time favorite is the vegetarian flauta (pictured), but the beer-battered fresh fish tacos and seasonal fresh-fruit agua fresca drinks are also noteworthy.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Los Gatos: Sierra Toy Soldier Co.; things to do

Santa Cruz Mountains

Sierra Toy Soldier Co. 

29 N. Santa Cruz Ave., (866) 869-7653, (408) 395-3000. 

Lined with shelves displaying detailed dioramas of battalions of soldiers from various wars, the Sierra Toy Soldier Co. is a destination shop for toy soldier collectors and offers everything from inexpensive toy items on up to the finest quality collector pieces from St. Petersburg, Russia.  This is the perfect place to bring Dad for Father's Day--or give him a gift certificate and bring him in later. 

The image above shows two combatants from the Australian Light Horse battle. They were made by a former royal Marine, a Scotsman who lives now in Hong Kong. He will be at the shop on September 17, 2011 for an open house.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers