Live Action Quick Tips
Did you know….
One allure of three-star dining in the French countryside is the surprise of finding worldly offerings in a provincial environment. Similar dynamics are at play at the Plumed Horse, the famous restaurant that opened in 1952 in Saratoga, the storybook-like village tucked up against the Santa Cruz Mountains.
With white lights wrapped around the tree trunks lining the street in front of low-slung buildings, this stretch of Big Basin Way provides a dramatic contrast to the gilded, sophisticated interior of the restaurant. The entrance provides a neutral transition to the world of fine dining.
The dining room has a modern, big-city feel – perhaps not evocative of San Francisco, but certainly Dallas, Los Angeles or Las Vegas. The mod fireplace that dominates one wall in the 60-seat lounge competes for attention with the three-story glass wine cellar that divides the lounge from the 80-seat dining room. Step through the cellar door and you might have a touch of vertigo because the glass floor makes you feel as if you’re walking into space. Below you are boxes of wine; above are hundreds of bottles displayed in clear racks.
Designed by Walid Mando, the dining room features an impressive barrel ceiling of shimmering Venetian plaster, overlaid with sycamore panels that arch over massive leather-framed mirrors and sapelli wood walls. The tables are beautifully set before comfortable microsuede chairs. But what really grabs attention are the three Chihuly-like chandeliers made of fiber optics that change from steely silver to vivid green, pink and aqua. This unexpected dash of glitz adds a striking contrast to the tailored room and provides diversion should conversation lag. Depending on your mood, you can see the fluted disks as electrified jellyfish or psychedelic mushrooms.(sfgate.com)
Today’s Restaurant
Average Cost
Above $61
Rating (1-10)
10
Recommended Dishes:
Chef’s Tasting Menu, Black Pepper & Parmesan Soufflé
So it’s my wife’s birthday and I wanted to do something special for her and take her to a nice exquisite restaurant.
Somewhere fancy.Somewhere remarkable and different. Not the usual.
What better place than an elegant restaurant with a ritzy ambiance and a great menu.
I found the perfect place..
Plumed Horse in Saratoga, California.
Let’s talk about it…
So we arrive about 15 minutes early for our reservation and rather than have you just sit in a cold waiting room like other restaurants until you get seated, the hostess here escorts us to their bar/lounge area.
Immediately entering you see a large warm fireplace with comfy couches and dim lighting that really puts you in a relaxing mood.
We sit next to the fire caressing each other when the bartender greets us and offers us a drink.
We order the drinks of our choice and continue to enjoy the warmth and lighting from the fire.
As we do ‘Cheers’ with each other and enjoy the flames, next thing you know it is time for us to be seated.
We begin to get escorted to our seats and pass by a beautifully decorated glass wine cellar in the middle of the room.
Definitely a perfect place for a picture and a down right amazing artistic view to the eye.
The restaurant is elegant and an artistic masterpiece from the lamps, the tables and complete design.
Even the meals are artistically designed on your plate, not just to appease your palate but your eyes as well.
I went with the Chef’s Tasting Menu to enjoy all of the Chef’s creative masterpieces.
Rather than name every dish, I’ll have you look here…
Each dish was filled with exotic flavors and perfectly portioned so you don’t overfill yourself while trying to complete the courses.
The customer service was renown and rewarding.
Every time a new plate arrived the waiter would describe the dish and usually poured over a marinade or sauce that belonged with it ever so softly and gently.
For every dish that arrived to me gave me a feel of royalty. The ambiance, the service and the delightful introductions to each meal made me feel like I was a Prince from a far off country.
Each dish was savory, satisfying and had a flavor that was very difficult to find anywhere else.
Definitely a great place to win points with your significant other!
Truly a food and wine lovers paradise! True live action eating! Great job Plumed Horse!
Thanks for joining me on today’s adventure! I look forward to seeing you on the next run!
Eating is an enjoyable way of life.Live it..Learn it..Love it!
Trevis Dampier Sr.
References
Michael Bauer (4:00 am, Sunday, November 18, 2007) Saratoga’s luxurious Plumed Horse Retrieved from http://www.sfgate.com/magazine/article/Saratoga-s-luxurious-Plumed-Horse-2300332.php
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