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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

Plumed Horse – Saratoga, Ca

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…

Continue reading “Fine Dining Greatness with No Remorse over at the Plumed Horse…” →

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Did you know….

The Temecula Valley.  Southern California Wine Country.

The history of winemaking in California began with the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala in 1769. As the mission chain advanced northward from San Diego, vine cuttings were planted at each of the new missions, with some mission sites more successful than others at producing wines. Among the most successful of the missions was Mission San Gabriel, just north of present-day Los Angeles, whose wines were generally regarded as the finest of all the mission wines. By the early 19^th century the California wine industry was concentrated in Southern California, with a number of successful wineries being established in what is today downtown Los Angeles, the San Gabriel Valley, and other favorable locations, including, somewhat later, Cucamonga Valley. During much of the 19^th century Southern California provided most of the wine produced in the state, eventually being supplanted by Northern California as the wine production center of the state.

In the late 1960’s Southern California grape growing and winemaking began a revival in the Temecula Valley with the planting, beginning in 1968, of substantial wine grape acreage. The first wines from the new vineyards were produced by Brookside Winery in their Cucamonga winery, but in 1974 the founding of Callaway Winery marked the beginning of winemaking in the Temecula Valley. Since then numerous additional wineries have been built, some with restaurants and overnight facilities, including luxury resorts.(temeculawines.org)

Today’s Restaurant

1909 Restaurant – Temecula, Ca

Average Cost

$11-$30

Rating (1-10)

10

Recommended Dishes: 

1909 Burger, Beer Battered Fish Tacos

So it’s the ‘Best of The West’Pop Warner Football event in Southern California; and I am here to watch my youngest son (Safety) finish off his football season with their Super Bowl event.

The event was held in Murrieta, Ca so I decided to stay somewhere close which was Temecula, Ca.

Temecula seemed to be a great town to stay in and it was impressive from the 1st night in.

They had a Christmas parade about 2 miles long with magnificent lighting, bands and everyone from the community lined up on both sides of the street.

They also have a huge casino called Pechanga with great entertainment, great dining and huge amounts of fun. I’ll talk about that on another blog..

Another great experience was the beautiful Christmas lit area downtown, with tons of restaurants and a party crowd that filled the scenery.

This is where my wife and I found ourselves on Friday night to enjoy the Southern California night life with some Southern California cuisine..

Let’s talk about it…

Continue reading “You will Lose your Mind from the Food at 1909!” →