The Youth Science Institute, or YSI, is based in Los Gatos at Vasona Lake County Park, but serves all of Santa Clara County. It serves about 30,000 children each year across Silicon Valley and is highly regarded, but has been in danger of being shuttered due to a significant financial shortfall of $300,000. It's down to the wire now and just $20,000 is still needed by the end of January.If you can help, please visit the campaign's website and donate or make a pledge!
How did the YSI come to be in such a dire situation? Apparently it was due to a combination of things, from fewer signups in the summer programs, not enough donors or donors unable to be as generous as in the past, fewer field trips (due to state budget issuesj etc.
The YSI had fewer than 200 donors prior to the fundraising campaign. Today that number is over 1000. The public support has been fantastic but a little more help is needed: $20,000 by the end of January.
Los Gatos is not known for "affordable dining", but here and there we find hidden gems with good food and very reasonable prices. That's the case with Jasmine Chinese in downtown Los Gatos, a modest restaurant in an upscale part of town.
Lunch at Jasmine Chinese is a very good deal if you keep to the specials menu. For $7.25, you can enjoy one of the house lunch combination dishes, such as sweet & sour pork, plus soup, rice and hot tea, of course. If that's too much for for a midday meal, there are smaller lunch specials for $6.25, including a heaping plate of Chinese Chicken Salad, a dish of almond chicken and rice or several other selections. Dinners are more expensive, but still very affordable by downtown Los Gatos standards.
Variety is abundant here, so Jasmine is a great place to bring children, vegetarians, those with special diet constraints, folks preferring mild or spicy food and even picky eaters. I have eaten there dozens of times, mostly at lunch but also for dinner, and have found the staff to be consistently conscientious about "food issues" and special needs. Service is uniformly good and the staff very pleasant.
My own favorite menu items include the eggrolls, the chinese chicken salad, tangerine chicken, hot & sour soup, any of the kung pao dishes and any of the eggplant dishes.
Like many Chinese restaurants, Jasmine will prepare food "to go" as well.
This restaurant can be a little difficult to find for some people, but it's actually in a great, central location. It is in the Lyndon Shopping Center (which is where the old Lyndon Hotel used to stand and where famous people like Charlie Chaplain and John Steinbeck used to drop in for a drink). That building is a bit of a maze, but Jasmine is on the outside, facing Main Street, just in from the corner of Main and Santa Cruz Avenues. There's free valet parking, and also a public lot off Main Street that backs up to Mountain Charlie's and St. Mary's School, so it should always be possible to park.
Jasmine Chinese Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner weekdays, and open for dinner on Saturday and Sunday. For more information, see their website, http://www.jasminechinese.com/.
Jasmine Chinese
20 South Santa Cruz Ave.
Los Gatos, CA 95030
408-395-2373
Saturday night, Jim and I enjoyed a "date night" out in Los Gatos. He'd been given a very nice gift certificate to Forbes Mill Steakhouse for a talk he gave on semiconductors some months ago, and finally we were able to enjoy it. This had been on my list of "want to try" restaurants so I was very excited about it.
The building itself is nothing like its prior incarnations as a short lived pizza parlor or the longstanding, much beloved (and still missed) Good Earth Restaurant. Elegant, tasteful and not imposing, the Forbes Mill ambiance is relaxed and upscale but without being the slightest bit pretentious.
From the moment we arrived until the time we left, the service was exceptional. Our waitress was friendly and helpful, she stopped by often enough without hovering. The bus boy, too, checked in on us just often enough. Water was refilled frequently, which we appreciated.
How about the menu? How was the food?
With no apologies, this is a steakhouse - and the menu is, of course, very heavy on red meat dishes. (I would tell a vegetarian not to bother - unless dropping by for dessert.) Before the main course, we had a little wine, some tasty salads and warm rolls. As I recall, they had three chardonnays by the glass - not a huge selection, but I was happy with the one I got. (I asked if they had Cinnabar Chardonnay, which is my favorite, but unfortunately it is not offered that way.) I ordered rack of lamb and Jim a kobe beef steak. Both were fantastic.
I'd never tasted kobe beef before but swaped forkfuls with my better half and could not believe how tender and flavorful his meat was. It wasn't just delicious, it was an experience! The vegetables and savory bread pudding were good too - but I'll remember the evening mostly for the meat.
Since we were lingering over a nice meal, we stayed on a bit longer to enjoy a dessert sampler and coffee too. That was a treat. I wish more restaurants would offer dessert samplers - they are fun and no matter what, you'll have to like some of the dishes, if not all of them! I particularly loved the cheesecake with the mango topping. Yum!
All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening with great food, service and ambiance. Would I go back? Well, I'd like to. But it's the kind of place where it's very easy to drop $100 per person (if not more) by the time the evening's over, and with our two kids almost in college, that kind of spending is not something we'll do often at this point in our lives. But it was sure good, from start to finish, and truthfully, I do not think it was too expensive for what you get.
The Verdict: Two thumbs up!
A word on the portions is in order. The serving sizes were generous, and I'd misread the menu and ordered side dishes of two more veggies, so we had a lot of extra food when it was over. I did ask for a "doggie bag". Our bus boy kindly took my plate away and returned with the food in a single box. Unfortunately, that meant that my creamed spinach, asparagus, green beans, carrots, bread pudding and 2 lamb chops were all mushed in together as a soggy mess. If I could suggest something to the good folks at Forbes Mill Steakhouse, it would be to not throw all the leftovers together in one big box, but perhaps to use the styrofoam containers which have sections in them instead.
And finally...do you know why the place is named Forbes Mill? It was around this first mill in town that the current town of Los Gatos grew up!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NB: This is not a paid post, nor did the proprietors ask me to do a review.
Voted Best Ice Cream over and over and in multiple competitions, Dolce Spazio (which means Sweet Space) has also been voted Best Dessert Place in Santa Clara County as Metro Readers' Choice and The Wave Magazine. A Los Gatos dining mainstay since 1980, it makes an ideal place for dessert after a fine meal elsewhere or as a snack to enjoy while browsing the stores and people-watching in downtown Los Gatos.
What makes Dolce Spazio so special?Naturalmente, it's first & foremost the gelato. It's authentic tasting, which means delicious. Gelato has less air and more fat that American style ice cream, and it is softer (not frozen hard) and very rich. Of course, Dolce Spazio also offers sorbetto, an espresso bar, milkshakes and other goodies here too. Additionally, Dolce features pastries and other treats - so stop by in the morning for a bite to eat, a latte and bring your favorite paper or book - or just take in the views through the oversized windows. It's a great way to start the morning.
Something nice, too, is that the good folks there will kindly email you when they make and sell your favorite gelato. Today I asked if they'd please ell me when they have rum raisin available. Mike Orlando wrote me back that although they've never made it, he'll let me know if he runs across a good recipe. What more could you ask for?
It's the next best thing to a visit to Florence, where an architect named Buontalenti invented the stuff for one of the Medici wedding celebrations in the 1500s.
Something else: Dolce caters too, so if you want a little something special at your next party, think Dolce Spazio to Go!
Dolce Spazio is located at 221 North Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030. Phone is 408 395-1335, or visit them online at DolceSpazio.com.
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Note by Mary Pope-Handy: this is not a paid endorsement and the owners of this gelato shop did not approach me about doing a review of their shop on my blog. My idea - I love this place (even though I don't eat a whole lot of the goods there) and think it's a great downtown Los Gatos shop that I'm happy to promote.
Today I celebrated a friend's birthday by taking her to lunch at Dio Deka, a fairly new Greek restaurant, in the Hotel Los Gatos. It was the first time I returned there since the restaurant had changed hands and gone Hellenic.
What a nice improvement! The service, food, and ambiance were all top notch.
A nicer setting would be hard to find. The Hotel Los Gatos is one of the most beautiful buildings in Los Gatos, a town already much loved for its scenic beauty. If you haven't seen it, it's almost directly across the street from Los Gatos High School so is in the heart of downtown. The architectural style is Spanish, but it reminds me of the elegant and inviting Santa Barbara Spanish style in particular. Inside, the hotel and restaurant are well appointed, comfortable, classy, and relaxing. Great ambiance.
At Dio Deka, each employee we encountered was warm, pleasant and gracious. Service was never wanting. Their manners and protocol were impeccable. That may sound stuffy, but let me explain by giving an example: in many eateries, even in "fine dining" establishments, patrons are given one knife and one fork. If the utensils are soiled by eating a salad or appetizer before the main course arrives, the used utensils are often given back to the customer if they're left on the plate as it's being removed.The idea, of course, is that the patron is expecting too much to get a clean knife and fork for the next dish. Usually the "old" utensils are put back on the table. But not here. At Dio Deka it's not too much trouble to get it right and provide clean cutlery for each course. It's a small thing but it's representative of the quality of the dining experience here. No detail is too small to get right.
So let's talk about food. My girlfriend and I split a Greek salad for starters. It was artistically presented and offered a wonderful mix of greens, olives, celery slices, split cherry tomatoes and dressing together with a small brick of warm goat cheese. It was delicious. The moussaka appealed to both of us, so that is what we each ordered. Set as a stack of circular layers in the middle of a deep dish, this too offered a very pleasing appearance. And again, the flavors were sumptuous. The sauce was too good not to enjoy too; luckily the table had a basket of bread - just right for sopping up the flavors.
Coffee was enough for me to top off the meal, but we had a birthday to celebrate and my friend ordered baklava. She assured me it was every bit as good as the rest of the meal. And, as with every other course, it, too, was simply very pretty.
We enjoyed every aspect of our meal today at Dio Deka. If you enjoy fine dining and appreciate being pampered, stop in for lunch or dinner. I'll be back!
Dio Deka is located at the Hotel Los Gatos, 210 E Main Street, Los Gatos CA 95030
Tel 408 354-7700. Open for lunch and dinner.
By the way...This is not a paid endorsment, but is simply the response to a great dining experience today. Writing a blog post about the meal was not on my mind when I arrived there at all.
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Updated March 7, 2008: Dio Deka Will "Hold the Ketchup"
A couple of my friends, Wendy Tomaro and Debi Merchain, took me to lunch today at Dio Deka (a belated birthday celebration for me). As before, the food was great and so was the service. One small surprise, though, came when I was told that I could not have ketchup with my fries. They don't serve condiments, such as mustard and ketchup, because they wouldn't be served in Greece.
What do you think about that? On the one hand, I can appreciate wanting purist food and not having the good Greek food tampered with (or ruined). On the other hand, I really like catsup or ketchup with my fries - whether I'm in Greece, Los Gatos, or anywhere else.
I have travelled a fair amount (been to Europe, Israel, Greece, Japan, Polynesia and a few other foreign places) and often the restaurants present variations of their normal cuisine to match the locale where they're operating. A McDonald's in Germany will offer beer, for instance, and one in Israel won't have cheeeseburgers.
The food at Dio Deka is really good, no matter what. The fries I got were garlic and I think rosemary and they were tasty - but still I'd have liked them better...well, you know. It's their restaurant and of course they can do whatever they want, and apparently they feel strongly about this point.
Of course I will go back. But next time I won't order anything that comes with fries - too much of a tease to me!
Things are heating up now and you may be thinking about where to go for a little relief. There's the beach, of course - it's always temperate over in Santa Cruz on the water (and a nice breeze usually blows too). There are all the usual air conditioned places (stores, malls, theaters). But there's also a little place in Los Gatos, hidden from the view of most folks, where you can get a surprising amount of relief from the heat.
And amazingly, it's right in the middle of town!
The secret location is along the Los Gatos Creek Trail under the Vasona Dam spillway. The rush of water through the gates creates a cool, light mist that floats down like some of the "misters" that you may have encountered at Disneyland, Paramount's Great America in very nearby Santa Clara, or in waterparks like Raging Waters in San Jose.
To get there, the easiest approach is via Garden Hill Drive, which is off of Lark Avenue in Los Gatos. Follow the road almost to the very end, when it takes a sharp bend to the left. Park your bike or car and enter the park/trail and follow the path northwest (away from the freeway) and you will find the misty spot not too far up.
There are no benches or tables, so this is a spot not intended for picnicing - but I think it's a great place to do it nonetheless. (In fact, there's a warning sign to not go too close to the spillway.) It is not secluded (so ixnay on the romantic spot, this did not qualify as one of my "Best Places to Kiss" in Los Gatos) but it is cool and comfortable and refreshing.
Would you like to see some photos from the dam area? I have compiled a Vasona dam area 60-second slideshow (plus extra photos if you want to see them). Take a look!
Do you have a favorite place to cool off? I'd love to have you share it here!
In April, this blog featured an entry about a newcomer to the Los Gatos restaurant scene, Trevese. The building has the dubious honor of being one of the most notoriously haunted places in town, so that angle was the focus of the post.
A blog about Los Gatos real estate, homes, houses, condos, townhomes, housing market, neightborhoods, history, events, businesses, parks, schools, photos, issues, and lifestyle.
Mary Pope-Handy
Realtor, CRS, ABR, SRES, E-PRO
Luxor Real Estate Group
Mailing Address for Mary: PO Box 440 Los Gatos, CA 95031-0440
877 397-5391 (office/toll-free)
Los Gatos is not known for "affordable dining", but here and there we find hidden gems with good food and very reasonable prices. That's the case with Jasmine Chinese in downtown Los Gatos, a modest restaurant in an upscale part of town. 
Saturday night, Jim and I enjoyed a "date night" out in Los Gatos. He'd been given a very nice gift certificate to Forbes Mill Steakhouse for a talk he gave on semiconductors some months ago, and finally we were able to enjoy it. This had been on my list of "want to try" restaurants so I was very excited about it.
_(Small)(1).jpg)
Voted Best Ice Cream over and over and in multiple competitions, Dolce Spazio (which means Sweet Space) has also been voted Best Dessert Place in Santa Clara County as Metro Readers' Choice and The Wave Magazine. A Los Gatos dining mainstay since 1980, it makes an ideal place for dessert after a fine meal elsewhere or as a snack to enjoy while browsing the stores and people-watching in downtown Los Gatos. _(Small)(1).jpg)
What makes Dolce Spazio so special? Naturalmente, it's first & foremost the gelato. It's authentic tasting, which means delicious. Gelato has less air and more fat that American style ice cream, and it is softer (not frozen hard) and very rich. Of course, Dolce Spazio also offers sorbetto, an espresso bar, milkshakes and other goodies here too. Additionally, Dolce features pastries and other treats - so stop by in the morning for a bite to eat, a latte and bring your favorite paper or book - or just take in the views through the oversized windows. It's a great way to start the morning._(Small).jpg)
Something nice, too, is that the good folks there will kindly email you when they make and sell your favorite gelato. Today I asked if they'd please ell me when they have rum raisin available. Mike Orlando wrote me back that although they've never made it, he'll let me know if he runs across a good recipe. What more could you ask for? _(Small)(3).jpg)
Something else: Dolce caters too, so if you want a little something special at your next party, think Dolce Spazio to Go!
Today I celebrated a friend's birthday by taking her to lunch at 
The secret location is along the Los Gatos Creek Trail under the Vasona Dam spillway. The rush of water through the gates creates a cool, light mist that floats down like some of the "misters" that you may have encountered at Disneyland, Paramount's Great America in very nearby Santa Clara, or in waterparks like Raging Waters in San Jose. 
To get there, the easiest approach is via Garden Hill Drive, which is off of Lark Avenue in Los Gatos. Follow the road almost to the very end, when it takes a sharp bend to the left. Park your bike or car and enter the park/trail and follow the path northwest (away from the freeway) and you will find the misty spot not too far up..gif)
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