I was sorry to read that not only is our lovely Los Gatos Smith & Hawkin store to close, but all of the stores around the country are closing, with 700 employees losing their jobs. Apparently it will be closed sometime this calendar year, with sales ongoing between now and then.
We've had an unusually high amount of crime relative to normal in Los Gatos in recent months. On Tuesday of this week, the Bank of America in downtown Los Gatos (on North Santa Cruz) was robbed. Happily, a suspect has been apprehended by police and she is now in custody.
On Friday I enjoyed a late lunch with a real estate colleague and friend of mine at Willow Street Pizza in downtown Los Gatos. The food is always good but this time I had a bowl of clam chowder and it was the best I've had in years.
With New England Clam Chowder (the "white" one, as opposed to the red, Manhattan Clam Chowder), there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Sometimes the clams are gritty. Frequently the potatoes disintegrate and the whole soup becomes mushy and too thick. Perhaps most often, there's excessive cream or fat in the recipe and the chowder is unpleasantly oily.
The bowl of chowder I was served on Friday, though, was a very pleasant surprise. The potatoes and other vegetables were not overcooked. The soup was very tasty and not overly heavy. And if I'm not mistaken, there were small, delicious dumplings cooked into the recipe too. The combination was unbeatable as the look, texture and taste were all fantastic.
Willow Street does not have a "soup and salad" combination on the menu, but you can do what I did and order a half or side salad plus a bowl of soup and create your own combo. I ordered a Romaine Gorgonzola half salad with cranberries together with the bowl of soup and it was very filling. A side salad instead of half salad would have been plenty!
If you enjoy clam chowder, look for it at Willow Street (and other restaurants) on Fridays. Very few places will offer it on any other day of the week. (The reason for this tradition has to do with religion and demographics. Catholics, who constitute about 20% of the population here in Silicon Valley, used to be prohibited by their church from eating meat on Fridays so many "fish specials" used to be featured on that day. That religious rule was changed in the early 1960s after Vatican II, and today the "no meat on Friday" rule only applies during Lent. Even so, some continue to keep to the older, stricter standards.)
Willow Street does have good pizza, it's a kid-friendly restaurant, and the salads and soups are really quite delicious. Don't let the name "Willow Street Pizza" fool you: there's much more to the menu then just pizza. In fact, you can browse their menu online and see for yourself at http://www.willowstreet.com/LOS_GATOS/Los_Gatos.html
If you have a favorite, local place to enjoy a cup or bowl of clam chowder, please share it in the comments below!
Nearly two years ago, The historic Cats Restaurant in Los Gatos quickly and quietly closed without much warning (see article in the Los Gatos Observer). One of the area's older buildings, it was constructed as a stage coach stop in the late 1800s, possibly around 1896.
Yesterday I was near the tavern, photographing Leo and Leona at the entrance to Poet's Canyon just steps away, and popped by old building to see what was going on with it.
To my surprise, it appeared that The Cats is being made ready to reopen. There were several trucks and workers in view and the parking lot sported new blacktop and parking stripes.
I could not find any news about a reopening, but perhaps some of the Live in Los Gatos readers might know what the story is. Your feedback is appreciated!
The Cats has served many functions over the years and is an area landmark. It would be great to see it open again.
The Cats Restaurant is located at 17533 Santa Cruz Highway, just past the downtown entrance to the freeway from South Santa Cruz Avenue.
Leo and Leona can be seen from this freeway exit too. For more on the two concrete cats, please visit this earlier post: How did Los Gatos get its cat logo?
Scroll down and enjoy slideshow too (just added).
PS November 2, 2008: Today I received a call from Shelby, who tells me that 3 weeks ago or so she stopped by The Cats when she saw trucks there and spoke with the new owners. She says that they're targeting re-opening sometime this month. That's great news!
Last Friday, my teens and I stopped for lunch at The Purple Onion, a new Los Gatos restaurant, which opened April 18th at the former site of Caffe Siena (Main Street and College Avenue, across from The Penthouse Apartments). We enjoyed outside dining and experienced prompt, polite service and great food, so it is something I wanted to share here on "Live in Los Gatos".
As with its predecessor, at The Purple Onion, customers order at the counter, pay (they do take credit cards, though there's no logos for them on the front entry), and find a seat. Servers will bring the food to you. Tables and chairs are available both indoors and out.
My kids each ordered sandwiches and I ordered a salad. Brian's was a hot sandwich, and it was so good he had a hard time keeping it on his plate between bites. Clair had a french roll with salami or prociutto and she, too, savored hers. For me it was the Cafe Salad, a wonderful mix of chicken, cranberries, a soft cheese, pistachios, greens and even a few flower petals - which made the presentation lovely - with a sweet vinegarette dressing. We ordered soft drinks as well and our total, with tax (before tipping) was about $41.00.
This morning I returned with camera in hand to take a few pics and hopefully to meet the proprietors. (I came away with coffee and sweet rolls for home.) I was in luck and met Steve Angelo, the chef/owner, and Lisa Hanson, pastry chef & party planner. I had not realized, the week before, that The Purple Onion offers catering too, but overheard a patron inquiring about it. The store's website has information on catering, too.
The Purple Onion is open Tues-Sun from 7am to 4pm, closed on Mondays. It is located at 26 E Main St
Los Gatos, CA 95030. Tel 408 354-4124. Or visit their catering site online: www.purpleonion-catering.com.
Parking is easy. There's a lot behind the Soda Works shopping area. Just don't park in one of the 15 minute zones. You'll never want to leave that fast.
Over the last week, I had a relative spending a number of days at the new Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara (out now, all's fine). One afternoon I was walking into the telemetry ward there and approached two twenty-something paramedics wheeling a woman out on a gurney. As I passed them in the hall, one recounted to the other about a fantastic time he'd had at Mountain Charlie's in Los Gatos. His colleague grinned. "Mountain Charlie's - that place is great!" was the immediate and very enthusiastic response. Having gone there quite a bit when I was a twenty-something, I smiled to remember a lot of happy times.
It's nice to just overhear people share an enthusiastic endorsement of a Los Gatos nightspot, isn't it?
A pediatric center to diagnose and treat autism spectrum disorders will be opening in Los Gatos at the Mission Oaks Campus of Good Samaritan Hospital (located at National Avenue and Los Gatos Almaden Roads). It will be the first facility of its kind in Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area or anywhere in Northern California. This important work is coming into existence thanks to the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation, the May Institute and Good Samaritan Hospital, and all the generous donors and volunteers who support them.
Autism and related disorders seem to be growing at an epidemic rate and families will be thankful to have assistance here in Santa Clara County. It is hoped that the center will open by the end of this calendar year.
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)
On Friday I enjoyed a late lunch with a real estate colleague and friend of mine at Willow Street Pizza in downtown Los Gatos. The food is always good but this time I had a bowl of clam chowder and it was the best I've had in years. (1).jpg)
Nearly two years ago, The historic Cats Restaurant in Los Gatos quickly and quietly closed without much warning (see .jpg)
To my surprise, it appeared that The Cats is being made ready to reopen. There were several trucks and workers in view and the parking lot sported new blacktop and parking stripes..jpg)
The Cats Restaurant is located at 17533 Santa Cruz Highway, just past the downtown entrance to the freeway from South Santa Cruz Avenue..jpg)
Last Friday, my teens and I stopped for lunch at The Purple Onion, a new Los Gatos restaurant, which opened April 18th at the former site of Caffe Siena (Main Street and College Avenue, across from The Penthouse Apartments). We enjoyed outside dining and experienced prompt, polite service and great food, so it is something I wanted to share here on "
My kids each ordered sandwiches and I ordered a salad. Brian's was a hot sandwich, and it was so good he had a hard time keeping it on his plate between bites. Clair had a french roll with salami or prociutto and she, too, savored hers. For me it was the Cafe Salad, a wonderful mix of chicken, cranberries, a soft cheese, pistachios, greens and even a few flower petals - which made the presentation lovely - with a sweet vinegarette dressing. We ordered soft drinks as well and our total, with tax (before tipping) was about $41.00.
The Purple Onion is open Tues-Sun from 7am to 4pm, closed on Mondays. It is located at 26 E Main St 
A pediatric center to diagnose and treat autism spectrum disorders will be opening in Los Gatos at the Mission Oaks Campus of Good Samaritan Hospital (located at National Avenue and Los Gatos Almaden Roads). It will be the first facility of its kind in Silicon Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area or anywhere in Northern California. This important work is coming into existence thanks to the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation, the May Institute and Good Samaritan Hospital, and all the generous donors and volunteers who support them. 
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