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!

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NB: This is not a paid post, nor did the proprietors ask me to do a review.

Forbes Mill Steakhouse
206 N. Santa Cruz Avenue
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Tel 408 395-6434
http://www.ForbesMillSteakhouse.com