Archive for the ‘Dining’ Category

Pinot With Fido

Location: Mountain Winery
Time: June 20. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Gables End is a pet-friendly community and our greater community of Mountain View offers our four-legged friends a lot of parks and outdoor spaces to socialize and enjoy life here as much as our homeowners do. Since so many of you love your pooch, we thoughts we’d mention this event… Back by popular demand – this is a unique opportunity to bring your pets along for an afternoon of wine tasting at the picturesque Mountain Winery.

The Mountain Winery invites you and your four-legged friend to their Pets and Pinot Wine Tasting event. Enjoy a complimentary taste of Estate Pinot Noir and beautiful vistas from the outdoor Vineyard Grill Patio, boasting spectacular views of the Silicon Valley.

You will be delighted with the amazing wine and your pet will be delighted with a treat! Please note that leashes are required — and clean up supplies, if needed.

More information can be found on their website.

In an ‘07 Article titled “The other Castro Street” by San Francisco Magazine the author wrote: “Mountain View is fast becoming a happening haven for techies who love to eat al fresco—and chase their free citywide Wi-Fi sessions with a few cocktails”. Thanks to its convenient location in Silicon Valley between San Jose and San Francisco, Mountain View has increasingly become not only a destination, but a place where young families can find the space they desire and enjoy urban-style amenities and culture near employers like Google, Intuit, etc…

Gables End is one such place, now offering 3- and 4-bedroom floor plans. But hurry, only 7 homes remain! For quick updates on our community you can follow along on Facebook or Twitter.

Have a look at nearby restaurants through this map (scroll):

View Larger Map

Image from Savvy Cellar Wine Bar and Shop

Anticipation grows, as one of the Peninsula’s favorite wine bars nears its Grand Opening in Mountain View at the Old Train Depot. We feel so lucky to have Savvy so close. Gables End homeowners that have enjoyed Savvy Cellar in Redwood City, now have the option of meeting up with friends and neighbors at Savvy II just minutes from their front door! Need a double date idea? Savvy Cellar was voted “Best Wine Classes in the Bay Area”

Recently posted on the Savvy Cellar Facebook Page:

“Yeah, Mtn View construction complete! Waiting on ABC license . . . sigh. In the meantime, we are cranking on internal operations – tasting a lot of bread to ensure only the best selection!:) 1 to 2 weeks to go. Opening date to be announced soon! Watch this space . . .”

Have a look at these photos of the Gables End homeowners’ newest, local amenity:

Savvy Cellar II – Week 13

Savvy Cellar II – Week 15 (Slideshow)

Happy Cinco de Mayo Mountain View!

What better way to celebrate than through food and drink? Here are some great local Mexican spots that rank high on our list:

(2) Great Choices for Burrito Lovers:

La Costana – Mountain View – Amazing Carne Asada Burritos!!! La Costana is a choose your own fillings place, and leaves every patron feeling as if they are top chef.

Taqueria La Bamba – Mountain View – If you love a burrito, this place is a hands down crowd pleaser. We recommend the Carnitas Burrito here. Check out their ratings on Yelp here http://www.yelp.com/biz/taqueria-la-bamba-mountain-view

Fiesta del Mar Too – Mountain View – Started in Downtown Mountain View in 1995 and hasn’t stopped since… They offer tequila pairings and healthy fresh California Mexican style options too. They Fiesta del Mar Too has a new take out menu + order online option, so you can take your fiesta back home to Gables End!

Vive Sol – Mountain View – A family run place where they celebrate the “the Cocina Borroca Poblana” – the food from Puebla, where the owners grew up. You can find a wide selection of fine tequilas and great ambiance.

Celia’s –Menlo Park/Palo Alto – Celia’s prides itself on quality. You can taste the freshness in Celia’s guacamole and fresh salsa. Try the Happy Hour in Palo Alto 3-7 pm for from scratch margaritas and a mix of bites.

Do you have a local Peninsula favorite spot to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? We’d love to add additional locations and recommendations to the list. Share with us, share with your neighbors…

We have been following the progress of Savvy Cellar II in Mountain View with much anticipation.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful addition to our Mountain View community.

Update from week 13, courtesy of their Facebook Fan Page : Signage and outdoor patio enclosure complete. Next up minor interior finishing, retail racks, stereo and POS.

If you haven’t had a chance to see what all the excitement is about, have a look at their Flickr Slideshow.

We can’t wait for the grand opening which should be announced within a few days. Tentative plans are for a grand opening to take place within a few weeks after final building approval.

Stay tuned!!

It's Spring Festival at Sakoon

It’s Springtime and that means we begin to emerge from our nests and look forward to mingling, meeting and mixing it up. Gables End offers homeowners the chance to live near work at companies like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, PAMF, Blogger, UStream, Actel, Siemens, Symantec, Intuit and Nokia. And while heading home for a quick cup of soup may seem dreamy in the wintertime, meeting up for lunch downtown or mingling with co-workers after hours is what makes our work-week go by faster during Spring and Summer.  Downtown Mountain View has an amazing selection of great restaurants and offers the kind of ethnic selection that is usually only found in large cities.  What’s new nearby Gables End?

Sakoon on Castro Street Begins Spring Bread Festival Lunch and Happy Hour!
April 4th thru June 20th Enjoy Regional Breads of India and Daily Specials.
Happy Hour 5 to 7 pm, daily!

We stumbled on this special “Spring Festival” deal posted on Yelp for Sakoon:

Glass of complimentary wine with dinner! (5-7 pm daily)
Your choice of complimentary dessert with dinner! (5-10 pm Sun-Th)

This Wednesday everyone turns Irish (it seems) in order to partake in the festivities. What are your plans for Saint Patrick’s Day? Whether you plan to stay at home and celebrate by cooking your favorite traditional foods — Irish soda bread, corned beef and cabbage + a number of green-tinted libations or you plan to head downtown to mingle and mix, we have you covered!

St. Stephens Green Irish Pub in Mountain View is starting this week with an Irish whiskey tasting paired with dishes such as smoked salmon on Irish soda bread ($35), while  Sakoon is offering lamb Irish stew ($20) and an Irish whiskey tasting with Indian Food Paring from 6-9 pm ($25). If you work in San Jose, O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub will be hosting its annual St. Patrick’s celebration with live music, Irish dancing, food and, of course, plenty of Guinness. And for those in the opposite direction Martins West in Redwood City is offering a gin tasting with K & L Wines on March 16th.

Some popular hot-spots close to Gables End Community:

Molly McGee’s 241 Castro St., Mountain View; (650) 961-0108.
St. Stephens Green Irish Pub 223 Castro St., Mountain View; (650) 964-9151.
Sakoon 357 Castro St., Mountain View; (650) 965-2000
Martin’s West  831 Main St. (near Broadway), Redwood City. (650) 366-4366.

Cooking Skills?

Sunset Magazine put together a nice comprehensive list of all the traditional Irish Fare with a Foodie twist. Click here for the recipes: A Foodie’s St. Patick’s Day

Staying home? Watch this video on Guinness:

We’ve been going stir crazy with long computer hours and this rainy winter.  Are you looking for some indoor activity this wet winter season too? Look no further than Strike Cupertino.

Strike boasts 40,000 sq. ft. of entertainment and dining pleasure. You will find something for everyone:

• 32 lanes of high-energy bowling in a unique architecturally stunning setting
• State of the art A/V and a huge video wall spanning the lanes
• Enjoy cocktails and gourmet cuisine right at your lane or at our opulent bar
• Full Arcade
• Billiards

Strike is the ideal spot for private events, or just a great night out nearby. Strike has already made its mark on the east coast and has recently made its way to the west coast not too far from our community at Gables End!

Get your retro look going and have some fun! Bowling is hip again at Strike.  You can also follow them on Twitter or fan them on Facebook for events and specials.

Back in July of 2009, the City Council of Mountain View chose Savvy Cellar Wines, Inc. to lease the replica 1888 Train Depot in downtown Mountain View. Savvy Cellar plans to operate a wine bar out of the building similar to a business it runs in Redwood City.

According to a July 9th  article in the Mountain View Voice, Savvy Cellar plans to serve wine and “light foods” and to sell wine by the bottle. The company may also use the space to teach its highly regarded classes on wine.*

We are pleased to announce that they have started the interior remodel to transform the once-vacant train station into a wonderful wine experience for residents of Mountain View to enjoy.  A Flickr Slideshow of the Savvy Cellar interior build-out can be viewed by clicking on the image above or following this link.

For more information regarding this exciting project, become a fan of Savvy Cellar Wines on Facebook and follow along.  We’ve also made Savvy Cellar a Favorite local business on the Gables End Facebook page. The Gables End Facebook Fan page Favorites is like a concierge of local Mountain View services all in one spot!

* Quote from July 9, 2009 Mountain View Voice article

When I’m not running or going to the concerts at Shoreline I’m usually attempting to cook. And I do mean attempting to cook. My cooking skills weren’t really facilitated by the ease of restaurants in the city and the fact that sometimes it was cheaper to eat out than to cook. So, since my move I’ve been trying out new recipes from the web, cookbooks and health food stores to improve my domesticity. This doesn’t always go well. Half the time I don’t know what the ingredient I’m using or looking for really is and sometimes I can’t even pronounce it; for example, the quince. I don’t really know what it is beyond a funny apple-looking fruit. But I decided in my boldness to bake it for a dessert. This time success, but not always.

The great thing about moving out her to Gables End is that no matter how many ingredients I need or how many times I need to go back to get them I can always make a quick trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. And they are pretty much right across the street from each other so if one doesn’t have what I’m looking for, chances are I can get it across the way. And the people at both stores are really helpful and don’t laugh (at least not in my face) when I ask all sorts of questions about ingredients and look for helpful suggestions. This honestly makes my move easier and more enjoyable. No more snobby clerks from the city passing judgment on some sad little meal I’ll probably burn. Now, I’m off to the kitchen because the pumpkin is my next challenge.