I was in Mountain View this past weekend to help Mei celebrate her milestone birthday and while there was a big party on Saturday, we went out to eat on Friday (her actual birthday) and after the party. Stephen chose well, picking two great places.
On Friday, we went to Pampas, a Brazillian churrascarria restaurant with an all-you-can-eat selection of grilled meats along with an extensive sidebar. The sidebar itself was enough for a meal-cheeses, salads, grilled veggies, etc. The meats came by based on your turning over a disk to indicate green for go or red for stop and included pork, several cuts of beef, lamb, chicken (including hearts) and pineapple! The charge for kids for the feast was $15!! Now that is a deal with hungry kids! The desserts sounded great, although we did not have any, as there was cake waiting at home.
On Saturday night, we tried out a chain called Paul Martin. I've seen them in the LA area but never had the chance to try one out. It's a farm-to-table style restaurant with everything (but the ketchup) made in-house). We loved everything! Because we had spent the day eating at the party, several people had salads and soups and I had the black cod special. Everything was really fresh and tasty. We found the prices quite reasonable.
15 February 2016
Birthday tea at Hotel Bel Air
This year, since my birthday was on a Friday, I decided to take the day off and asked a couple of friends to join me for afternoon tea at Hotel Bel Air. We'd been to the one at the Peninsula and I love a nice tea. Well, this one outdid all of them!
First, the location is in the rather lush, quiet and secluded enclave of Bel Air. It's a little challenging to drive up there (the other drivers are a little aggressive!) but once there, it's so serene! In the midst of the drought, I haven't seen this much green lush lawn in CA in ages. As soon as you enter the grounds, there is a small bridge over a pond/creek with the famous swans and a few ducks. The landscaping is all green with white flowers. The hotel entry is sort of disguised, as it doesn't seem obvious that it's a hotel reception. The restaurant is just past it, and opens up to a well lit garden setting. Tea is served in small booths giving a wonderful sense of privacy.
The food was fantastic. There were the usual open face sandwiches (salmon, cucumber) but there was also a grilled cheese, mushroom puff, crab slider. Every thing was delicious. I forgot to take a picture of this display.
The next course were the scones, two each. They were the best scones I've ever had! The outsides were crisp and flaky, insides tender and moist and the scone did not crumble into a pile at the slightest touch. They were served with Devonshire cream, French butter and three jams, with the Huckleberry being particularly outstanding.
Before the final course, they brought out a small chocolate cake with 'Happy Birthday' written on the plate. They had asked if we were celebrating a special occasion when I called to reserve. This was a nice touch.
The dessert plate was just as wonderful as the rest of the meal. We were so full, we barely finished our treats, but we took them all home for a nice reminder for tomorrow.
Finally, the women's restroom was incredible. It looked like what might be a super fancy bathroom at your super wealthy friend's house (if you had such a friend).
Here are some pics.
First, the location is in the rather lush, quiet and secluded enclave of Bel Air. It's a little challenging to drive up there (the other drivers are a little aggressive!) but once there, it's so serene! In the midst of the drought, I haven't seen this much green lush lawn in CA in ages. As soon as you enter the grounds, there is a small bridge over a pond/creek with the famous swans and a few ducks. The landscaping is all green with white flowers. The hotel entry is sort of disguised, as it doesn't seem obvious that it's a hotel reception. The restaurant is just past it, and opens up to a well lit garden setting. Tea is served in small booths giving a wonderful sense of privacy.
The food was fantastic. There were the usual open face sandwiches (salmon, cucumber) but there was also a grilled cheese, mushroom puff, crab slider. Every thing was delicious. I forgot to take a picture of this display.
The next course were the scones, two each. They were the best scones I've ever had! The outsides were crisp and flaky, insides tender and moist and the scone did not crumble into a pile at the slightest touch. They were served with Devonshire cream, French butter and three jams, with the Huckleberry being particularly outstanding.
Before the final course, they brought out a small chocolate cake with 'Happy Birthday' written on the plate. They had asked if we were celebrating a special occasion when I called to reserve. This was a nice touch.
The dessert plate was just as wonderful as the rest of the meal. We were so full, we barely finished our treats, but we took them all home for a nice reminder for tomorrow.
Finally, the women's restroom was incredible. It looked like what might be a super fancy bathroom at your super wealthy friend's house (if you had such a friend).
Here are some pics.
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