“For all the bad that came from the pandemic, reminding us of the joys of dining al fresco is a silver lining.”
—Rebecca King, food writer
We had an intimate and romantic dinner with our dear friends and neighbors Susan and Nelson Bye at the Wine Cellar on their award-winning patio as the sun was beginning to set between the trees. During the pandemic we mostly took turns having dinner on our respective backyard terraces at Rinconada Hills tucked away in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Ever so slowly we have been venturing out to enjoying fine cuisine at local restaurants that offer outdoor dining. Established in 1966 the Wine Cellar in Los Gatos (Spanish for The Cats) is the only remaining original tenant of the Old Town Shopping Center that was once a one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1875.
Nelson and I had an 805 Honey Blonde Ale for starters, Cecile enjoyed a glass of the signature Rombauer Chardonnay and Susan had a rum and diet coke. We had cause to celebrate, not just our enduring friendship but our upcoming trips that we have booked on a riverboat cruise in the Washington and Oregon area in the fall and the Great Lakes Victory Cruise beginning in Toronto next Spring and ending in Cecile’s home town of Chicago.
Once again Nelson and Susan brought a bottle of 2012 Campofiorito Amarone della Valpolicella red from Nelson’s collection to accompany dinner. We enjoyed Hoisin-glazed Australian free range Grilled Lamb Lollipops with asian cabbage salad, garnish, beurre blanc (gluten free); Flash fried Panko-Crusted Prawns with tangy cocktail sauce and fresh lemon. Harvest Salad with orchard pears, apples and candied pecans, mixed greens, gorgonzola cheese, citrus vinaigrette, toasted bread slices with grilled chicken; and a very special pan-roasted Parmesan Crusted Halibut with tomato-basil tapenade, tomato beurre blanc, Yukon gold-smashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus.
For dessert we all had an exquisite mixed Berry Puff Pastry composed of fresh strawberry, blackberry and blueberry compote sandwiched between a crisp pastry with fresh whipped cream and vanilla ice cream.
It was to die for.
After dinner with took some photos together with the very colorful Beautiful Los Gatos Cat posters in the backdrop next to Sephora before heading home with the renewed sense of freedom from the fallout of the pandemic becoming more palpable.
