Category Archives: Dining Outside

Sunday Brunching At Be.Steak.A

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Toad-in-a-hole -- one of the many, many offerings at Sunday brunch at Be.Steak.A.
Toad-in-a-hole — one of the many, many offerings at Sunday brunch at Be.Steak.A.

Our strategy?

To divide and conquer — and not end up looking and feeling like a beached whale and her mate at the end of it.

Our mission?

To spend last Sunday morning indulging in the upscale buffet brunch at Campbell’s Be.Steak.A.

Yes, it was an assignment that my husband and I accepted eagerly after Chef-Owner Jeffrey Stout invited us in as his guests.

The brunch, which the restaurant started offering about a year ago, is available Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at $115 per person. Seatings are available both in the dining room and outside on the patio.

The dining room just before opening on Sunday morning.
The dining room just before opening on Sunday morning.
The buffet's cold dishes.
The buffet’s cold dishes.
Four types of roe to top blini.
Four types of roe to top blini.

When it comes to buffets, everyone has a game plan. Some people like to try a little bit of every single thing. Some key in on the most expensive dishes first and foremost. Many keep piling their plates over and over until deep remorse sets in as the waistband digs in mercilessly.

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Exploring Southern Oregon: Long Walk Vineyard

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Grenache vines at Long Walk Vineyards, which bucks the trend for Pinot Noir in Oregon and specializes in Rhone varietals instead.
Grenache vines at Long Walk Vineyards, which bucks the trend for Pinot Noir in Oregon and specializes in Rhone varietals instead.

Ashland, OR. — Stanford grads Kathy and Tim O’Leary were looking for a second home that would allow them to take a break from their hectic lives in Palo Alto where she was an engineer and he was an attorney.

They started scouting around in a circumference of a 2-hour’s drive away in California before ultimately settling on a spot nearly 8 hours away in Oregon.

That’s why their Ashland winery was dubbed Long Walk Vineyard. Or so the story goes. You can understand why they extended their search so far north, though, once you gaze upon this this 50-acre historic orchard on a hill that they purchased in 2000.

The 2021 Carignane with charcuterie board that includes the winery's own honey.
The 2021 Carignane with charcuterie board that includes the winery’s own honey.

That’s what I found when I visited the beautiful property a couple weeks ago, where unlike most wineries in this region, Pinot Noir is not king, but Rhone varietals are.

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Exploring Southern Oregon: Alchemy Restaurant and The Winchester Inn

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The "Chef's Alchemy'' farm-fresh dish at Alchemy in Ashland.
The “Chef’s Alchemy” farm-fresh dish at Alchemy in Ashland.

Ashland, OR. — Its moniker may be inspired by San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House because of its expansion in fits and starts over the years, but unlike its namesake the Winchester Inn is as far from kitschy and haphazard as it gets.

Instead, this stately Victorian inn boasts not only real history, but beautifully appointed rooms and suites, as well as a critically acclaimed restaurant on site, Alchemy, that has been honored with a Wine Spectator “Best of Award of Excellence.”

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited to stay and dine there as a guest of Travel Oregon.

The original owners were inspired to name the inn after San Jose's Winchester Mystery House.
The original owners were inspired to name the inn after San Jose’s Winchester Mystery House.

Comprised of a series of historic homes, the inn’s main house was actually the first hospital in Southern Oregon. Back then, it was located on Main Street. But in 1910, it was moved up the hill to its current S. Second Street location.

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Dining Outside at Shepherd & Sims

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The delectable ahi tostada at Shepherd & Sims.
The delectable ahi tostada at Shepherd & Sims.

You’d be hard-pressed to find another chef who has left such an imprimatur on the South Bay as Chef Jim Stump.

In his early days, he was executive chef at Birk’s in Santa Clara, then the same at Le Mouton Noir in Saratoga, before launching the Los Gatos Brewing Company and downtown San Jose’s A.P. Stump’s.

In 2012, he debuted the popular The Table in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood. Since then, his The Hot Behind You hospitality management group has opened Forthright in Campbell, The Vesper in Campbell, and most recently, Jim Stump’s Taproom & Kitchen at San Jose Mineta International Airport.

In fall 2021, during the throes of the pandemic, he also opened Shepherd & Sims in Los Gatos. The name is a co-mingling of the surnames of his wife and business partner, Angelique Shepherd-Stump and Stump’s birth name when he was adopted as a child.

A couple times a year, I play hooky from my home office during the week to enjoy a “ladies who lunch” outing with friends to celebrate one of our birthdays.

Shepherd & Sims sports a sizeable covered patio for dining, as well as a snazzy indoor dining room.
Shepherd & Sims sports a sizeable covered patio for dining, as well as a snazzy indoor dining room.

If you’re inclined to do the same — or to just enjoy a wonderful lunch outdoors on a sunny day — Shepherd & Sims is the spot to do it.

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“Grill Takeover” Time At Eataly’s Terra

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Lamb tongue with horseradish potato foam at Terra's first "Grill Takeover'' dinner collaboration.
Lamb tongue with horseradish potato foam at Terra’s first “Grill Takeover” dinner collaboration.

Terra restaurant at Silicon Valley’s Eataly is getting taken over — in a fun and delicious way.

The rooftop restaurant inside Eataly at Westfield Valley Fair shopping Center in San Jose just launched a “Grill Takeover” series in which it partners with a local restaurant for a one-night collaborative dinner.

I was fortunate to be invited as a guest to the inaugural one last week with San Mateo’s Pausa restaurant.

The event featured Eataly Silicon Valley’s Chef Antonio Giordano and Pausa’s Chef Andrea Giuliani teamed on a four-course meal that was $125 per person.

Eataly Silicon Valley's Chef Antonio Giordano and Pausa's Chef Andrea Giuliani with Terra's general manager.
Eataly Silicon Valley’s Chef Antonio Giordano and Pausa’s Chef Andrea Giuliani with Terra’s general manager.

The dining room was full for this sold-out event. For those still cautious about dining indoors, you’ll be glad to know that Terra’s dining room is practically outdoors. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors leading to the outside dining terrace are left open. Moreover, the ceiling itself is slatted to allow for plenty of air flow.

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