Gravity Wine Bar got the food and wine right

I have been to the Gravity Wine Bar in Palo Alto three times now. I really like it. I haven't made it upstairs yet to see the restaurant space (twice it has been booked with private parties), but the bar downstairs has ample tables and bar seating such that I have been accommodated each time without a wait. Gravity Wine Bar is a part of a restaurant group that includes Reposado in Palo Alto, Palo Alto Creamery, and Scratch in Mountain View, all of which I consider yummy in their own rights.

The food is upscale, the drinks are tasty and the prices reflect that. The decor in the bar space is intimate, but the sound level is often loud. The wine list and collective wine knowledge is one of the best elements of this restaurant, and I have always had delicious options offered at Gravity Wine Bar. The waiters have always offered up a wine pairing for whatever has been ordered.

I have tried food from each category on the menu, and I especially loved the cheese plate, the bruschetta and the risotto in the appetizer category. The burger and sausage entrees were both very good. You won't be disappointed with the chocolate pot de creme to finish your meal. This is a great place for a drink with a bestie or an intimate meal with your significant other. Did you like the Gravity Wine Bar? Please leave a comment below so I can hear your thoughts on this restaurant.

SliderBarCafe in Palo Alto is perfect for a family meal

My family hopped into the SliderBarCafe on University Avenue yesterday for a late lunch. We are a six person family so it can be a small challenge to get tables at times, but not yesterday -- we were seated immediately. The smaller portion format was perfection for our young family. We sampled sliders, mini Belgian waffles, a basket of fries and side salads. All was delicious!

The mini Belgian waffles were the preferred meal for our vegetarian children (we have two) and the two non-vegetarians ate sliders. The mini waffles tasted more like a "pretzel" than a Belgian waffle per my kid, but they ate them happily (each child even meat eaters ate at least one). We also ordered the Classic American, the Solona Chili Southwestern Chicken, the Bacon and Cheddar and the Mediterranean Lamb sliders. They were yummy.

We rounded out our order with a basket of their "Belgian" fries - no complaints. You can choose three different dipping sauces from the 11 they offer, and between regular or garlic fries. The side salad was awesome — fresh, green and purple lettuces with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers.

Their hours of operation include a 10 am opening (they have breakfast sliders too!) and 10 or 11 pm closing, so it is nice for a late bite. We loved it and will be back!

Have you eaten at the SliderBarCafe? Please let me know your thoughts on this joint!

Need help planning an event or meeting in Palo Alto? Contact me at EventCounselor.

Can you get a hotel any closer to Stanford? NOPE!

The Palo Alto Sheraton and Westin are both Starwood Hotels properties, and although they sit side by side (sharing a parking lot), they are pretty different hotels.

A banquet set in one of the Sheraton's event spaces

The Sheraton is more family-oriented. This property has the better pool, and the decor (while dated) is more relaxed. There are several different banquet spaces, and all are fairly standard.

The Westin is more upscale, and has been renovated more recently. This property is quieter, and it caters to business travelers. Every sleeping room opens to a courtyard view, and the Courtyard of the Moon and Stars was particularly beautiful for outdoor dining or cocktail receptions.

The real shining star of these two hotels is their location!! They are located at the corner of El Camino Real and University Avenue, and the guests staying at either of these properties are blocks from Stanford, great eating and amazing shopping. If you need to rent a car, Hertz is onsite. Score!

Both hotels are very busy during Stanford events — think Reunion Weekend, football games and graduation. You can book an event here one year out, so get planning!

Visit EventCounselor for more details on event spaces in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Sushi workshops and killer tatami rooms in Palo Alto

In case you haven't eaten at Fuki Sushi in Palo Alto, it is not "Americanized" Japanese food. The food at this restaurant is authentic, organic, sustainable where possible and delicious! The decor of the restaurant is pretty, and the tatami rooms are amazing. The restaurant has tucked-away sections that can host many types of events, social and business. Surprisingly (to me anyway), the events hosted are mostly business, not social.

The Sun Room includes the sushi bar area, and groups often use this room when there are A/V requirements. The sushi bar can be converted into a buffet station, and it can accommodate up to 35 people seated.

The main dining room has built-in booths and sectioned areas for smaller tables on the floor. All of the partitions are removable, and the entire space can be reconfigured to host a larger group of 60 people seated.

Tatami room table set for 8 people

The tatami rooms are off the hook! The rooms can accommodate from 4 to 20 people. Some of the rooms offer a great deal of privacy, which makes them the perfect place for an important conversation. The tatami rooms are beautifully decorated and would be a very special birthday dinner spot, but only guests 12 and older are allowed to dine in these spaces.

The restaurant also offers classes and workshops on sushi making and sake tasting. Many companies take advantage of the hands-on experience for team building exercises and incentive programs. Fuki Sushi can host a workshop at an offsite location for groups of 4 to 350 people! The restaurant even teams with De Anza College to offer classes to the masses.

Fuki Sushi seems to go the extra mile when working on events, and they have had experience delivering service to some very large companies and very large groups. Yet, when you are dining at the restaurant, you can also imagine a very elegant and delicious meal in honor of something special. Delivering service to both ends of the spectrum of event types is a depth of service delivery that does impress me. They serve gluten-free soy sauce upon request, which also makes them my new favorite sushi restaurant!

Visit EventCounselor for more ideas on awesome team-building venues in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Unique garden paradise and friendly Polynesian village on the El Camino

Dinah's Garden Hotel is eclectic, and it has a delightful history. The hotel was built in 1957, and the current general manager is the daughter of the original owners.

Dinah's Shack restaurant preceded the hotel by 30 years, and since November 2001, Trader Vic's has made their home as the onsite restaurant and event space for the hotel.

Giant elephant sculpture outside the lobby

The property is exceptional because of its unique layout and design. The rooms are nicely decorated, and they have views of little lagoons filled with coy and a nice pool. The gardens are lush, and the artifacts in the restaurant and around the hotel were all collected by the original owners.

They have several different types of rooms, so it accommodates all types of travelers. There is a breakfast and lunch restaurant at the pool that has also been the concessionaire on the property for a long time, and it looks like an awesome place to enjoy your morning routine. The location of the property plus the beauty of its grounds should make this a serious contender for anyone visiting the mid-Peninsula.

There are several different options for hosting events at this venue, and because of that they have a great deal of flexibility. I did dine at Trader Vic's, and those of us who had fun cocktails off their extensive drinks menu enjoyed them thoroughly! A person in our party thought if one can pretend to be in Hawaii, then they will enjoy the experience, and I agree. The execution of the food was average, but the service was excellent.  I think if you held an event here and controlled the menu, you would have a good experience.

I checked my opinion against the crowd at Yelp, and it seems that my opinion and that of my party were right on target. I think we could have done better ordering based on their reviews of dishes we did not try, but all in all, this venue should be considered seriously for events like company incentive dinners, awards ceremonies or wedding receptions.

Visit EventCounselor if you need more ideas for unique locations for your next event in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Palo Alto's Old Faithful

Who hasn't taken a business associate to Il Fornio for a yummy and consistent meal? I keep going back because it is so dependable. The restaurant applies that reliability to their group customers as well. Host a seated dinner on the patio for a party of 80 or a smaller affair in the two private rooms for parties of 40 or 16. Whatever your size, you can't go wrong.

This location is a no-brainer if you are planning a small business luncheon or hosting a business meeting/luncheon combination. The larger space is very flexible and could easily host a great rehearsal dinner, cocktail reception or anniversary party. They also offer full-service catering and a monthly "passport" program where you can culinarily visit different regions in Italy through different tasting menus with other bonuses like a take-away gift and a chance to win a trip to Italy.

There is a lot to love about this restaurant for groups, not least of which is that there are several members of the executive team (Events Coordinator included) that have been with this location for over 20 years! This team has been hosting events in Palo Alto for a long time. That kind of longevity speaks for itself.

Visit EventCounselor to find more restaurants that would be a perfect fit to host your next business event in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Eating in a barn? Hardly!

The Patio at the California Cafe

I made plans to meet three girlfriends for lunch at the California Cafe in the Stanford Barn. Hearing the word "barn" set off all sorts of concerns about the meal and themes, but upon first service at the restaurant, my fears were put to rest.

The food was sophisticated and was presented beautifully on the plate. I was very impressed by the service, and the food we ordered was very good. The food was on the more expensive scale, but the restaurant delivered in all areas. I wasn't at all scoping the restaurant for event spaces, so my revisit to the space was from a new perspective —  and I liked what I saw!

California Cafe has two semi-private rooms and two private rooms that would work for many different types of events. My favorite spaces at this location were the outside areas. The restaurant has a covered patio and a courtyard right off of the main dining room. The walls that surround the outdoor spaces are brick with green ivy growing up. I found it to be a naturally beautiful backdrop for an event.

The Courtyard sits to the right of the Patio

You could host a delicious sit down dinner with cocktail reception in the courtyard or a wedding reception with indoor and outdoor portions. I was surprised because this restaurant turned out to be a beautiful events location with a very flexible layout. Everyone I dealt with from the hostess to the events coordinator were all really nice and extremely professional, which does make a difference when wanting to impress your guests.

Business meetings would also be well-served in this spot. They have a ton of fun promotions (all of which I wish I could attend!), and they have a sick Happy Hour deal on Fridays, so you must pop over and check it out. If you haven't been by in a while, peek around at their event spaces and let your imagination take off!

Visit EventCounselor for more ideas on fresh locations to have your next event in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Location, Location, Location

The Courtyard
Photo by Matthew Millman Photography

The Garden Court Hotel has one of the best locations in the heart of downtown Palo Alto. The hotel itself has far more event space (7,000 sq ft) than hotel rooms (only 62!), so they are very focused on events, especially business events. Hosting so many business meetings means that their peak time is during the week, so plan ahead and book this spot early!

Why so popular? If you want to host a meeting in downtown Palo Alto, this property is surrounded by great restaurants and shopping. Each hotel room has a private balcony; and most face the inner court, which is beautiful both during the day and at night. The styling of this property transports you into a more relaxed environment, when really you are in the center of it all. To make the guest experience even more comfortable, the rooms were all redecorated within the last year.

The refurbishment wasn't just for the guest rooms. The Courtyard Ballroom was completely redone as well. They have two additional indoor spaces for events, and let's not forget the wonderful courtyard and balcony spaces for outdoor events. The combination of a business meeting in one of the inside meeting rooms and a cocktail reception in the courtyard or lunch on the balcony would be a very impressive event.

The Garden Court has a long-standing relationship with Il Fornio to provide all the onsite catering, and all the food is prepared in the Garden Court Hotel's kitchen by Il Fornio chefs. This property is unique in its location, styling and design aesthetics, and you should take a closer look at it for your next event.

Visit EventCounselor for more information on the best centrally-located places to hold a meeting or event in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Party with Rodin!

The Cantor Arts Center is a very special event space. It is only available to individual or corporate sponsors for rental ($10,000 and $15,000 respectively), but if you have the extra cash around, it is so exquisite — this museum has the largest collection of Rodin bronzes outside of Paris. Hello!!

This venue is about art in its highest form. It is a venue for attendees who will appreciate the space and the art. An event held here would be absolutely sophisticated and elegant.

Interested? First, go to the Cantor Arts Center and take a free to the public docent-led tour (check the schedule here), and if you want to schedule a group guided tour, click here for more information. While on your tour, imagine seminars in theater style seating in the auditorium. As you walk past the large windows looking out onto the green space, imagine a tent with white lights and passed hors d'oeuvres. Imagine a company holiday party amongst the rotating collections at the museum. Whatever you host here would be an affair to remember.

If you are looking for a place to have a wedding ceremony, look elsewhere because they do not host any religious or political events. A very special anniversary dinner or a corporate dinner would be amazing.

Need more ideas for sophisticated and art-centered events? Visit EventCounselor and find your special event location in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Three Seasons in downtown Palo Alto is off the beaten path

Three Seasons is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Palo Alto, even though it is located right in the middle of it all. I didn't see the restaurant at first, but I was pleased when I did find it. I loved the decor and the place smelled yummy.

The food did not disappoint! The scallops were cooked perfectly, and the green beans were delicious. They serve small plates as a part of their menu so you can try a bunch of different specialties — it is like Vietnamese tapas.

You will love dining on the outdoor patio

The restaurant has a giant bar, which is the centerpiece of the space. There is balcony seating along three sides of the restaurant, and they have wi-fi (a customer working in the bar area was looking very comfy!) and a super cute outdoor seating area. Three Seasons can do all sorts of configurations of the restaurant for events (group reservations v. section rentals v. full or partial restaurant buyouts) and customized menus. There is a new manager, and he is devising some new ideas for leveraging this space even further.

There isn't an enclosed meeting space, so it is difficult to imagine how effective a business meeting would be here. Focus more on hosting a group dinner, cocktail reception or buffet-style dinner in the upstairs balcony or outdoor patio. This event space would be a blast in which to host your holiday office party. They have a built-in DJ sound system in the balcony.

Visit EventCounselor for ideas on the best spaces for your next holiday party in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

Secret Garden in Palo Alto? You bet!

Talk about a well-kept secret! The Elizabeth Gamble Garden is in the heart of Palo Alto, and I have passed this event space many times rolling down Embarcadero and never even noticed it. That made seeing the property all the more spectacular.

It is a small venue (maximum attendees for a wedding ceremony is 50), but the gardens are jaw-droppingly beautiful. The garden surrounds a beautiful historic home. The home's first floor can be utilized for parties or meetings, and there are two additional event rooms on the property for the same purpose.

Picture a bride readying herself inside this grand, historic house and just a few steps from there, she walks out onto the back porch to an enclosed garden space that is so picturesque I actually got goose-bumps when I saw the doors open.

Picnic at The Gamble Gardens for Ed's birthday

The gardens are lovingly cared for by volunteers. They have an intergenerational garden which is worked on by senior volunteers and kids from a local school. All the flowers for the house are cut from the flower gardens out back. There are a couple of picnic tables in one corner of the property. I was so inspired by the grounds that I rode my bike back that same week for a picnic with the kids.

They seem to be governed by oodles of committees that "handle" all sorts of things and they don't use email for communications, but the location is so pretty, it would be well worth that inconvenience. You can use the house and event rooms during the work week, and rent the gardens and event rooms for weddings on weekday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays.

Visit EventCounselor for more ideas on beautiful outdoor spaces for events in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

The Zen Hotel

I was pleasantly surprised by The Zen Hotel in Palo Alto. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but the rooms are nicely done and they have wi-fi. I recently stopped by for a site inspection because my Mom and Dad are headed to town soon and needed a place close to the grand-kiddos.

I was surprised to find the rooms in really nice shape, a free breakfast, and a hot tub for unwinding. They have a couple of suite rooms that are quite large with separate sitting areas and fully functioning kitchens (one (1) bedroom and one (2) bedroom). I immediately booked for my parents (best rates for this hotel are online) and thought that a company sending someone on a recruiting trip or a local company with someone coming in from out of town, but needing a space for small groups to meet, would benefit from this room type as well.

Need more ideas for places for small groups to meet in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto or Redwood City, please visit  EventCounselor.com.

Try The Fish Market for Group Dinners - they are so FLEXIBLE!

I could hardly believe it myself!  I have dined at The Fish Market in Palo Alto so many times and enjoyed my meal there every time.  I had no idea how great it is to have a group meal there too!

After speaking with the General Manager (also the group dining guru), I was amazed to find out what is possible and what isn't, and guess what, not much that isn't possible here!  Their "back room", which sadly doesn't have doors to make it more of a private dining experience, does have the ability to accommodate up to 80 people seated for an event.  All the dividers that create "sections" in the space for normal diners can be removed and most table configurations can be accommodated!

Your event menu will be customized from The Fish Market's ginormous daily menu. Menus can be crafted with a low per person price or you can present a menu to your guests that looks like the actual daily menus with limited choices from each section. Basically, anything you can think of for a menu offering can likely be arranged. The food is dependable and fresh. They do fish very well and their cheesy garlic bread is outstanding!

They also create platters of food from their menu that are available for pick up.  The pricing varies and a small platter charge is applied (less than $9/platter to cover condiments and the like) but you can have a platter of anything off the menu.  Some things translate better than others, but even their hot food can be served at home or the office by popping in the oven and rewarming to temperature. I especially like the idea of their smoked fishes on a platter for any occasion.  The Fish Market smokes their own fish and it is so tasty, and works in some capacity for any meal - a spotlight for your brunch table to hors d'oeuvres for your dinner spread.

They don't allow restaurant or cocktail lounge buyouts, but they can put together a large sit down meal with a cocktail reception component too. My favorite find in this space is the front patio. Although it does face the El Camino, the sound isn't too overwhelming and is often a lovely, sunny spot. The perfect start to an event would be a cocktail reception on the front patio and then move into the group space at the back of the restaurant for the meal portion.

If you have an office luncheon or a need to bring a party platter to an event, The Fish Market is a great choice.
Should you need more help choosing a location for your next event, visit EventCounselor.com for more ideas and the inside track on event space and entertaining in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto or Redwood City.

Palo Alto Bachelor Party Dinner - Sundance the Steakhouse

Not that much is still the same in Palo Alto's Food and Beverage scene as it was 35 years ago.  I suspect from their loyal customers that Sundance the Steakhouse has always served a good meal.

It has a very warm decor with historic and interesting touches, but it is dark so make sure you download a flashlight application before trying to see what treasures are on the wall or on your menu!  The dark woodwork, paneling, and artifacts immediately inspired the idea of a bachelor party dinner. Hearty food, done well, yet not what I would consider fine dining or stuffy. Menu pricing is on the expensive side, so definitely more of a special occasion spot and the service was outstanding!

I always dine at a place anonymously before meeting with the person who handles events because I really get a sense of the place and get to see its operations. So valuable! Here what I saw that this place does right:

1. Their decor is designed with their menu in mind and when you walk through those doors, the atmosphere readies the customer for a serious meal. Your meal will arrive handsomely placed, but the decor suggests a certain robustness to the meal and the plates don't disappoint.

2. What a following this place has! Their loyal customers have a special meal deal from 5 - 6 pm. Speaks volumes to the quality meal they produce.

3. Their award-wining Prime Rib was outstanding! It is special and if you want to have an event where prime rib is going to be your chosen entree, this is your place.  We ate appetizers, salads, desserts, all different cuts of meats for our entrees - all delicious. They also have a kid's menu!

4. Their wine list is extensive and has multiple price points.  They advertised a "famous" Lemon Drop Martini and they were as delightful as the wine we had with our meal.

5. Probably most important is that they had spot on service start to finish. Service counts for so much of the equation when deciding where to hold a group event and they delivered on that end. My guess is that they will exceed expectations on service when hosting an important birthday celebration or a business meal.

They have three semi-private spaces for group functions. A business meeting that required A/V or private, quiet spaces would not the right fit for this space. Family celebratory functions, a business meal, Happy Hour in their bar with hors d'oeuvres stations would all rock in this restaurant. Christmas and Stanford graduation are very busy times at Sundance, so plan ahead!

I learned so much more during my site visit at Sundance, so if you would like more information on event spaces in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto or Redwood City, please visit EventCounselor.com.