Madera is as good as they say

I just ate at Madera last night in celebration of my 12 year wedding anniversary, and boy was the experience special! I had already done a review of the Rosewood Sand Hill as an event property, but Madera only accommodates parties of up to 12 guests, so I kind of skipped over it in my initial review. Now I am ready to tidy things up and tell you — don't miss Madera!! It was yummy!

I booked the reservation using my very good friend, Opentable, and noted in the reservation that it was our anniversary. Great restaurants definitely pay attention to those notations, and Madera is no exception. They seated us at one of the best tables in the room, right next to a giant, roaring fire with a perfect view of their open kitchen.

They poured us a (complimentary no less) glass of champagne to begin our celebration, and that level of excellent service was delivered throughout the entire meal. While the food and the service are on par with any fine dinning restaurant, the overall atmosphere was very accessible. It wasn't stuffy or overly fancy which tends to make my husband feel out of place. Their service provision rose to meet us where we were, instead of where they were. Nice.

The rolls and the in-house crafted butter that began our meal were delicious (the caramelized onion, bacon, parmesean cheese roll was finger licking good!), the amuse-bouche was perfect, and our entries were spectacular. My husband said the rack of lamb was the best he had ever tasted. We split the appetizer special (crab tortellini in lobster jus) and the meyer lemon tart dessert (pretty darned amazing). Not one flavor disappointed us.

One change of note for our next visit - we had an early reservation, but not early enough at this time of year to take advantage of the spectacular view of sunsets they have from their dining room.

My parents bought us a bottle of John Anthony Cabernet for our meal. Wow!! Try it if you get a chance. We loved it.

Madera is perfect for a small celebratory meal. It is a dining experience that will resonate with your guests for a long time. I can't wait to go back!

Undiscovered event space gem in Redwood Shores

There is a great, little restaurant tucked away in Redwood Shores that may not be on your radar, but it should be — especially if you are hosting an event soon.

Mistral is located on the same lagoon as the Sofitel in Redwood Shores, and has an outstanding all-seasons patio. The patio wraps around the entire lagoon-facing portion of the restaurant, and comes complete with a giant outdoor fireplace and an adjoining fire pit with hangout space.

The Wine Room at Mistral

After dining at Mistral, I thought the subsequent site visit would be all about the patio, and as great as it is, it wasn't the star of the day. The Wine Room was the space that really surprised me!

This private dining room is decorated like a wine cellar and has its own private entrance. The decor feels rich with beautiful finishes and walls of wine racks, and it can seat up to 42 people. This room would be perfect for a small business meeting or a special occasion meal. Guests can use the separate sound system for this room to customize the music. A luncheon business meeting would be tough in this room because it is adjacent to the kitchen and there is residual noise during their busiest service hours.

The Chalk Room is a second, smaller private room that opens onto the fire pit area on the patio. This room would be perfect for an event that was one part meeting and one part social, renting out the fire pit area too. Such a great match for an event under 20 people. The food was good, and when someone in our party asked for a vegetarian, gluten-free option, the kitchen whipped up a vegetarian risotto that was greatly appreciated.

Visit EventCounselor for other undetected event spaces 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.

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.

Super Find! John Bentley's Quiet and Sophisticated Bar

Have you ever needed a place for a quiet conversation in the afternoon during the work week?  Something more sophisticated than a coffee shop? Maybe you needed to hammer out the final details of an important business deal or need to have a strategy session away from the office for neutral mind space? Well, I found an old friend who offers just that. John Bentley's in Redwood City.

The bar is cozy and quiet between 2 - 4:30 pm

John Bentley's serves lunch and dinner and has two event spaces that they offer up for business meetings and for special occasion dining, but their bar is open for service in between their two meal seatings.  It is a beautiful, fully stocked bar with super comfy chairs. It is that quiet, private and elegant place to meet in Redwood City while their kitchen is closed.

I was able to dine anonymously before visiting with their events manager and as usual, I made some initial assessments of their food and service.

1. I think their food falls into the fine dining category and was also very creative. Both the appetizers and entrées were pretty on the plate and tasted good. Wine list was nice. I believe a guest at an event hosted here would be impressed by the food.

2. The service was good, but our server was a bit chatty.  He was overly friendly, but well trained.  I think it was just this person's way in the world, but it seemed that the other diners were being provided with a level of service that matched the food. Also on subsequent visits the staff was helpful and appropriately friendly.

The event space on the dining room main floor is small. It holds 15 people comfortably and 24 tightly. They do have doors to close off the room from the main dining space, but I remember the main dining space as being full of voices and conversation when I dined there. I suspect that the noise level in that room even with the door closed for a business meeting would be a bit of a challenge. However, that space for a family celebratory meal or an incentive or holiday business meal would be super.

There is a dedicated space upstairs that is perfect for many types of events. Especially set up for business meetings and larger celebratory events, there is a full functioning bar upstairs, along with a bathroom and built in A/V screen and projector. The events manager seems very flexible in terms of how things could be set up and how the space could be utilized for different functions and needs. Not a great space for a cocktail reception, better for a sit down meal.

Book your next group meal, business meeting, or business meal at John Bentley's or contact EventCounselor.com for more ideas on great event spaces in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.