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!

San Mateo County History Museum

The Rotunda

Have you been to a public event at the plaza in Redwood City? The Plaza is the central square in downtown Redwood City (across from the Fox Theater) from where free music and many special summertime events emanate. It also happens to be the front entrance to the San Mateo County History Museum which is a very special space for an event. The building is easily recognizable with the large domed roof, and served as the former San Mateo County Courthouse building.

The Rotunda of this historic building is capped off with the most beautiful stained-glass dome, and the floors are covered in gorgeous mosaic tiles. It is simply breathtaking to stand in the center of the Rotunda and look up. Many a wedding ceremony has been held in the Rotunda, and after you take one step into the museum, that won't surprise you.

The main event space is on the second floor (so is the kitchen!), and is located in the former courtroom. It is astonishing how the right caterer can transform this space into a gorgeous event. The museum provides a list of preferred caterers with whom they regularly do business for events. There are many little details about using this space because of its age and historical importance, so working with the perferred caterers makes things easier for all the parties involved. A renter can also pay a fee for using a caterer not on their list.

Looking up at the stained glass dome

I was extremely impressed with the different exhibits and the history of the building and its former operations. These additional components included with renting this space are valuable extras that will have a big impact on your guests. The museum currently has a rotating exhibit dedicated to surfing at Maverick's, and as a part of the exhibit the public can climb onto a real surfboard that looks straight out a window onto the plaza from the second story of the building. When standing on the board, you are able to get a perspective of the height at the top of a wave out at Mavericks — very, very cool!

Did I mention that their rental rates are very inexpensive? If you are a high school aged group looking to host a teenage-focused event, you will have to look elsewhere because those events are not allowed in the space.

One last point about using the museum for an event. The schedule of events held in the plaza is not controlled by nor coordinated with the museum in any way. If there is an event on the plaza on the night of your event at the museum, you will have work around that disruption (like noise or partially obstructing the entrance/frontal view of the museum).

Visit EventCounselor for more information on historic and museum-focused event sites in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

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.

Looking for a fun Redwood City location for your company holiday party?

Outdoor bar and patio at Milagros

Company holiday parties are right around the corner, and if you haven't locked in a location yet, consider Mliagros located in the heart of the downtown Redwood City. Milagros is one of three restaurants in the Avenir Restaurant Group, parent also to Town in San Carlos and NOLA in Palo Alto. The restaurant is Mexican-themed, has a very fun interior with five large-screen televisions and a big open-air patio bar.

Milagros has a private dining room at one end of the restaurant that seats 50 people, and has a built-in buffet line. Not surprising because if you have more than 25 people in your party, your menu will be served buffet-style. The food is average, but this venue is about merriment and drinking, not haute cuisine. Larger parties can rent larger portions of the restaurant, and restaurant buyouts are also possible.

Milagros offers a cute, semi-private space for 12 people seated that would be a great fit for a baby or bridal shower or a special birthday dinner. This is a venue that is focused on good times. They have a killer Happy Hour, awesome food and drink specials during Monday Night Football and the banquet pricing is quite affordable.

Visit EventCounselor for more fun places to party this holiday season in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

We have an Urban Winery in our neighborhood!!

Have you ever heard of an urban winery? La Honda Winery is an urban winery in Redwood City that turns out not only to be a very cool, wine-making operation, but also a gorgeous space for events. The winery owners (husband and wife team) partnered with a landscaping colleague to house their winery operations in his warehouse space in Redwood City. The landscaper used the warehouse space to showcase his hardscape product and skills, and the outcome is a large open space with beautiful finishes.

The owners not only rent out the warehouse, but also offer wine-focused activities to groups like wine tastings, team building activities based on the process of making wine, and monthly cooking classes. The venue is a very flexible space, and all types of events could be held here, casual to sophisticated. The venue holds up to 100 people seated so the smaller the group, the better the fit.

Visit EventCounselor for more ideas on where to host the perfect wine-focused event in Menlo Park, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Redwood City.

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.

Need help with an Onsite Event Coordinator Dilemma!!

I have met so many great people that organize events for their respective venues, I wondered how to best incorporate that piece of the puzzle into my reviews for EventCounselor.

Surely my clients would like to have my opinion on such an important matter? What should the protocol be when I run across a really bad point person for a property? Do I call that out too?


If you are planning your own event then the decision where to have the event should equally consider the location and the person coordinating onsite. You can have the most beautiful location ever seen, but if the onsite coordinator isn't a professional, you can bet your event will be less than imagined, and maybe worse. The onsite coordinator is your central support person in pulling off your party or business meeting. The same standards and interview process should be applied were you hiring someone to do the planning for you. The onsite event coordinator's skills are directly related to the success of your event.

So, back to the dilemma...when I come across a venue that has poor service, poor food quality or facilities, I simply don't review them for this blog, nor do I include them in my offerings to my clients. However, in the area of onsite event coordination, I haven't been consistent when I have had a negative experience. How can I incorporate that information in a helpful way, without introducing the type of negativity that accompanies a bad review? It is one thing to omit a property, but another to call out their problems.

People rely on me to be their eyes and ears at venues. The onsite coordinator weighs so heavily into this part of the decision, I shudder to think what will happen when a reader takes my advice on a property, only to find that I have omitted that the events coordinator isn't helpful or communicative or has poor follow through. Will I lose credibility — you bet!

I need to figure out how to include a review of the onsite event coordinator when reviewing the venue itself.  Can you help me? Please let me know below how you would solve my Onsite Event Coordinator Dilemma!