50th

[Structo]

Went to San Jose, CA for my father in law's 50th anniversary last week.
Second wife but she's a keeper.

We had them picked up by a 1956 Rolls Royce limousine.
[img:497:343]http://elegantjourneylimo.com/images/rolls-lg.jpg[/img]

It was a wonderful dinner hosted at a Japanese Restaurant that
specializes in beef, Alexander's Restaurant in Cupertino.
Since we were a larger party, there were several entree's and appetizers, such as different salads and meat.

I ordered the Prime Rib and it was about 1" thick, probably about 1 pound.
I have never had this good of a Prime Rib.
My wife had a Filet Mignon that was fork tender.

To make the story short, we had a great time.
Her father in law was a foreman at Ames Research Center NASA during the 60's and 70's, to give an example of what he might have worked on.
They have huge wind tunnels there for testing shapes of aircraft.

I love talking to him about the things he can actually talk about.....

[xtian]

Nice. South Bay--that's my stomping grounds!

[Structo]

I've never visited California in the Winter time.
It was weird.

My wife is from San Jose, but left in the early 70's after her parents divorced.
We got to see people we have never met at the party.

There was some drama when the sister in law tried to drink every last drop of
wine in the universe, but once she was discounted, it was a great time.
Sad days ahead for my brother in law.

So it was interesting to notice the same weather as we were having in Oregon.
Cold and rainy.

My wife remembers 70F temps at Christmas time back in the day.
And endless days of sunshine.
Do you?

I thought about calling Alex in Santa Cruz, but the opportunity never presented itself. Ha!

All in all, it was a good time with her family.
Her Father is 86 and still sharp as a tack.
The guy is a genius.

It might be the last time I see him.

[Firestorm]

I don't think I've ever dined in a place with a Michelin star. I'll bet it was tasty. Good job putting that together.

[LeeMo]

Structo,
It's great that you enjoy your Dad-in-law. Mine is in his eighties and really enjoys being a pain in everybody's behind. I mean really , he thrives on it.
I'd suggest that you and your bride make every effort to connect with him as much as possible.
Glad to hear that ya'll had fun.

LeeMo

[Firestorm]

I'm such a foodie, I had to dig deeper. I don't know who is behind that restaurant group, but they make Gordon Ramsay look like a slouch. Chef at Alexander's in Cupertino is Derek Biazo a kid (relatively) who has worked high end resorts throughout the southwest. Promoted from Sous Chef (not a bad gig) to Executive Chef. Eat there soon. He won't last. On to two and three star restaurants. Sorry to derail the sentiment, but food is an art the same way amplifiers is an art and talent must be acknowledged. It's easier to be Alex Dumble than it is to be a great chef.

[Structo]

Yeah they feature Kobe Wagyu beef and Certified corn-fed Angus Beef, 28-day dry-aged steaks.
But of course they have other food.

Count the wine glasses on the table.
Chardonnay, Pino, Champagne, etc.

Classiest place I have been to in a long time.

The room we were in is called the Wine Library.
Lots of bottles!

[cbass]

Awful fancy

[Structo]

Yeah, I couldn't wait to get out of there.

Suit and tie, I was sweating like a pig.

Great grub though!

[Structo]

I don't normally see famous people but when we returned to PDX (Portland)
I spotted this guy.

I nodded to him and he nodded back.

[img:620:413]http://www.notreble.com/buzz/wp-content ... 20x413.jpg[/img]

[LeeMo]

Leland Sklar. Cool! I've seen him with James Taylor and Lyle Lovett.

[DenDanger]

Leland, yeah. Seems like every time I see a picture of him he has a different interesting and cool bass. How about the ones with the splayed frets, or whatever you call it, the frets start at one angle at the top and end up with an opposite angle at the bottom.

Denny

[brewdude]

Sounds like you had a great time.
I live in Napa, CA. In the Napa Valley there are so many great restaurants it's silly. I usually go on the Winery I work at's expense--the only way I can afford to go at all. Sometimes there are so many wine glasses on the table that there's no room for the appetizer plates. It's rough but we manage.

My brother and cousin both work at well established high end restaurants in Napa. I recently had an incredible meal eating all kinds of things I would have never chosen to order on my own--lamb tartar, octopus, some other amazing things I couldn't even recognize... Yum.