I've been lucky enough to travel to the San Francisco area several times over the last nine months, and each time I have driven down to Los Gatos to have a lesson with Neil. In those travels I've found a few places to recommend to those attending the IGC is September. I know the locals will surely know of other places, but I thought this might get the ball rolling.
First is the Los Gatos Brewing Company, 130-G, N. Santa Cruz Avenue, Los Gatos. The food and service are excellent, and the beer is some of the best anywhere! My husband and I visit brew pubs and microbreweries often, and LGBC is definitely one of the best.
I hope some of us can make a pilgrimage there together. Downtown Los Gatos is a nice little town, fairly upscale.
Second is Lou's Coffee Shop, 15691 Los Gatos Blvd, Los Gatos, CA serves wonderful breakfast and lunch fare, including the best Monte Cristo sandwich I've ever had (and I've sampled quite a few over the years). I have eaten lunch there 5 or 6 times and it has beempn consistently good.
Third is Half Moon Bay. Just under an hour from Los Gatos, maybe only 30 minutes from SFO, it is a nice little beach town. We hiked from near the little airport up to the sea cliffs and had great views of the seals (or were they sea lions?) dozing on the rock islets just offshore.
The town is somewhat more funky than upscale, and happily, home of yet another brewery - Half Moon Bay Brew Pub. They have lots of outdoor dining and at least two fire-pits for evening lounging.
BTW, has anyone mentioned how cold it gets at night in California? It does. Definitely bring a warm jacket.If anyone is interested in birding, contact me directly. I've scoped out lots of places.
Lynn
Other photos of the area are at my flickr page