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You may have noticed, we took a little break from Food Partying! But we are baaaaack… just in time for the holidays.
As I have grown in years, I want less holiday running around organizing events, presents and parties, and more time just to hang out at events and happenings other folks have planned. Not sure if this is age, wisdom, or a little of both. But in this wiser-elder stage of life, please let me remind you to hang up that kitchen apron and put down the wrapping paper; free up time to enjoy all of what your community has to offer YOU.
Here’s a few Food Party’s worth checking out:
Woodside Village Holiday Faire
Friday, Dec. 20, 11 AM-5PM
We’ve got our own holiday fest! Find unique holiday gifts by local artisans, as well as fun family activities, a bake sale, lunch, kid zone, Santa, and even live music. Stop by for some fun in the hills this Friday.
Friends Coffee with Verve’s Holiday Drinks
For a unique holiday meetup, head over to one of Verve coffee’s 11 locations (Palo Alto, Santa Cruz and San Francisco are nearby). I had never been, but caught the Verve allure immediately – felt like it was the coffee shop of the future: sunny and bright, artistic, young and enthusiastic. The owners met in jazz school and built the company around the ideas of art and sustainability. I first thought I just wasn’t hip enough to get the hype (and additional cost), but warmed quickly to a holiday menu featuring creative choices. We tried the Whiskey Latte ($5.75) that I can see myself drinking in front of a crackling fire for the entire season. Yum! (Sorry eggnog latte). Verve reduces real whiskey to eliminate the alcohol into a silky syrup that warms the cockles and sends you forth singing Joy to the World. We also got the Milk Chocolate Espresso con Panna ($4.50) made with a creamy, vegan whip of coconut milk and peppermint sprinkles. Yum again! Both drinks were absolutely worth the extra cost and lovely environment. Be sure to check Verve’s website for popup holiday events around town.
photo by Verve
A Special Dinner in an Unexpected Place – Parcel 104
With all the culinary reviews these days about roasted duck, $50 hamburgers, and meat, meat, meat… it’s nice to know others who are equally turned on to vegetables as much as moi. We Food Partied! a delightful dinner at a hidden treasure, Parcel 104, inside the Santa Clara Marriot. (we’ve food partyied! about Marriot doing a good job, earlier this year at Craft and Code.) Executive Chef Sergio Morales serves up a rotating menu for the curious, showcasing the very best of seasonal and sustainable ingredients from local Bay Area growers and dairies. Fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables are used in the dishes and drinks are found growing in the outdoor Chef’s Garden, and there is plenty of meat to go around too.
Parcel 104’s summer garden
If you are more vegetable-inclined, try creating your meal from the plant-forward appetizer section.
Vegetables offer so much more creativity to chefs – they are the trendy culinary future – this I AM hip to. Come taste from a chef who has plant-passion to share. Yes chef!
Mark your calendar for an extra special dinner planned on Friday, January 31, 2020, when Parcel 104 toasts the New Year with a multi-course champagne pairing dinner led by Silicon Valley/Santa Clara County sommelier Troy Paredes. $104/person.
Woodside Holiday Faire
Woodside Village Church
3154 Woodside Road
Verve
162 University Ave, Palo Alto
Open everyday
Parcel 104
2700 Mission College Blvd, Santa Clara
breakfast, lunch, dinner, all week
happy hour, 2 PM – 6 PM, M – F
photos by LSIC unless noted
