Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Mark Karakas, co-owner of La Cresta, also serves as the maitre d'.

Chateau La Cresta opens for summer jazz series

By Suzanne Cristallo

Things are alive and well at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga. Kevin Gilday and Mark Karakas are making it so. As co-owners of Chateau La Cresta, the restaurant at the old Paul Masson Mountain Winery, the former chef and maitre d' of Saratoga's Plumed Horse branched out on their own in 1990 to run all the concessions, catering and special events at the facility.

Their opening six years ago was clouded by news of the former owner's financial woes. Confusion still exists over what is available there.

For the record, the winery's owners, Entertainment Unlimited, are leasing the facilities to Gilday and Karakas. They, in turn, are offering year-round catered events like weddings, corporate meetings and fundraisers, or any special event like the Red Cross Mothers Day Brunch, for groups of 10 to 1,500.

But something new is coming. Starting June 7, the two are offering a Friday night Summer Jazz Buffet, the first move toward a dream they share of a five-day-a-week restaurant open to the public offering fine dining in the dining room and casual dinners on the deck.

The buffet will be an outdoor affair with dining on the decks of the historic hideaway used by Paul Masson for his romantic trysts at the turn of the century. Diners can enjoy a spectacular view of the Santa Clara Valley as dusk approaches.

They also will be treated to jazz played by musicians selected by Tim Jackson, organizer of the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Buffet items will range from Santa Maria barbecued tri-tip and New Orleans shrimp etouffee to oriental cole slaw and Spanish paella with shellfish, chicken and sausage.

The international fare and jazz will run $35 per person with tax. California wines, domestic and microbrewery beers and nonalcoholic beverages will be available.

Gilday, 35, a native of Glen Falls, New York, is a graduate of that state's Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park. He brings 13 years of experience to his food preparation and kitchen management.

Karakas, 40, is a native of San Jose and a graduate of San Jose State. His father was maitre d' at the famed Copacabana in New York and later at La Hacienda in Los Gatos, where Mark Karakas worked all through his school years.

Chateau La Cresta at the Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Road, Saratoga. Open June 6 and every Friday through Sept. 27, 6-10 p.m. Call 741-0763 for reservations.