Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Jeff Brandenburg, chef and food quality manager at the Chart House, takes a quick break on the deck overlooking the new patio which Town Chamber of Commerce members initiated last week.
Revamped Chart House offers surf and some turf
By Suzanne Cristallo
The Aloha shirts have been replaced with white Oxfords, the nautical theme with a Victorian one, and the food emphasis is fish. The new look at the Chart House in the center of downtown Los Gatos came with the completion of a big deck in the front garden where up to 40 people now may dine on warm evenings. The completion of the $800,000 deck and remodeling that began three months ago was initiated with a Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce mixer last week, where members participated in a silent auction to buy the map tables, artwork and memorabilia of the old look.
The once square and concrete old addition jutting to the south of the 1890s Victorian now looks like part of the house. It has a new facade of arched brackets around the windows, knobby spandrels and rosettes along the front and carved newel posts that support an overhang over a new door to the deck. A wood factory in Texas carved the building ornaments to match those on the house from rubbings taken of them. Inside, there are new furniture, art work, carpeting and color scheme.
Completing the picture of change is new chef Jeff Brandenburg. "The Aloha shirts may be gone, but the Aloha is still there," he says to reassure longtime patrons who may lament the change. Brandenburg understands "Aloha." He spent 18 years in the Islands learning his cooking art on Maui, Oahu and Kauai at Grand Wailea, the Four Seasons Hotel in Kauai Cove. The last six years were with Chart House. When the owners of the chain closed all but the Kona, Hawaii Chart Houses, most ties with its origins were cut, and the chef was brought to Los Gatos.
His favorite kind of cooking is the creation of special requests by customers. "I can apply myself to a special sauce, for instance," he explains. "It's an opportunity to create." While the Hawaiian look may be gone, the menu is greatly influenced by the islands. Now, nearly three quarters of it consists of such fish dishes as island mahi mahi, sesame-crusted salmon, macadamia nut-crusted snapper and sautéed Chilean sea bass, averaging $20 per entree. "We have some 50 different options for fish," Brandenburg says.
But straightforward beef entrees still hold a firm place in the restaurant that once specialized in them. There is the extra-thick Callahan cut--24 ounces of prime rib served on the bone for $25.95, or the 10-ounce center-cut filet mignon grilled and brushed with butter for $23.95.
Some new features are the "Wine Flights"--a tasting of four different wines brought to the table in glasses held in a metal rack--and the Chocolate Lava Cake, which must be ordered 30 minutes in advance. The time is devoted to creating a cone made with soufflé batter around a molten center. It's topped with vanilla ice cream and a bittersweet chocolate sauce. "When you cut into it, the center spills out," Brandenburg says with relish. The $6.95 serving is enough for two.
While there are no plans to serve lunch on the new deck yet, it may be reserved for daytime banquets. Evenings are limited to dinner patrons only, in case there are those who envision a leisurely sip of tea there.
The Chart House, 115 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. Open for dinner daily 5-10 p.m. 408.354.1737.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
