It's Only 8 Miles: Hiking the PG&E Trail, Rancho San Antonio after Chez TJ

Last weekend, SMS and I had a pretty epic weekend with an incredible Saturday night celebration dinner and a very intense Sunday morning hike!  There was also a failed attempt at a Blood Moon sighting but hey, at least we tried!

Yes, we ate this.  All of this!

So, last Friday marked the first full work week for SMS at his new job!  Hooray!  As a result, we decided to celebrate.  I made a reservation at a restaurant that we came upon during one of our walks and it piqued both of our interest.  It's a one-star Michelin restaurant called Chez TJ.  It's a converted house, one of the oldest buildings in Mountain View (I'll take our waiter's word on that).  The restaurant features two tasting menus, one locally sourced within ~100 miles to the restaurant and the other a global menu full of the "world's finest foods."  Well, who needs local when you can have the world!?!?!

Fois gras, so arty!  Look at the cherry china!

We had so many wonderful courses and really had an amazing time together.  My favorite dishes were the Osetra caviar, which was served with homemade potato chips that transported me back to being a kid in Spain and getting potato chips in a twisted paper cone fresh from the park vendors.  So, yes, one of my favorites was a very expensive dip for a potato chip.  But it was so delicious!!!  There was also an incredible Japanese sweet potato (yakiimo!) mash that was delicious, as was the scallop and Wagyu beef.  It was a very decadent meal and very much a special occasion.  It was fantastic.

New friend offering up his good side for the photo.

On Sunday, SMS was in the mood for a hike and I heard great things about a nearby county park so off we went to Rancho San Antonio.  There are 24 miles of trails and we ended up hiking 12 of them. I may have told SMS that we were only doing 8 but by the time we got to the top of the PG&E trail (steep!), I really wanted to finish the hike to Black Mountain, which added 2 more miles each way.  We had water and snacks and made it through, although I was starting to feel a little sore at the 10 mile mark (and the next day!).  On the way back, we stopped in at the little Deer Hollow Farm where I took a picture of my new little friend.

Moffett Field Blimp Hanger

After the hike, we were hungry!  We went to Tres Potrillos, which SMS had found on his way to the rock climbing gym one day.  I had a California burrito (well, half of it) and it was fantastic! Then we headed home and waited around until it was sunset/Blood Moon time.  Unfortunately, there was a huge cloud cover in the exact area of the moonrise (and only there!) so we didn't get to see it.  We even drove to Redwood City to try and get a little farther North but no dice.  Oh, well.  I guess we'll try again in 18 years!