Brunch is busting out all over in Los Gatos

Get hopping to baked good happiness with Avery Ruzicka of Manresa Bread. She has Easter treats to fill everyone’s basket with something wholesome. Highlights this year include: macarons—strawberry guava, raspberry lychee and passionfruit flavors—large-format carrot cake and large-format almond rye blueberry tart.

Plus, don’t forget the classics like XL Kougin Aman, Quiche Lorraine and spinach veggie quiche. Preorders are a must to https://www.manresabread.com/preorder-1.

The newest Manresa Bread in Palo Alto, near Stanford University in the Town and Country Shopping Center, is set to open by mid-April. It takes the place of the former Mayfield Cafe. And yes, at some point, there will be a similar concept coming to Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos, where Manresa the restaurant is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Several Los Gatos restaurants are stepping into the brunch game this spring.

Shepherd & Sims starts serving weekend brunch as of April 2. Brunch will be served 10 a.m.-2:30pm at this much-needed neighborhood eatery in the old VIVA space, next to Whole Foods on Los Gatos Boulevard. Menu was not available as of press time, but proprietor Jim Stump promises bottomless mimosas.

Owner Denise Thornberry and chef Ryan Fillhardt are planning to open The Tasting House in downtown Los Gatos for brunch and lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, beginning in May. They are planning to open at 11 a.m. and are still working on the menu. Says Thornberry, “We are thinking to serve items like lots of champagne with caviar, French fries and fried chicken. Oysters, too!”

Good thing there are plenty of other places to get your caffeine fix in Los Gatos, because it has certainly taken Blue Bottle Coffee a long time to open in Old Town. The present projection of percolation is now mid-June.

Progress is being made on Chez Phillippe, the forthcoming new bistro at 34-36 N. Santa Cruz Ave., where Maid’s Quarters was once located. French-trained chef Phillippe Leroy has been in the biz for 40 years, with experience in Paris, London, New York and LA.

Jim Foley is making good progress on the Montebello Market next to the former Lr Boulanger space on East Main Street, which remains empty. Many of the fixtures for the market are in, and the inventory should start arriving in time for a mid-April opening if all goes well. They’ll be serving coffee and all manner of breakfast items, including lots of premade items to go.

At Santana Row in San Jose, Zazil celebrates two years—quite a milestone considering the place opened during the pandemic. Join them for happy hour daily 3-5 p.m., featuring $10 food specials like guacamole, tacos, fondita and quesadillas. They serve lunch daily, with ceviche, fish or tofu tempura tacos and enchiladas poblanos filled with chicken and topped with exquisite mole. Brunch is served 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on weekends, featuring chilaquiles and a steak torte plus Huevos Norteños con Chile Verde, roasted pork loin with tomatillo salsa and cactus leaves served with refried beans, corn tortilla and fried eggs. Vegetarian options include Enchiladas Mañaneras—scrambled eggs with a fruity mole sauce—and Migas con Huevo, scrambled eggs with crunchy tortilla squares, green tomatillo sauce, queso fresco and sour cream.