Superbowl Sunday Snack Time...

The Malcolm & Manocha Group offer a Concierge Service Serving- South Bay, Los Gatos, San Jose, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Cupertino and surrounding areas.

Many guys view the Super Bowl as a dietary get-out-of-jail-free card-an opportunity to throw caution to the wind and dive into a bowl of whatever deep-fried delicacy they desire. After all, they'll be off the health wagon for only a few hours, right?
Problem is, those few hours can bump you up a waist size and pack your arteries with plaque. Indeed, the average armchair quarterback consumes 1,200 calories-more than half the total number of calories he should consume in an entire day-during a typical three-hour Super Bowl. The following heart-healthy snacks are low in calories, salt, and saturated fat, and they'll serve up to eight people without leaving their arteries screaming for mercy. They're also tasty enough to prevent your guests from making halftime sprints to the corner pizzeria.

Baked Sweet-Potato Fries (215 calories per serving). Cut 5 large sweet potatoes into sticks and toss them in a bowl with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 cloves minced garlic, and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, or until tender, and top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Curry Shrimp Dip (190 calories per serving). Combine 4 oz. light cream cheese with 1/2 cup light sour cream and beat until smooth. Stir in chopped green onions, a handful of chopped roasted red pepper, 1/3 cup mango chutney, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp. curry powder, a pinch of salt and pepper, and 1 lb. diced cooked shrimp. Stir again until ingredients are evenly blended. Serve cold and accompany with a midriff-affable dipping medium such as baked Garden of Eatin' black-bean tortilla chips or Stacy's multigrain pita chips.

Thai Peanut Chicken (240 calories per serving). Cut 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts into small cubes, and cook with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Thread onto wooden skewers and set aside. Combine 3 Tbsp. peanut butter and 3 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce with 2 Tbsp. each of water, honey, and lime juice. Add minced garlic, fresh grated ginger, and a squirt of sesame oil to the mixture. Blend until smooth, drizzle over skewers, and serve.

Enjoy the Superbowl!!

Also, as a part of our Bay Area Concierge Services we offer expert real estate services to you, your friends and family. Visit us online at www.mmgproperties.com or call us at 408.399.1495.

Want to add a little mystery to your outing?

The Malcolm & Manocha Group Concierge- South Bay, Los Gatos, San Jose, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Cupertino and surrounding areas.

The Mystery Spot is a gravitational anomaly located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California. It is a circular area of effect around 150 feet or 46 meters in diameter. Within the Mystery Spot you will be stunned as your perceptions of the laws of physics and gravity are questioned. But don't take our word for it, come and decide for yourself!
The Mystery Spot was discovered in 1939 by a group of surveyors and opened to the public in 1940. The Mystery Spot has amazed and perplexed hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world, and many return time and time again to experience these puzzling variations of gravity, perspective, and height.
Some speculate that cones of metal were secretly brought here and buried in our earth as guidance systems for their spacecraft. Some think that it is in fact the spacecraft itself burried deep within the ground. Other theories include carbon dioxide permeating from the earth, a hole in the ozone layer, a magma vortex, the highest dielectric biocosmic radiation known anywhere in the world, and radiesthesia. Whatever the cause is, it remains a mystery.

Located at 465 Mystery Spot Rd. Santa Cruz, CA 95065
Phone: 831.423.8897
www.mysteryspot.com

Or how about...

In 1884, a wealthy widow named Sarah L. Winchester began a construction project of such magnitude that it was to occupy the lives of carpenters and craftsmen until her death thirty-eight years later. The Victorian mansion, designed and built by the Winchester Rifle heiress, is filled with so many unexplained oddities, that it has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House.
Sarah Winchester built a home that is an architectural marvel. Unlike most homes of its era, this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From rambling roofs and exquisite hand inlaid parquet floors to the gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows, you will be impressed by the staggering amount of creativity, energy, and expense poured into each and every detail.
Stairs that lead to the ceiling are just one of the manybizarre features that Mrs. Winchester designed and had built.

Locatation: 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, CA 95128
Phone: (408) 247-2101
www.winchestermysteryhouse.com

Also, as a part of our Bay Area Concierge Services we offer expert real estate services to you, your friends and family. Visit us online at www.mmgproperties.com or call us at 408.399.1495.

Great Eats..in the Bay Area

We do love our wine, but we also love great food and so we thought we should put together a list of some great restaurants in the area. It doesn't matter what you are in the moood for, but we got it all.

BEST RESTAURANT:
Parcel 104 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara (408) 970-6104 http://www.parcel104.com/

BEST AFTER HOURS / LATE NIGHT:
The Cardinal Lounge 3197 Meridian Ave., San Jose (408) 269-7891

BEST AMERICAN:
A.P. Stump’s 163 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose (408) 292-9928 http://www.apstumps.com/

BEST BAKERY:
Dick’s Bakery 1593 Meridian Ave., San Jose (408) 269-5212
Go for the Burnt Almond Cake!!!!!!

BEST BREAKFAST:
Stacks Restaurant 600 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park (650) 838-0066 139 E. Campbell Ave., Campbell (408) 376-3516 http://www.stacksrestaurant.com/

BEST BURGERS:
Kirk’s Steakburgers 75 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto (650) 326-6159; 2388 S. Bascom Ave., Campbell (408) 371-3565

BEST CHINESE:
Chef Chu’s 1067 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos (650) 948-2696 http://www.chefchu.com/

BEST COFFEE:
Barefoot Coffee Roasters 5237 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara (408) 248-4500 http://www.barefootcoffeeroasters.com/

BEST FRENCH:
Le Papillon 410 Saratoga Ave., San Jose (408) 296-3730 http://www.lepapillon.com/

BEST INDIAN:
Amber India Restaurant 377 Santana Row #1140, San Jose (408) 248-5400 2290
http://www.amber-india.com/

BEST IRISH:
Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub and Restaurant
355 Santana Row, Ste., 1060 San Jose (408) 247-1706 http://www.rosiemccanns.com/

BEST ITALIAN:
Osteria (Palo Alto) 247 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto (650) 328-5700

BEST JAPANESE:
Kyoto Palace Japanese Steakhouse
1875 S. Bascom Ave., Suite 2500, Campbell (408) 377-6456 http://www.kyotopalace.com/

BEST MEXICAN:
Consuelo Mexican Bistro 377 Santana Row, San Jose (408) 260-7082 http://www.consuelomexicanbistro.com/

BEST DESSERTS:
The Melting Pot 72 S. First St., San Jose (408) 293-6020 http://www.meltingpot.com/

BEST AFTER HOURS / LATE NIGHT:
The Cardinal Lounge 3197 Meridian Ave., San Jose (408) 269-7891

We hope you enjoy our choices! Let us know if you have a favorite that we should add on our list.

Stay tuned for more featured hot spots that we love to brag about and other helpful information as part of our Conicerge services found on our website http://www.mmgproperties.com/. Also, as a part of our Bay Area Concierge Services we offer expert real estate services to you, your friends and family. Visit us online at http://www.mmgproperties.com/ or call us at 408.399.1495.

THE LÉAL LIFE

One you must try!

“Wine should be about having a good time,” the 34-year-old says. “When we describe our wines, we say they’re ‘phat’ or ‘sexy,’ not ‘robust’ or ‘piquant.’”The owner of Léal Vineyards in Hollister displays what might be called a refined irreverence. It’s his goal to pop the stuffy cork from California winemaking, without ceding any of its rigorous craftsmanship. Léal does not come from a winemaking family. He never studied under a European master, nor learned chemistry or horticulture. He started his winery in 1998, at the age of 28, after working in construction, and chose as his partner, Dave “Griff” Griffith, a 28-year-old 4x4 mechanic. Seven years later, Léal Vineyards is emerging as a surprise contender in the rarified world of winemaking.

Just an hour’s drive from the hectic pace of Silicon Valley, San Benito County and its largest city, Hollister, have a decidedly older, more rural California feel. As you exit 101 just south of Gilroy and drive toward Hollister on Highway 25, and a couple of miles into the Hollister foothills, Léal Vineyards rests on some of this fertile, gently rolling land. Rows of cabernet sauvignon, syrah, merlot, and other red varietals are neatly aligned on 40 acres at the end of Marantha Drive. The 10,000-square-foot winery/tasting room sits in a small swale to the left, and the Vineyard house (where Léal lives) overlooks the property and serves as a prime vantage point for watching the spectacular sunsets that occur regularly beyond the Gavilan Range.

Léal’s wines captured numerous gold medals right out of the gate. In 2004, prestigious Food and Wine magazine rated the label one of the Top 20 New Wineries in the world.


You must take some time out of your busy schedule and visit the LÉAL VINEYARDS.
LÉAL VINEYARDS
300 Maranatha Dr.,
Hollister (831) 636-1023
www.lealvineyards.com

Also, as a part of our Bay Area Concierge Services we offer expert real estate services to you, your friends and family. Visit us online at www.mmgproperties.com or call us at 408.399.1495.

Share our love for local wines...

Monica & Brian love to support the locals and we love our wines too so we suggest visiting our local wineries. Why go all the way to Napa when we have over 60 wineries right here?

South Bay Wine Tours offers a complete tour service that is more than just a ride from winery to winery - and our passion is sharing our love of our local wine region. South Bay Wine Tours provide informative guided tours that feature a personal, behind-the-scenes approach. With over 30 years' experience in the San Francisco Bay Area, they know the area's history and highlights and we, Monica & Brian, love the local winemakers and their wines.


Please visit www.southbaywinetours.com and make sure you call us/email us and let us know which winery you enjoyed the most!

We look forwards to hearing back from you.

Stay tuned for more featured hot spots that we love to brag about and other helpful information as part of our Conicerge services found on our website www.mmgproperties.com.

Also, as a part of our Bay Area Concierge Services we offer expert real estate services to you, your friends and family. Visit us online at www.mmgproperties.com or call us at 408.399.1495.

Where to go? What to do?

The Malcolm & Manocha Group Concierge- South Bay, Los Gatos, San Jose, Saratoga, Santa Clara, Cupertino and surrounding areas.

Have you ever been stumped on planning a night out? Not sure where to go for your tastes? It is always helpful to know and ask people who have lots of ideas. That is where we are here to help! As a Bay Area native, Brian can assure you that there are many wonderful things to do from the exciting and crowd filled to the romantic and intimate. The great thing about the Bay Area is that is caters to ALL types of personalities.

If your like us, you have many moods and therefore want the experience to match how you are feeling. We can offer endless suggestions for hotels, restaraunts, dining, dancing.....you name it!
Stay tuned for featured hot spots that we love to brag about and other helpful information as part of our Conicerge services found on our website www.mmgproperties.com.

Also, as a part of our Bay Area Concierge Services we offer expert real estate services to you, your friends and family. Visit us online at www.mmgproperties.com or call us at 408.399.1495.

The Malcolm & Manocha Group