November 23, 2005

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Palo Alto Online

ShopTalk: Garden Court Hotel for sale

by Daryl Savage

HOT PROPERTY . . . The Garden Court Hotel in downtown Palo Alto -- part full-service "European-style" luxury hotel and part community center -- is up for sale for an undisclosed price. The 62-room boutique hotel at 520 Cowper St. caters to high-end visitors but also is an active center for community events, with room rates ranging from $299 to just shy of $700 a night. "It is for sale," Sam Webster, one of the founding general partners, confirmed after rumors began circulating this month. He expects it to officially go on the market next week. He said the operation reflects the "unbelievably good" abilities of General Manager Barabara Gross and her staff. The hotel is being marketed by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, which will be touting it as "uniquely positioned to capitalize on the growing appeal of Palo Alto's commercial and retail districts, including the Stanford Shopping Center and Ramona Street Historic District." The Garden Court was one of the first hotels to be "technologically correct" by providing high-speed Internet access for guests. It received the Tall Tree Award for outstanding business in 2004, and for more than 10 years has ranked as the best hotel in the Weekly's Best of Palo Alto rating. Gross also received the community's Athena Award this year for her community contributions. Webster expressed a lack of concern over competition from the new Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto, calling the company a "great chain of hotels -- we love to stay there when we're out of town." But Garden Court offers a personalized level of care that he doesn't think Four Seasons can or will match. Some guests, for instance, simply leave their clothes in the closet when they leave, and Garden Court staff store them in a special closet until the guest's next visit.


LAST CALL FOR LIQUOR STORE? . . . Neighborhood Liquor and Video is the latest business to be forced out at the popular shopping area in south Palo Alto. "We don't want to leave. We have no choice," said the store owner, who identified herself only as Lucille. "They want us out of here," she said, referring to Village Properties, the center's San Francisco-based management company. "We've been here eight years. We have lots of good customers. I tell them we have to close. They can't believe it. We're all sad." The liquor store's lease ended October 31. "They wouldn't give us another lease," Lucille said. The family-owned business has no plans to relocate. "We're not going to open anywhere else. That's it. We're done," she said. Charleston Center has undergone several recent changes. It was nearly a year ago that Cafe Sophia was forced out of the space now occupied by Peet's Coffee. But owner Sophia Omar has landed on her feet, readying her new location at 2700 Middlefield Road for an early December opening. "I'm almost at the end of the red tape. It took a long time, but I'm thrilled to be back in Palo Alto," Omar said. Another casualty may be Feng Yuan Restaurant. Although it is still open for lunch and dinner, it is rumored that another Chinese restaurant, based in San Francisco, will take its place. Other recent departures from the center are Gymboree and Benton Medical, which moved to Mountain View. Those two vacancies will be replaced by Pet Food Express in the first quarter of next year.


IF IT LOOKS LIKE A TURKEY . . . Ming's owner Vicky Ching is hoping that some diners may want a break from the traditional turkey/stuffing/cranberry route for Thursday's Thanksgiving holiday. Her restaurant is serving its own version of the turkey feast. Called "Thanksgiving Dinner . . . With a Chinese Twist," it will offer Asian pumpkin with basil and black bean sauce, Chinese bacon, and pumpkin tarts for dessert. Ming's will also cook turkey, "but it will be done in a huge barrel-shaped Chinese oven," Ching said. The turkey hangs vertically, on a hook, from the top of the barrel, and the heat source, which comes from the bottom of the barrel, permeates around the entire bird. "This is the second year we've done this. Our chefs did not know how to carve up a turkey. They chopped it up, bones and all, like for Peking duck. They finally learned how to carve the American way. It was an adventure for all of us," Ching said.

Heard a rumor about your favorite store or business moving out, or in, down the block or across town? Daryl Savage will check it out. She can be e-mailed at shoptalk@paweekly.com.

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