One of Jeff’s friends has just returned from a summer in Israel, Belgium, and France, and he invited Jeff over for what I thought was going to be the afternoon, but turned into an overnight. So Diane and I were on our own for dinner after going to services this evening.

We decided to try a new restaurant in Los Gatos, Restaurant James Randall. It’s in a small space where a croissant restaurant used to be; it’s definitely a step up in sophistication and in price.

As it happens, we chose the same main dishes as the reviewer in Metro; Diane had the halibut, which she enjoyed, and I had the duck. I don’t often have duck, so I don’t really have my tastebuds calibrated to give a good comparison, but this was tasty and not greasy — I liked it, though I’d probably go with something else on a return visit. The wines were good (I wish I’d written down what we got), and we got away with a two-figure bill — but we did skip dessert in favor of gelato at Dolce Spazio on the way back to the car.

Some of the diners were clearly regulars; I don’t think we’re likely to reach that point, but I’d definitely be willing to go back.