One of my favorite restaurants of all time is called the Bella Vista. It sits atop the coastal mountains (about 2000' up) near Half Moon Bay. Their website is at http://www.bvrestaurant.com/. When I used to make frequent trips to California (before I retired), I tried always to visit them if I was anywhere near San Francisco, San Jose or Redwood City. Wonderful!

Oh, yeah, another great restaurant in that area is La Mere Michelle (http://www.lameremichelle.com/) in Saratoga, CA. French food in a very romantic setting. (Wine is a bit pricey, but the foot is fantastic.)