They really trying. No complains about quality of the ingredients. Â But...
They need to hire a real cook who knows how to use those ingredients.
Salad with watermelon and onion a strange alliance. As well presentation of watermelon rind - looks... hm... strange.
Duck - I love duck, but men, - you really should know how to cook it. 50% of duck was fatty skin. And please stop adding chopped onion to every  dish - it's not a Mexican cousin.
Desert - interesting idea - but why someone would want his desert to be cooked by waiter  right near his table (cloth is going to smell after that ;).
Cypress has turned their happy hour into a sad hour.
The $1 small bites still remain (fries, mussels, green beans) but now their mojitos are somewhere around $17 a pitcher. Â The mojitos are really weak and worth $10 but for $17 I'd rather drink beer.
Stupid move by Cypress. Â Plan your happy hour so that you can still make money because if you keep it the same but double the prices you are going to lose regular customers.
When it first started the sliders were cheaper, they had a great St.Germain cocktail and the mojitos were a good price. Â It seems like they wanted to lure people in and make some buzz before turning into an overpriced trendy restaurant with mediocre food (like most other new american restaurants in WC).
Oh well, if the happy hour reverts back I'll update my review.
So......I have been to Cypress several times, last time I was there I vowed not to return since the service and food lacked , then I found out that the lady that was the Chef (Claudia)was no longer there ..... before that we could feel her passion through the beautifully presented dishes.... Now I was talked into returning by some friends for a quick bite , well big mistake !!!! Now not even Rick the owner is there any more !
So the service again lack luster ....and the food well ....Oysters fishy , crab cakes greasy  ..... not that good. My question is there anybody that cares there? Me thinks not!
Nice decor and good french fries. Other than the fries, I have had better food at the pet store. Honestly, they should be very upset with their performance. Moreover, the wait staff, was marginal at best. I am just confused how a restaurant with this location and potential, could just eat it so hard. I wish I had better things to say but it was just not good.
Review Source:Their menu had a limited selection, but my and I decided to get:
Mouls et Frites. (Mussels and fries)
Canard (duck)
and French onion soup
The mussels were very fishy. Â I usually enjoy mussels, oysters, and other seafood, but this was absolutley putrid. If there had been more soup to wash it down, it would have been at least a bit less painful to gulp down.
The duck smelled like a petting zoo, but tasted okay. Not good but not bad.
The French onion soup was okay, a little bit too much onion in my opinion, though.
My daughter ordered a children's hamburger which was very dry and  ended up costing $14!!
The waiters were very polite and nice, but our orders took forever to come out. Â It was my birthday, and even the complementary birthday cake I ordered took forever and ended up tasting bad as well.
All in all, this was a total waste of money. For this same price, you could get a delicious meal at other fancy restaurants.
Unfortunately, after happily coming here several times for food and drinks, after tonight 7/3/2013, it will be our last.
The main reason was our waitresses behavior, I believe her name was Lindsey. We came for cocktails, and to begin she gave us the wrong drink, understandable mistake so we enjoyed them anyway. I asked about the happy hour that starts at 9pm, and she said there was no such thing, its only on the weekends. I was confused because I have recently been to the happy hour so I googled up on my phone and there says happy hour. Not only that, but it is also noted directly on the menu, marked with different drink specials for each night of the week. Her response was it is the restaurants choice whether to have happy hour or not.
We were finished here so I asked for the check. Waited a little bit and I believe her delivery of the check was: "Here, I am not sure what you want to do with this" and sort of dropped it on my lap... My wife and I both looked at each other confused and taken back by this behavior. I have seen this kind of stuff on TV, but I did not know people actually behave like this.
I will not be returning back here based on the experience we had tonight, which is unfortunate because I liked the place. As a note to the owners, or management: You need better management of your staff. It is unacceptable to be treated like that in a place you come to trade your money for enjoyment. If you don't its only a matter of time before your customers begin to disappear.
1 Star. No more deserved. And you have lost my business.
The one star is strictly for the ambiance and deco. We have been wanting to go for over a year now and made reservations this last weekend. We went with friends that are major foodies and all four of us were extremely disappointed with both the service and the food. They have the nerve to charge $17 for lobster mac....yikes. We had a bill of over $200 (only because we brought our own $150 bottle of wine) and I was not impressed with any of it...Appetizer came out lukewarm (cold oysters rockefeller...yuck!)...I ordered the NY strip filet and most of it was fat and it was almost too tough to cut....I can't even see giving this place a second chance. The strawberry dessert was a nightmare...not sure what it was ultimately supposed to be, but it was basically soggy cooked strawberry sitting in the middle of melted vanilla ice cream...just gross. In the end, they comped us for 2 of our after dinner coffees. Really? Our first clue should have been that the restaurant was empty (except for the bar in the front) at 8:30 on a Saturday night. Our waiter was also VERY amateur hour...he made some very immature comments about items on the menu and the management...if they are going to charge Postino prices, they should certainly have a more experienced wait staff (and better food). Never again.
Review Source:this place is bizarre. Â i came in a group of 6 before attending a show at 8 pm. Â we got here around 615 and were placed in the back of the restaurant in a squishy corner even though the whole front of the restaurant was empty. Â our server came to talk to us and proceeded to introduce almost every single item on the menu. Â he talked for about 7 minutes straight w/o taking a breath. Â we were in a hurry to eat since we had to run off to the show, so i was a bit nervous. Â we finally ordered our food after the diatribe. Â
my friends got the caesar for 2, but it fed about 4 of us! Â then our entrees arrived, which were all HUGE. Â i got the thor, which was the weirdest combo of food ever. Â it consisted of a fried egg atop seared ahi atop watermelon and crab salad atop tomatoes all w/ a sweet chili sauce. Â each component was fine on its own, but the combo of flavors, textures, and temperature made for a very odd dish. Â the portion was huge too, so it was kind of unappetizing to look at. Â i liked the tuna and the crab and watermelon, but together w/ the fried egg was too much. Â
we didn't have time to try any desserts, since we were in a hurry, but i don't know if i will be coming back again to try.
My recent experience here left a bad taste in my mouth....literally.
I had been here previously on 4 other occasions for happy hour and dinner and always had an enjoyable time. The service was already great, and the food and drinks were pretty decent.
On my last visit, I noticed the happy hour menu was different than before, but they still offered the pitcher of Mojitos for $15. We ordered 1 pitcher, and it tasted like extremely sour lemonade. We debated whether or not we should just suck it up and drink it, but after tasting several more times, we decided maybe the bartender can tweak it. It had no sweetener not mint, and it tasted like he added vodka instead of rum. When we told our server, she said it looks like he made a Russion lemonade and she brought it back to him.
The bartender very loudly proclaimed he made it, what was the problem? Then there was some conversation between the bartender and our server. The bartender loudly saying there was nothing wrong and was grumbling to several customers in front of him at the bar. He never bothered to taste it. He merely added ice and mint, then added more ice and some rum to a drink that was made with vodka. He also made more comments before the pitcher was delivered back to us.
This experience has completely ruined the favorable impression I had of Cypress. The bartender's lack of customer service and professionalism really brings down the restaurant. I will never be back.
Great spot for a large group, but the service out shone the food. Â Jeff, our server, did his best to overcome mediocre food and a pitiful wine list. Â I think if they focused on creating more food IN the kitchen and did less tableside theatrics they might be able to focus more.
One caveat, apparently they are in the middle of an ownership change, and it has greatly affected their offerings. Â I plan on giving them another try and hope to be able to amend my review. Â
We stared with a few starters, which were actually the best food of the evening. Â Salads recieved a mixed review - all except the caesar which was outstanding!
Steaks were over cooked, and reviewed as a bit tough. Â The Game hen was fine, and the muscles were good - all in all nothing stood out as worth rushing to try again.
Great Happy Hour!!! (3-6pm daily)
I stopped by here for happy hour on a Tuesday afternoon and loved it. Â Drink prices were great! ($2.99 for well drinks and draft beers) Â And they've got light appetizers for $0.99 (I had the chips & dip which were awesome)
We were there between 4 and 6 pm and the place was half full. Â The vibe was relaxed and welcoming. Â The atmosphere was classy but not too classy (I didn't feel under-dressed in shorts).
However, I'm apprehensive about coming here at anytime other than the early happy hour. Â At 6pm a piano player started to make use of the piano in the corner. Â His playing, while good, seemed loud given the small size of the restaurant and made it much harder to carry on a conversation.
I'll definitely be returning for the happy hour!! Â And maybe for dinner too if I can get a table that's not too close to the piano.
Came here first time by searching for happy hour place in Walnut Creek. Cypress, is a trendy French American bistro. I loved the Escargots and Oyster Rockefeller. The Piano lounge is the bomb, and we didn't know that there is a piano almost every night here.
We will come back again for good food with good music..
HAPPY HOUR SPOT TO BE!!! I can truly say, I would NEVER go here outside of happy hour. Â It is ritzier than my liking, has far too many people dressed up, and everything is overpriced. Â That said, show up for happy hour, watch older men in suits or nice clothing yell at each other over cards or dice, watch yuppy middle class women get a little too drunk, and pay minimal money for some really good food and drinks. Â The mojitos are delicious, the draft beer is inexpensive, and the sliders always go down well. Â Happy hour until 6, and then 9-close. Â Well worth the visit for a fairly cheap, fun time before hitting whatever bar you want for a Friday out.
Review Source:The food and staff were great. We ordered a few small plates and some soup...Actually the small plates portions were very good sized and by the time our soup came out, I really didn't need it anymore..But I ate it anyways because it smelled amazing...And it tasted amazing..
The place has a nice vibe to it, but it can get very loud from the bar tops...There really isn't a great division of space between the bar area high tops and the main seating area..
All in all, the food and service warrants a 2nd return in the future!
I came with friends on a Saturday night for their happy hour. Â We were greeted by the hostess and seated right away. Â The waitress was friendly and told us about the happy hour specials. Â We ordered a pitcher of the berry mojito, which was delicious!!! Â It easily poured 7 glasses.
We ordered the happy hour specials. Â They are all $0.99 each. Â The Oyster Rockefeller - not bad, veggie tempuras - they were green beans, but the sauce was very yummy, frites - they were just ordinary fries, soup - split pea with bacon - tasty, and salad - skip it...it was a few leaves on a tiny plate. Â Happy hour is from 3-6 and then again from 9-closing. Â
This evening, there was a piano player that also sang. Â Very nice ambiance.
All in all, it was a nice experience and I would come again.
Looking for a place with live music that didn't fall into the ranks of mediocre cover bands, my search led me to Cypress. The food seemed intriguing, and with a cheap Happy Hour menu available from 9-close (and an earlier block of time as well), along with jazz piano on last night's agenda, it seemed like a good fit.
Street parking was easy enough on a week night, and it's close to several parking garages when parking is, in a word: challenging.
Took a bit of time to get noticed and seated. This really is a place for trendy twentysomethings who are dressed to the nines. Those of us (in our case, two fortysomethings dressed quite casually) tend to fall off the staff's radar. I don't have a huge issue with that because we wanted to listen to music and be left alone, but it was noticed nonetheless. Two people were handing out samples of pineapple mojitos. To the blonde who gave me a dirty look: yes, you gave us a sample when we walked in the door, but we could have done without the attitude when your co-worker stopped by our table to offer us another, not knowing we already had one. It's half a swallow of a mixed drink, not gold bullion. Lighten up.
Cocktails are decent. Wine list could be a bit more expansive but there was a variety. Wine list was on a tablet, which was a rather sophisticated touch that I liked. They are not afraid to pour heavy here, and that considered, the drink prices are reasonable.
Ordered the Brussels sprouts with lemon aioli. I was expecting whole sprouts (or at least cut in half), not a bunch of fried leaves, but it was good anyway. The lemon aioli is delicious. I tried the tri-tip slider- very good with a bit of mustard. The Kalua pork slider was on a hard, dry roll, and the meat was bone-dry without any sauce. Dry, dry, dry. I sent that back because it was inedible. The tempura veggies were string beans with a drizzle of sauce that was much too honey-sweet. But for 99 cents, it was worth a try.
Both pianists were wonderful. The service could be a bit more attentive. The vibe is good, perhaps a bit snooty, but given the locale, not entirely unexpected or out of place. At the end of the day, live jazz piano is always welcome in my world. We will probably be back for the cocktails and music.
So, pros: Music, cocktails, cheap happy hour menu, open late.
Cons: service could be a bit more efficient, could have felt a bit more welcomed.
I think I was lost and came across Cypress and noticed a pianist inside playing some smooth music. I also noticed a sign that said happy hour from 9-Close and I was sold! Actually I was sold because the sign also said $1 oysters!
The decor was very modern and trendy. The typical trendy/business casual type of people having a great time with their libations. It was a very nice looking place.
As for the food, you already know I ordered oysters. I ended up getting 10 oyster rockefellers and 10 baked oysters on a half shell. Both amazingly delicious. The first oyster I bit into I thought I broke my tooth when actually it was a pearl. Never had that happen before but made my dinner that much more enjoyable. I have no idea what to do with the pearl though. The drinks were pretty good too. Happy hour prices were awesome!
Definitely will be back again!
Ate here the other night. Â I had the Surf and Turf. Â The scallops were amazing, but the fillet left me wanting more. Â The salad (from the "specials" menu was dry as hell. Â They have a good wine list and nice atmosphere (guy playing Jazz on the piano was nice), but I may not be back soon. Â The service was just ok (the server first brought our entrees to the wrong table. Â After the mix up, they brought them over and apologized. Â Mildly annoying. Â A solid 3 star for me, based on the wine list, scallops and atmosphere. Â If the entrees and service was better, i may have rated higher.
Review Source:ALERT! No longer is the dollar menu just for fast food! Watch out McDs, there is a new cool kid in town who happens to wear labels, appreciates art, and listens to Mozart, while suckling down his $1 oyster, ordered off an iPad. Watch out Ronald, he wears better shoes than you and they may just be Salvatore Ferragamo.
As you walk into the floor-to-ceiling glass doors at 6pm, it's not uncommon to think you've grown some grey hairs, judging by the rest of the patrons (although only the hippest of grey hairs of course) but don't let that fool you, after the middle aged+ go to sleep, Cypress turns into the best happy hour (3pm-6pm & 9pm till close) in Walnut Creek!
Expansive affordable menu, including a large list of food items. I would suggest the $2.99 well drinks over the $9.99 mojito pitcher (too weak for me, but it's delicious if that's your style). On the food side, I would definitely push the large portion of $1 fries, $1 oysters and the $1.99 pork slider!
Lastly, if you can brave the grey hairs, (and the high prices) I would highly suggest their dinner menu. Half the menu seems to be prepared and cooked right next to your table on a fully equipped cart. Even the Caesar salad! You can watch other diners make double (or triple!) takes at your meal preparation with googley eyes, while slightly salivating (meaning me).
Tip: A piano player starts playing at 6pm if you want to class it up.
Cypress is participating in WC Restaurant  Week.
music: nice soft  instrumentals
eats: benedict brunch, 3 items for $20 (great deal!)
-comped fresh fruit basket/powdered baked pastries (yummy) Â 4ish stars
-soup de jour              5 stars
had cheese, veggies, and very sweet broth: tasty, fullfilling
-eggs benedict
lots of sweet, tasty ham slices,
eggs benedict on toast nice  5 stars
cubed potato bland          3 stars
-chocolate de tart
not available come serving time
-creme brulee substituted
standard custard with frozen strawberry slices on top.
taste just average 3 stars
foodnotes:
-took a few minutes before given a menu (had to ask for it)
-food took awhile to show up
-food inconsistent. some fab, some average
-service leisurely, nonobstusive
after each item, was asked " how was it?
-dining area reserved for fashinon show, sat at bar.
-used yelp deal this time, yelp deal wasn't accepted at HH last time.
-food much better than HH offerings.
The last time I went to Cypress, it was a 4.5 to 5 star experience. The food was good, the service was nice - it was quite loud, but still romantic, and the portions were quite good.
This time was a huge disappointment. My husband was practically seething the whole time, and he's normally way more even tempered than I am. He actually asked my to make sure I posted a review of this experience.
Some context: Cypress just changed their menu on Thursday. They updated it online today, but yesterday it was still the old menu. So we had picked out what we wanted, got there, and all but one thing was gone from the menu. Bummer! But not their fault.
We got there at 7:00, were promptly seated, and when the hostess came to give us the drink menu, our waiter pushed her aside and declined to give us the drink menu. Weird, but ok.
My husband and I found things we wanted, ordered, and a few minutes later our waiter came and told us they were actually out of the duck dish my husband ordered. We took a few more minutes to reconsider what we were getting (we split the surf + turf plus got a side of macaroni au fromage and brussel sprouts/potato slaw). It was probably about 7:15 at this point.
The last time I checked my phone was 7:55. Sometime after that our waiter came over and let us know he forgot to put our order in and was just putting it in now. By that point my husband was getting a headache from not eating. They brought us some bread and offered my husband wine (not me though, which again was weird). He said he wasn't much of a wine drinker and the waiter was just like "Oh, ok." and left without offering him something else. Well, all right.
The couple next to us wasn't having much of a good experience, either. They found out they were out of another menu item and a few different alcohols to make drinks with. They asked both ours and their waiter for bread four times because if twas taking an extraordinary long time to get they're meal, too, and finally on the fifth time, got it. They were speaking up for us, as well, and frustrated for our situation. Her comment was "what is this? Amateur night?"
To be fair, our waiter was trying extra hard after that. We got our food out promptly. After we finished, he said he tried to put in a chocolate ice cream dessert for us, but some component of it would take another 20 minutes. We mentioned/hinted that we're not big chocolate eaters, anyway, we'd get the cheese/fruit plate as a dessert if we could. The waiter didn't catch the hint. He just said "next time get that at the beginning." Worth the shot.
They gave us our sides for free ($12 savings), but we had been there two hours by the time we got out. It was frustrating. My husband wanted to give it one stars, but we decided it was more fair to bump it up to two because at least they sorta tried to make it up to us.
TL;DR: They just changed up the menu, I'm not sure the have all the components for the new menu in stock, and they're overwhelmed right now. Unless you want to wait 90 minutes for a meal, you might want to give them a few months to get adjusted to their new spread.
If you are going here to get drunk off some cheap liquor, you might be disappointed. Â While the mojito pitchers are cheap, they are also very LIGHT on the alcohol. Â They taste like juice, if that is your thing. Â
The appetizers are $1 a piece, and not too shabby for in portion. Â The dipping sauce for the fries (mayo base?) is pretty good. Â We grabbed 3 orders of fries, a couple of orders of fried green beans, some chips and oysters and we were good for the night. Â Plenty of seating. Even a piano player if you head here a little before happy hour. Not bad for downtown WC.
Nice location & ambience but HORRIBLE SERVICE!
Happy hour was ok, $9.99 mojoto pitchers were good but service was slow and unfriendly! We moved to a table for dinner afterwards & our next server was just as bad! Forgot what we asked for, didn't check on our food, slow service! Not priced well for the quality of service. Food was ok, 1 out of 4 people liked their meal. Scallops were gritty/sandy pairing of seasoning was confusing.
Owner/chef listened to our complaints & brought out complimentary dessert.
THE DOLLAR MENU: NOT JUST FOR FAST FOOD
I love me some good happy hour. There are several places in Walnut Creek that I regularly go with friends, depending on the day of the week and the special being served. I find Mondays are the best for oysters around here, Tuesdays for tacos, etc. But what happens if you want $1 oysters on a Friday?! Search no more! Cypress has your happy hour needs covered. Â Monday through Friday, Â the happy hour menu here stays the same. Â
The dollar menu features steak tartare, escargot, oysters, frites, salad, soup, and chips & dip. Â I've tried everything except the soup.
(Note: there's no bluecheese - which I love dipping my fries in!)
If the food hadn't been so fun and delicious, this would be a three or four star review for service. It gets crowded in there but that's no excuse for being a little slow. Sometimes, a LOT slow. The first time I was in there I had arrived just after 5 to meet friends. Once there, I'd been sitting half an hour before I had my drink order taken. It was 5:40 and Happy Hour ends at 6 (though, the waiter did let us order another delicious mojito pitcher not long after 6, at happy hour pricing - the mixed berry mojito is amazing and you get a big pitcher for $10). Food took equally as long.
I haven't found the people taking the orders to be all that friendly. Kind of short; like they're very rushed and too busy to make you feel really welcome. But that's ok. The food servers on the other hand are very friendly when bringing out the dishes. I stopped two employees and asked questions about the place - I wanted info. on the back room for private parties, and the size of the outdoor patio. Jose offered to take the time to show me the patio and really gave me his full attention while we spoke. I'll definitely be back here in summer for patio seating!
The item I intend to try next is the Caesar salad. We saw a couple next to us order it and they made the dressing tableside. There is nothing that beats homemade, fresh Caesar salad dressing. The guy making it put on a little show for them as well. Very cool!
1 star lost for service.
I want to like it more than I do. Want to know why? It's simple: They have a painting of Tom Waits hanging on one wall and the chef / owner sat me and my girlfriend on a Saturday evening. I was impressed.
The service was awesome. Our waiter talked with us a bit, but not too much. Our appetizers took a little longer than they should have. We wouldn't have complained  but they gave them to us for free to be sure we were happy.
The only actual downside to the place was the food. It was bland. Not completely devoid of flavor, but nothing impressive either. Which, given the atmosphere they project (and project well,) should change immediately.
Summary: I couldn't care less if you bring me an iPad for a menu. I get it, it's hip and trendy. You've accomplished that vibe with the look of your restaurant. Now, concentrate on your food and drop the gimmicks.
I'm only talking to you this way, Cypress, because I think you've got it most of the way down and it's easy to recognize your ambition and potential. It's tough love, you see.
I'm old, I like to be in my pajamas by 8:30 most nights and I hate loud places that are a "scene." So, when my friends suggested Cypress for a 6 o'clock get together on Friday night, I was relieved and willing to partake. We sat in the front area near the piano and enjoyed the ambiance and calm, relaxing atmosphere. We ordered appetizers from the bar menu-it's not a vegetarian friendly place so I ended up eating fries (shame on me, right)
Cocktail menu on iPads they bring to you, which is pretty slick. Attentive server, relaxed pace drinks and appetizers. All in all, a pleasant night. Fries for dinner, only group under 55 in the place and still home in PJ's by 8:30-yes please!
So, yeah, not or everyone, but a pleasant subdued place to meet up.
#6/100 The Yelp 100 Challenge!
Right from the get go the service was attentive and friendly, in a very natural but still professional way. Upon approaching our table and introducing himself, our server asked if we were there celebrating and when we told him yes (5 years since we first met) he said that they would treat us to a complimentary dessert. He then promptly took our drink orders.
We were there on a random weekday and it wasn't busy at all. I felt like they were cooking just for us as our drinks and meal were paced nicely.
We started with the caesar salad which they call something else but it is a caesar salad. They make it table side, including the dressing. This was my favorite thing. I could eat that salad all day long.
For my main dish, I ordered a scallop dish and my honey ordered a steak something. The scallops were perfectly cooked with well paired sides. A bit on the sweet side overall, but that usually works for scallops, as it did in this case. My honey enjoyed his dish, which included bone marrow. Fancy.
We couldn't resist ordering a side of mushrooms to split. I love mushrooms but they were very earthy tasting. Way too earthy for me. I could have done without them for sure.
The complimentary dessert was a chocolate thing and it was delicious.
I purchased a Yelp Deal but we decided to save it for a future visit. We plan to return, special occasion or not.
I LOVE this place, what can I say? The outside of the restaurant has that "get ready to spend 100 bucks here" look about it, but honestly, they have a GREAT Happy Hour menu (I should also mention that I've only been here for Happy Hour). Plus, their Happy Hour is everyday from 3-6pm, and again from 9pm until closing. I used to be a Stanford's Happy Hour kind of girl, but trust me folks, this place is MUCH classier.
Let me tell you why their Happy Hour is awesome: 99 cent Oysters Rockefeller.
This place has an upscale, chill, romantic vibe. Â In addition, there is often a man playing the piano (he is also a super nice guy! Tip him well, people!).
One thing I find unique about this place is that their wine menu is brought out to you on an iPad, with which you select your wine(s) of choice. Very fun and modern!
The service has always been friendly (hello awesome lady who owns a chinchilla!). We are always treated like friends here, which makes us want to stay for another round of drinks!
A COUPLE OF THINGS I SHOULD MENTION ABOUT THIS PLACE:
As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a guy who works at the bar who claims to be an expert on beer and wine. He is the same guy who deviated from the recipe when making one of my cocktails because "that's how [he thinks] it should be made". He made us feel like he was "too good" to be serving us, which I found extremely off-putting.
Another thing: Don't expect them to stay open until their regular closing hours. I rolled in with a friend last Thursday night around 9:30pm, and the place was totally empty. We were told that they would be closing the place in 20 minutes. Upon hearing this, we walked across the street and spent the rest of the night bouncing between Lift and Redux.
Other than those two issues I have with the place, Cypress is truly a gem in Walnut Creek for Happy Hour. Four stars!
My husband and I just went there for New Year's Eve and were very much looking forward to a nice meal and some quiet time together...
We were seriously disappointed.
The selections for the pre fixe menu were unimpressive and really limited. The food came out way too soon. Second course when we were in the middle of first and entree two minutes after our appetizer arrived. Very poor timing. When it did arrive, it was OK, but not great.
The servers were nice enough and seemed to be doing what they could.
The place itself left much to be desired-- It was cold, dark, tables were wobbly, and there were TV's everywhere you turned. No table cloths or carpet and lots of glass makes it feel empty and cold.
Unfortunately, we left quickly and felt completely taken advantage of. Spending over $200 in about an hour should leave you feeling like it was worth it, even a little.
We will not be back.
Came here for drinks only. Â
Nice intimate bar/lounge/restaurant.
Packed bar (good luck with finding seats).
Live piano music on Saturday nights. Â
The only thing that left a very BAD impression on me was one certain arrogant bartender. Â He was so self-aggrandizing that I'm afraid he's going to lose a lot of female patrons that way. Â I left the restaurant during last call with a very uneasy and unwelcome attitude from him and I'm ambivalent on whether or not I would like to go again. Â
No wonder some people are simply nonchalant and cool towards those who work in customer service/retail/hospitality, food, etc.. Â I can clearly see why now. Â
Just because I'm friendly and asked how your evening's going and my girlfriend and I (Girl's Nite Out) sat and sipped at the bar all night while on occasion chatted and laughed with you and the other staff members DOES NOT mean that I dig you and want your number. Â I didn't sit at the bar to gaze dreamily at your arrogant face. Â Maybe it's because we were lazy and too f***ed up to walk around and just wanted to simply enjoy our evening at the bar instead. Â
So Mr. Cool Bartender, get off that extremely high horse of yours. Â Not every friendly female customer wants to have your lovely offspring. Â So SCREW you!!!!
Anyway, like I said, nice place. Â Check it out.
Disappointed... I went here a couple months ago for lunch.
At first I thought our server was new, but after one of my coworkers said they saw him a month prior. I guess he was just a nervous forgetful person. Probably not the best choice when trying to give the impression of a upscale restaurant. Also he did not know the menu items well, which should be either the chef or managers responsibility to have them try the food and drinks. I would think It would help better in sales too, but who am I.
My coworkers both got the onglet steak sandwiches. They only thing good was the bread, I did try a bite. The meat was not very tender and the spices/sauce were not very satisfying. Very plain and overprices for what it was. They have other places on the same block, same sandwich for more reasonable with better quality ingredients.
Now I had the homard lobster roll. Bleh...for one they should let you know is it cold.
From what I have seen most french lobster rolls are warm like Southern New England style rolls. There is always a debate of which is better, but for me warm. I can get past that though, again the bread was good, but the lobster was ok and the flavors and spices with it like the steak sandwich, were not very good.
The chips that were both served the means were pretty average too. Not much flavor, very mediocre.
I don't mind paying top dollar for a good meal, but it wasn't. My lobster sandwich was $20.00 with the steak ones being only $10.00. Ehhh sure I will not go back, unless it is try happy hour, but we shall see.
Also at the start of the meal we let our server know we needed a burger to go. Most places time this right so when you leave the meal is ready. Not ours, he actually forgot the order and we were all late coming back from lunch.
Flies, flies, flies. Â Flies everywhere - in my face, trying to get to my food, all up in my ear.
Escargot
- likely the BEST escargot i have had thus far (had it 3 times in my life) Â the oil/sauce that it's swimming in is just the best garlicky, oniony, buttery, just something about it is sooo good. i could just dip bread into that sauce all day. Â the escargot was nice and tender.
Crabcake benedict
- nothing too impressive or memorable, there was an overuse of the sauce that made my benedict super heavy tasting and the potatoes seemed like they were kept in a steamer overnight, it did not taste freshly cooked, neither did my friends bell peppers.
$1 mimosa - nobody liked it but its a cheap toast!
our waitress was an older latino lady and she was very nice, however the water splashed on my face as she poured the large chunks of ice cubes in, when i used to serve people i would take the cup outside the table and refill that way.
overall it was alright. Â i would just get a few orders of escargot and bread. and maybe sit closer to the windows so the flies need to travel further to get to you
55%
Pretty good French bistro
***Short Review
Came here with a smaller party in Nov'12
Food seemed a bit 'hit & miss'.
-The French Onion Soup I had was pretty good, not great.
I liked how the broth was very hot, not too sweet or heavy.
Nonetheless, I don't think there was much that set itself apart from other french onions.
-The Roasted Half Duck with Duck fried rice was generally good.
It was generally rich, delicious, and hearty.
For $27-ish, there was a lot of food.
While the duck breast came out well, much of the leg and skin were undercooked.
-The Baked Alaska was average.
The meringue on the outside worked nice, it was light and had good char.
The inside mint chocolate chip ice cream cake wasn't very good.
It reminded me of something you might get at Baskin Robbins.
Value seems okay.
Although the quality of food can vary, usually the portion sizes are very generous.
Unless you have a larger appetite, it's possible to share items and dine for less.
Service was notably good.
I found the servers to be attentive, efficient and friendly.
It seemed that our food came out quick, while the pacing was consistent.
Outside design is very modern and pleasing.
The interior design resembled more of a supper club.
It was comfortable but not so much my thing for bistro dining.
Detailed Review will get more into the dishes I tried.
***Detailed Review
-L'oignon. Â French Onion Soup $8 (Dish Rating 55%)
Pic:
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cypress-walnut-creek#6XbVZVgTpXvACuH_eD6tjQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
This seemed like a pretty straightforward preparation and it wasn't bad all. Â
The only thing I noticed that was different was that it didn't seem to have as much cheese as a more conventional French Onion Soup. Â Usually the lid of the soup is closed off by a thick layer of cheese, but here it's not the case. Â For better or worse, the soup isn't quite as heavy. Â Nonetheless, the presence of the cheese flavor didn't seem compromised. Â I think this was the best part of the soup.
The broth itself was appropriately piping hot. Â The broth was generally sweet but not overpoweringly so. Â The consistency of the broth was light. Â It was solid, comfortable soup. Â Portion size is reasonable. Â There isn't a notable weakness. Â However, I didn't see that there was anything distinctly innovative or exceptionally delicious about it.
Canard. Â Roast half duck with duck fried rice $27 (Dish Rating 74%)
<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/cypress-walnut-creek#_kHm9glcMcnds3zPb5fS-g">http://www.yelp.com/biz_…</a>
Concept of this dish is very good. Â Its essentially half a good sized duck served over a 'fried rice' of wild rice and duck. Â However, there were some execution issues, intentional or not, that I didn't care for.
The duck itself was slightly under-cooked for me. Â Much of the meat toward the inner portion of the duck was closer to a pink. Â This worked great for the duck breast. Â It didn't come out so well for the leg and skin. Â As much as I usually love duck and enjoy some level of gaminess in the bird, I thought here the effect was slightly too aggressive. Â For the duck breast portion, I found the gaminess to be less overpowering. Â It was juicy and not too raw or dry, just about perfect.
For the leg, the gaminess seemed a bit harsh. Â After a few more bites, the experience became more tiresome. Â The skin and fat underneath of the duck came out more rubbery than crispy. Â While the flavor of the duck skin was delicious and essential, I thought the texture was unpleasant. Â
The duck fried rice was pretty good, not great. Â It had a more subtle salty and savory presence, which reminded me of soy-sauce but not in a crude 'Panda Express' kind of way. Â The wild rice had a nice chewy texture and was coated with a delicious oil that wasn't too heavy. Â A more generous portion of rice is also given. Â I had trouble noticing much duck meat inside the rice, and it was possible there might not have been any at all. Â The rice worked okay with the duck. Â It seemed interesting in concept, but the flavors appeared to be more on the safe side. Â
This is heavy and generously portioned dish. Â For more modest appetites, its fair to share this an entree between two diners. Â The value for $27 seems very reasonable. Â Overall I found myself enjoying this duck dish, even though it had the potential to be much more. Â
To be continued. Â Review to be updated shortly.
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