Open late-night-ish :) Yay! Â [Inside the hotel]
We drove up to Stanford from LA and were tired after a long drive. This was one of the few places open around 10 pm. First of all, the ambiance is extremely nice. Second, the service is great, the waiters are very polite and helpful. Third, the food was delicious.
We had the Pacific King Salmon: Preserved Lemon Couscous, Grilled Delta Asparagus,
Braised Fennel, Tarragon Sabayon and Lemonfish Crudo: Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette, Breakfast Radish, Baby Turnip, Mustard Greens, Lemon Basil.
The waitress was very patient with asking the kitchen what dishes could be made without garlic and accommodating all the changes we wanted to make to our order.
Right before I was contemplating dinner, one of my friends posted a great picture of a large cut of beautiful Prime Rib he was about to eat at the Grill on the Alley at the Fairmont hotel in San Jose which he labeled "Heaven". It made me jealous and hungry for the king of meats! I am staying at  the Stanford Park Hotel ( see my excellent review of his hotel) and asked Aaron the Bartender for his advice on PR choices. He highly recommended the special Sunday night slow cooked PR at the Menlo Grill, the hotel's restaurant.  So I decided to try it. Especially after having quite a few excellent meals there this week. Daniel, the Maitre'D guided us excellently  through the evening. The PR was outstanding! A large gorgeous cut with just the right amount of crispy edges and rich red juicy center, accompanied by Au jus and creamed horseradish, satisfied my jealous need for a great Prime Rib! My wife had the seared scallops with roasted corn and polenta which she also loved. Add the fact that there is no corkage and we were also in heaven. Thanks to the Chef and servers for a great meal! Thanks to Dennis too for perking up my need for a great cut of meat.
Review Source:Great place in Palo Alto to sneak away for a good meal.
Plenty of parking, near the highways, and not too far from Stanford which makes it a nice treat when you don't want to have Chinese or pizza again.
All the food is spectacular there, but if you have to have just one thing. Get the beignets.
You'll forget you're in a hotel as soon as you start tasting the food. Â Although the extremely friendly doormen make you not want to forget!
We came here for my 24th birthday dinner. Â Everything we had was so amazing, and the service was incredible as well. Â Loved loved loved the calamari with the spicy aioli dipping sauce, and the scallops with shrimp tempura were such a treat. Â One of the best meals I've had in a restaurant! Â And go for the butterscotch pudding for dessert, especially for the little jar it's served in. Â But mostly for that sweet and salty taste. Mmmm mmm.
We also had the halibut crudo, the salmon entree, and the softshell crab special... Along with the mud pie dessert. Â All good, all highly highly recommended, but those listed above were the real stars of the show.
Any business with no corkage fee has my business, but this one is extra special. Â Thanks go especially to Nathan for making my 24th birthday so memorable! Â We'll be back soon for sure!
We have a group of 10, made reservation and the table was set at the private, quiet corner for us when we arrived.
The service was friendly, but not impeccable. Somehow, the waitress gave the impression that she is new and not familiar with the protocol, yet, willing to work with us pleasantly.
Appetizer crispy calamari was fresh, battered just right. Hummus was tasty with obvious garlic flavor.
My qnocchi tasted like baked potato piece instead of airy potato dumpling. Yet, the asparagus sauce was delicious and presentation was beautiful.
My husband ordered hamburg which was okay.
I had a bite of the grilled tuna from the salad - it was cut too thick, and the grilling was overdone.
All the desserts (Butterscotch pudding, bread pudding and mud pie) Â we ordered were on the little too sweet side.
Nice facility with easy parking. The best part - no corkage fee was charged on 2 bottle of wine we brought.
Eh, just okay.
I took my family to the Menlo Grill for Mother's Day brunch yesterday (May 12). Â Place wasn't crowded - which should have been a signal.
Guests got to make three selections from a fixed price menu -- a starter (I had a simple fruit plate which was just some slices of melon and kiwi - quite unimaginative), one of four entrees (a burger, eggs benedict, an omelette - again, not very imaginative) and one of four desserts. Â You also got ONE Mimosa or ONE orange juice. Â They picked up the glasses as soon as you drank them - no offers of refills! Â You also got a bakery basket of rolls. Â For $38, that was bit pricey for what was a pretty ordinary breakfast.
The bakery basket breads consisted of four pieces of bread. Â There were two halves of two different muffin (seriously, they cut it half and only served half of each muffin!) and two mini croissants (which were actually quite good). Â No butter was provided until we asked. Â When we ran out, we asked our server for some additional croissants and he brought us a basket of three very large chocolate croissants - not what we asked for or even wanted. Â I don't get it.
I also ordered my eggs benedict "firm," but they came quite loose and runny. Â Perhaps you like it that way, but I didn't. Â My wife's crab omelette was good as was my daughter's burger. Â But we expected some salmon, deli meats, smoked fishes, cheeses, a nice bread selection, some salads... there were none.
All in all, this place was over priced for what they delivered. Â If I wanted a good, ordinary breakfast, I'd have gone to Stacks and paid a third as much. Â By the way, Stacks was packed on Mother's Day...
What a lovely hidden gem!
Tucked away inside the Stanford Park Hotel, Menlo Grill Bistro & Bar is a cut above most hotel restaurants. We came as a party of 7 for an early Mother's Day brunch on Saturday. The menu has a great selection of starters, mains and even desserts. Of course, there's mimosas and prosecco, too :)
If you go for weekend brunch, bring your appetite and TRUST me on this: order "The Whole Nine Yards." For $29, you get your choice of salad greens or a fruit platter, choice of main, choice of dessert, plus coffee or juice AND a mimosa or prosecco!
I went all out and ordered the prime rib (most of us did), which came with grilled asparagus and breakfast potatoes. I chose the green salad and it was presented beautifully, with not too much dressing, which I liked. It was perfectly light and refreshing before the main course. The prime rib was cooked to perfection, super tender and medium rare just as I ordered it, with delicious creamed horseradish and a side of au jus. The mimosa was delicious, and tasted like it was made with fresh-squeezed OJ. To my delight, they serve Starbucks coffee in a huge coffee cup (yum!). For dessert some of us ordered the mint chip mud pie and the others ordered the beignets (more like donut holes, very dense!) with vanilla, chocolate and butterscotch sauces. Oh so decadent, and oh so delicious from start to finish. The value is incredible for $29. Service was leisurely  but attentive, and it was nice and quiet since there were only a few parties there. We loved it!
This was a memorable brunch that I won't soon forget -- and I'm sure I'll be back to try dinner one of these days :)
Went there last night for a family dinner. Â Food was great, but the service was slooooooooow. Â Despite our reservation we were seated 20 minutes late, and then it took almost an HOUR for the wine to come. Â The restaurant was not full. Â The wine was not chilled properly and at $53 a bottle one would think they would have a cooler to store it in. Â It was not much different from room temperature. Â
The staff tried really hard but either they were not trained properly or were just overwhelmed & understaffed, although the restaurant was not at full capacity on a Friday night. Â I suspect they lacked training as they did not seem to be experienced.
It was also so noisy as to be almost deafening which is a common complaint of mine in many upscale restaurants. Â
It is too bad that an excellent chef, location and menu can be derailed by an untrained staff. Â Hotels & restaurants need to do a lot more training of their service personnell especially if they want to play in the 4-star pond.
Upscale restaurants like Menlo Grill need to do more to make sure that everything works in tandem. Â Service, menu, food, decor etc. Â The food & menu were great though and I would return for that alone.
Made a reservation for dinner about a week prior and my preferred time-slot was available. The restaurant even called the day of, just to confirm.
Started off with the mixed greens which was the highlight of the meal being very fresh and light.
Moved on to the pork chop and it wasn't too fresh and came out dry, despite the waiter claiming that the chop was cooked "medium..."
The meal ended with beignets which were not fresh and too sweet...no good.
Service was okay, more like a casual restaurant than an upscale restaurant.
Pricing was ~$53/head.
Restaurant is located inside hotel. Parking is very easy.
The updated Menlo Grill is wonderful. New chef Erik Romme came from Madera and brought with him a terrific menu upgrade. We started with the Lemonfish Crudo which was amazing. Most of our table had Asparagus Salad with crispy prosciutto and the perfect egg which they loved. For dinner I had the Black Cod with some of the best lima beans I've ever had. I'm not a big fan of the foam fad but for some reason it just worked with the cod bringing in a nice little hint of saffron. Others at our table had the Lamb Shank, Cornish Hen and New York Steak all of which could easily been prepared at an upscale SF restaurant. Beignets for dessert..YUM! Service was terrific and no corkage fee if you bring wine. An overall great experience.
Review Source:A very yummy dinner for a happy family event; we all enjoyed our meals a lot.
Parking was easy, the ambiance was casual and inviting, service was friendly and food was fantastic.
Some of us were early; they didn't have any problem seating us first. We shared oysters and calamari as starters, they were both pretty good but the rest of the meal was what WOW'ed us.
Several of us are salad lovers, we had the asparagus salad with poached egg and crispy prosciutto, beet salad and a green salad; they were all fresh, tasty and generous in portion size. (4.5 stars for the salads)
For the main dishes we ordered NY steak, lamb shank, black cod, prime rib and short rib, the last two were specials of the night. We shared our food as usual and our consensus was s. rib, p. rib and NY were the best (4~4.5), the flavors, textures and portions were all wonderful; lamb shank was good but not as special (3.5) and the cod was probably the weakest primarily because the portion of the fish was quite small. All the plates were large and came with good portions of tasty sides, the additional sides of broccolini and fries were totally unnecessary. We thought the broccolini was very good, the fries were OK.
They shared the beignets and mint chip mud pie, they were both excellent, the wine by the glass were decent too.
Will we come back? absolutely. We consider this a successful find.
Lovely place with good service and reasonable prices, but food is so so.
I stayed at the hotel with my family.
I had the prefix roast chicken for dinner. Â The chicken was bland. Â The strawberry shortcake, however, was amazing.
They have a great kids menu.
For breakfast the next day I had Eggs Benny. Â I order eggs benedict pretty much everywhere i go and am always happy with it, to different degrees. Â But this was terrible. Â The sauce was bland and tasteless. Â The egg whites were not cooked. Â And, somehow, the muffin was both stale and soggy. Â Yuck! Â I couldn't eat more than two bites.
Have been back three times now since new chef came over last December from Madera restaurant at the Rosewood (Madera earned a Michelin Guide ranking last year). Â This guy knows what he is doing!!! Â Meals have been superb. Â I can see why Madera got in Michelin Guide. Had the lamb shank this last visit. Â It was rich and delicious. Prior visit I had pork chop (for 2nd time) and wife had prime rib (a Sunday special). Â Both were excellent. Food doesn't get much better than this. Service has been very good, too. Highly recommended.
Review Source:Not a bad place to stop for lunch. Keep in mind though, I've only been here once and have only had one plate from here... the pulled pork sandwich.
First, it was a busy day. Ordered this plate, and had to end up taking it to go, and chowing down in the car.
So the sandwich was a bit cold. But still, it was pretty good! I enjoyed it minus just ONE thing... the small pockets of broccoli rabe, which added this punch of bitterness. I wish the chunks of broccoli rabe were a bit smaller and less noticeable, but overall still a good plate. I would get it again (and maybe pick out the big pieces of broccoli rabe)
Have been going there for a long time for breakfasts and lunches. Typically we have been totally pleased. They have just changed chefs (again) and we weren't as happy with our lunch today. Husband's hamburger was as good as ever, but the fries were definitely down a few notches. Previously they were wonderfully colored and crisp. These were pale and ordinaire. My turkey sandwich was dry and seemed to be lacking enough of the accompaniments to give it moisture and flavor. Also had removed the lobster roll from the lunch menu. I was disappointed to see it gone.
Our server was excellent. Hopefully, the kitchen will restore itself to where it has been.
Elegant dining, healthy New American food, inviting ambiance, cordial staff and a appropriate choice for a "classy restaurant" in the neighborhood.
Every dish that came from the kitchen was carefully plated and tasted so flavorful.
Plenty of choices that satisfy the starch-seeker, carnivore and health- conscious eater. From the grill, there's filet mignon, salmon and rib-eye, and entrees ranging from pappardelle pasta, pumpkin risotto to ale-braised short ribs, and starters like butternut squash bisque, calamari and baked-to-order cheddar chive biscuits w/ maple sage butter.
Roasted acorn squash with sauteed broccolini, roasted brussel sprouts over a bed of farro and mushroom was divine. Besides the burnt squash skin, the entire dish tasted and felt good eating.
The prix fixe "Neighborhood Menu" option is a really good deal. (3-course dinner for 23$):
1- mixed greens or butternut squash bisque
2- Home-style Roasted Chicken: caramelized shallot jus, market vegetables
3- Apple Cherry Crumble
Best pork chops I've ever eaten! Â They brine them in cider for moistness, then serve them in an attractive presentation of wonderfully baked apple slices & Brussels sprouts--even if you thought you didn't like Brussels sprouts. Â Oh, and they add a wonderful mustard sauce on top (not too strong--very nice).
Artichoke dip is also very good. Â Nice, big chunks of artichoke.
4 stars for Menlo Grill's dinner menu and service, especially the FABULOUS pork chop!
I had only previously been here for lunch, but recently a friend and I came for dinner. Their dinner menu has a nice mix of dishes, from seafood to steak. I definitely noticed some seasonal fall/winter things on the menu, such as the butternut squash soup.
While the appetizers we ordered such as the calamari were good, the pork chop I ordered is where Menlo Grill truly shined. The pork was as tender and flavorful as any I've ever had. It's the closest I've had to a pork chop being "melt in your mouth" tender. Also, Menlo Grill has convinced me that Brussels sprouts are a good thing. I was never a big fan, but they came with the pork chop and they tasted great. Suffice it to say -- these were probably not your mother's Brussels sprouts. These were fresh-tasting and seasoned well -- flavorful without overpowering the natural taste of the vegetable itself.
I'm usually the harshest critic of a restaurant's dessert menu, given my own (limited) baking experience. The selection wasn't bad -- they had a seasonal pumpkin cheesecake along with a few other items like bread pudding. My friend and I split the apple and cherry crumble, which was served a la mode. It was hot, juicy, and contrasted nicely with the ice cream. An above-average crumble to be sure, but not as head-and-shoulders above other restaurants (as was the case with the pork chop).
Menlo Grill is a pretty solid bet for either lunch or dinner though, and don't be put off by the fact that it's a "hotel restaurant." It is undoubtedly worth your money.
This is border 4-star vs. 3-star. Â We love the comfortable, easy, warm atmosphere. Â The food is good but not great. Â The staff tries really hard, even as it's a bit novice. Â My wife and I are really glad this restaurant is here for those nights when we don't want a pretentious place that's too loud but still want to go to a nice meal out.
Menlo Grill Bistro & Bar has a soul warming menu. Â We ordered their "baked to order cheddar biscuits", their pork chop and grilled steak salad. Â The pork chop was prepared perfectly - super thick but moist and juicy with a nice sauce. Â It also came with a potato scallion pancake that was yummy if you're into potato pancakes. Â While I prefer John Bentley's pork chop, this was very good. Â The steak salad was just okay. Â More like a steak sandwich with salad on the side. Â
But the real reason to go there is the warmth and "not noisy" atmosphere. Â My wife and I could hear each other easily which isn't always true these days. Â The bar is great and comfortable. Â And the price point is "mid-range." Â We decided we would keep Menlo Grill in our "once every 2-3 month circuit" for going out locally.
Have passed by the Stanford Park Hotel, but until recently have never tried this restaurant! I always thought that most* of this type of restaurants are overpriced and average and designed primarily for hotel guests who do not have adequate means of transportation... My first visit to Menlo Bar & Grill proved that this restaurant is one of the exceptions to the rule!
The food was delicious - my favorite was lobster sliders. The service was also impressive and the staff was quite nice. I will definitely come here again, and would recommend this to anyone having trouble finding parking in Palo Alto as this is a quite good alternative to University Ave. eateries!!
Lobster Rolls = OMG delicious.
Artichoke queso dip = mmmm.
Patron margaritas + mixed mojito cocktails = strong and tasty!
BBQ Pork with salsa = not bad.
The staff is extremely friendly and beyond fast.
If you're near Stanford, make sure you eat and drink here. Parking is plentiful as well. The outdoor (heated) patio is a great place to spend a summer evening and chat over drinks.
I got the $24 Ahi Tuna (Yellowfin Tuna) Steak, that came with sesame-ginger sauce and rice. The fish, which was seared rare, was not spectacular at all. It was not seasoned at all, and they expect you to do it after it's already seared. That's not how it works man...The sauce also felt like an americanized chinese version of some brown sauce; overly sweet and boring. I would never get this dish again, even if the price was cheaper.
Sadly, there seems to be 2 other items on the menu that utilizes this Ahi Tuna steak. I would probably stay away from those as well.
would not come back here again, even if someone wanted to go w/ me to here.
Can't comment on the food because we never got any. We were asked to leave because there was a no dog policy. IF there was a no dog policy maybe someone should have told us before we ordered our entrees.
My bf and I were meeting up my cousin and his gf for 2nd brunch. They had an awesome outside patio area. We brought our little cockapoo puppy through the hotel, and through the bar area of the restaurant, we even had a hotel employee open the door for us onto the patio.
We sat at our table, tied our puppy underneath our table. Ordered mimosas and bloody mary's. Received them and after 30 minutes we had ordered our food. While waiting for it we were interrupted by a hotel employee telling us we had to leave because they had a no dog policy. I had to hurriedly cancel our order and pay for drinks we could not even leisurely enjoy.
This is absolutely ridiculous, someone in the first 45 minutes should have told us that the hotel had a no dog policy. Not after ordering drinks, and definitely not after ordering our food. We should have been stopped as we were walking into the establishment. I will not be back.
We were told by my cousin that the food was just ok. glad I didn't miss out on anything.
HITS:
Cheddar Chive Biscuits
Crispy calamari with chipotle dipping sauce
Thick cut fries (served piping hot)
Decor
The architect who designed the tall brick wall along the property line. Â It totally blocks the view of El Camino Real. Â Standing in front of the restaurant and hotel doors you would never know you were next to a bust street. Â In addition, the water fountain in front also masks the traffic noise.
The landscape designer who included lots a greenery and tall palm trees through out the property. Â You really don't feel like you are on El Camino Real.
Rocking chairs in front of the restaurant and hotel.
The whole look of the place outdoors makes you feel like you are at a resort.
MISSES:
Steak salad didn't have much "salad".
Seared Ahi tuna sandwich was meh. Â Loved the sweet soy cabbage though. Â It would make a great side dish.
Garden tomato soup with basil cream (note the fact I wrote "garden" not "bisque" and if I had paid more attention to the menu and noted it myself I would have skipped this soup that taste like it should be poured over some pasta and not served in a soup bowl)
Three words to describe Menlo Grill Bistro and Bar: Pretty, Pretty, Pretty
When it comes to hotel restaurants, I'm usually pretty "meh" about the whole situation. There's nothing terrible about them, but oftentimes there's not much awesomeness to report, either. Clientele is already built into the business, so they don't often have to try as hard. However, I will say that hotel restaurants who "get it" and take the extra steps to be successful really do knock it out of the park. Examples? Aquarius @ The Dream Inn (Santa Cruz), Aracadia @ San Jose Marriott and Menlo Grill Bistro @ Stanford Park Hotel. Just to name a few!
Is it just me or do most hotels offer a brunch buffet? Probably just easier that way. Again, that could go either way, but it's been my experience that the not-so-great ones consist of runny eggs, fatty bacon and day-old cinnamon rolls. Not here! It's not a bad problem to have when you can't decide between menu items 'cause they all sound delicious. The hotel manager recommended the Eggs Benny (always a solid choice!), but my +1 and I were indecisive between the California omelette and the strawberry French toast. So we ordered one of each and switched plates about halfway through the meal. This is one of the many perks of being in a relationship: you don't have to pick just one item off the menu ;)
Food comes out fast! Perhaps it's because we were up eating breakfast before 9 a.m. on a Saturday. But there were definitely other diners in the restaurant. You would never know it because our server was uber attentive and almost made us feel like celebrities. We're not, obviously, but it's nice to pretend.
My omelette was full of jack cheese and bacon. Yum! There was avocado on the top, but I didn't touch it. Too busy eating the eggs, meat and cheese. And the strawberry French toast? To die for! There was a strawberry compote, along with marscapone cheese. Decadent and delicious.
Breakfast entrees run about $13-15, on the pricer side. However, I will say that I'd rather pay a few extra bucks per dish to get the linen tablecloth, real silverware experience. It's not an everyday kind of place, more like a special treat when in the neighborhood. You don't have to worry too much about dressing up, either, since hotel guests come down from their rooms in track suits and with bed head.
Would definitely come back for lunch or dinner. Again, a little fancy, but nothing pretentious. They have an amazing bread pudding on the menu as well as lobster rolls and fresh oysters, thanks to new Executive Chef Chuck Courtney.
Peninsula peeps, take note!
We stopped in here for a drink a few months ago, and weren't too impressed. Our drinks were fine, but a little overpriced for location.
We had debated having dinner here awhile back, and after visiting their bar and peeking in the dining room, I wasn't inspired to eat here.
The clientele and overall vibe felt a bit stuffy, and not somewhere i would make a point of having dinner at.
Came back again to give it a 2nd try, and it was amazing. :D It was my friend's first time eating here, and she kept saying how much she loved this place and that she wanted to come back. . . and. . . we weren't even in the restaurant! We ate out in the lounge area of the hotel.
I noticed that the clam linguine was no longer on the menu. We ordered the steak salad and the scallops. Both were amazing! Though I have to warn you, the steak salad isn't quite what you'd consider a healthy salad. But it was delicious! Nice flavors and good portions. The scallops were seared just right. It was on a bed of corn and green peas.
For dessert, we opted for the peaches and creme bread pudding. We expected it to be tiny, but lo and behol, the portion was definitely for share. The bread pudding was not too soggy nor too hard, the texture was just right. I'd recommend.
And service was great! It was a long catch-up time for me and my friend. The server was very understanding and checked in on us regularly, even though I wasn't even in the actual restaurant space.
Came in the morning to kill time before work. Â Must of been the C and D staff because they were not attentive to us at all. Â Our waiter forgot to bring someone their food all together and the systems went down causing us to wait an additional 10 minutes before they could charge us. Â All in all pretty poor experience. Â
Oh and a Mimosa is 11 dollars.
Fourth time dining at Menlo Grill. Â The recently remodeled Menlo Grill (formerly the Duck Club) hits the spot when it comes to comfortable setting, welcoming staff and great food!
We've been here enough to be able to attest to the consistent service and quality, ever changing experience. Â Wife had a good point - Country Club type of atmosphere - you feel like the wait team/buss staff and manager/greeter know you. Definition of service with a smile=waitress Brittany, buss boy Let and Manager Julia.
The kids love the burgers and I had the Ahi Tuna sandwich was tender, moist and the slaw and cucumber slices on top make for nice flavor. Â Oh, and, the value makes it comfortable to take co-workers, family, out of town guests here.
The last time we were in here we were informed they were voted "Best New Restaurant" in 2011 for the area: Â I'm not surprised!
Their food is always good and I'm loving the winter menu (scallops, yum!). Â They do not charge a corkage and I've never been disappointed with the food.
The only thing I feel this restaurant could improve on is the service. Â I think they have some young staff on deck that just are not experienced. Â At the same time, you are not paying an arm and a leg for the good food so I'm guessing if they brought in more experienced staff the food prices would go up.... The chef makes this restaurant and I'm happy as it is!
Cheers!
I was surprised by all the great reviews as it wasn't all that fabulous in my opinion.
Wine list by the glass was nice but lunch menu was predictable, nothing too interesting. I ordered the ahi salad and please, that ahi might have been seared over a day ago. Is it really that hard to sear a piece of fish for 2 mins in each side and serve something fresh. I should have sent it back. It shows pure laziness on the part of the kitchen as it was on a Saturday afternoon. No one else was in the restaurant. Â No excuse.
Well, the reason for three stars is not because the food was bad, but there was something missing from the experience. The wait staff is attentive and the kitchen is accommodating, but there is a lack of ambiance that makes this restaurant "just ok". Â Yes, I know it is a hotel restaurant, but there are some fantastic hotel restaurants (St. Francis comes to mind). Â
We began our meal with a glass of Mumm Rose. It came in a baby champagne glass...no really it was a miniature glass, about half the size of a regular glass. It was as if we were using a child's tea set (or champagne I guess). The Mumm's was a  nice little sampler, but for $13 a glass not such a great deal. At least the zero $ corkage helped make up for it!
My husband and son shard the fried calamari and thought it was good. They cleaned the plate so I think they enjoyed it quite a bit more than they let on. My husband had the lamb shank, I had the crispy skin arctic char (the fresh fish special), and my son had the cheeseburger. The lamb shank was a hit, and my arctic char was perfectly prepared, not over cooked at all. The risotto that provided the bed of comfort for my fish was also very good. My son thought the burger was ok, not great, and he didn't finish it so I know he wasn't overly thrilled. The fries are good, crispy on the outside, nice and soft on the inside. The kitchen also made a small order of the mac and cheese for us to try (we requested, they delivered!). It had a nice creamy texture, but not an overly cheesy flavor (Velveeta maybe?). We shared the apple-pear crumble which was just the perfect ending to the meal.
IF I decide it is worth another try I will go for brunch or lunch, when the lack of ambiance will not be such a disappointment.
My friend and I came here for dinner last Wednesday night.
Overall, we didn't know what to expect, with that said, of course I read yelp reviews. I left my expectations at the door. My friend and I were there for 2 hours and 40 minutes, and have no idea where the time went!
Here is what we ordered:
-Caramelized beets -- This put together in an artistic way which was appeasing to the eye as well as the palate.
-Classic Wedge Salad -- She said it was good.
We split the entrees and dessert:
-Mom's cast iron skillet mac 'n cheese -- This was by far the BEST mac 'n cheese I have ever had that was Not homemade. They must use multiple cheeses.
-Center-cut Bershire pork chop -- While the pork chop was good, the taste of the stuffing was very satisfying.
-Chocolate Mud Pie -- OMG this tasted better than the Girl scout cookies. It was huge! One order is enough for 2-3 people.
-decaf Cappuccino -- was on the very bitter side.
-port 7? -- She was trying to order something else, but they were out, and the bartender suggested this one. She said it was better than her original pick and was pleased with it.
We were the second to last party to leave the restaurant.
Our server Sara was friendly and on top of it. Â
We were very happy with discovering this place.
This place is surprisingly good. The service is more than adequate; the food is well-prepared and delicious; the wines are very nice.
For lunch, I had the red pepper soup with an entree of Mahi over lemon zest pasta. The pasta was al dente, the vegetables well seasoned and still crisp, and the lemon sauce really good. I enjoyed the Parducci True Grit Petite Syrah, which complemented the Mahi perfectly.
The wait staff does an interesting thing. They learn your name from the host, then address you by it throughout the dining experience. Nice for a change.
The decor is nice with lots of black and white photographs and some color, mostly of the Stanford campus.
One plus...they are open on Sunday. I will be back, probably on a Sunday, to see how some other dishes are...maybe I got lucky this time? We'll see.
The food was just OK , Â we had a conversation over dinner of how the chef and the place has more potential than what they are doing right now.
It has a nice location with plenty of parking, the ambiance is simple yet elegant, the service is attentive and knowledgeable. The problem for us was that their menu is all over the place, they go from enchiladas to mac and cheese.
So we decided to try a little bit of everything and the only dishes that stood out were the caramelized beets appetizer, and the bread pudding . Other than that it was bland .
The ultimate question when I leave a restaurant is : will I rush back to this place? And the answer is no ,unless I check out their menu online and see that they defined  their cuisine a bit more .
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