So close to five stars.
When I review a place, I usually start with superlatives, if there are any. The best something I've ever had.
My wife and I went for our 22nd anniversary. Having gone previously when it was Fiola, it was a great option for our celebration.
Obviously, the place is doing great. I couldn't get a table almost two weeks in advance at a regular dinner time of 7, and no dining room seats were available. I was given an option of outside or bar lounge. Chose the bar lounge.
We were 15 minutes early for a 6:15 reservation, and were seated within a couple of minutes. The staff was super attentive and polite, great personalities and proud of what they do.
I started with an espresso martini with Padrón XO, and it was excellent. My wife had the Palomarita. It was really good, with a lot of flavor from freshly crushed jalapeño. They showed up quickly, beautifully presented, and yummy.
We ordered the raw oysters for a starter. Just spectacular. Super fresh oysters on a bed of ice with two sauces, a cocktail sauce and a sweet sauce. I wasn't a big fan of the sweet sauce, but my wife was. The cocktail sauce, however, was obviously their own homemade with freshly grated horseradish. Superlative unlocked- the best cocktail sauce I had ever had.
Then my wife had the wedge salad. Now, I'm not a salad guy, but this was by far the best salad I had ever had. Think about this- they make their own blue cheese, the lettuce was crisp and fresh. The cherry tomatoes (which I normally hate)) were insanely good. The best part was the warm pancetta. Hunks of them that were so good. I didn't plan to have more than a taste, but I couldn't stop poking at it. Superlative. The best salad I have ever had.
On a recommendation we ordered the wagyu station strip steak, and split it. For sides, we got the truffled potatoes and creamed spinach.
The steak was soooo good. Lightly seasoned and perfectly cooked. The meat was tender and had such great consistency. After having a couple of pieces, I tried the accompanying chimchurry sauce. Oh. My. Lord. What a combo. Superlative, the best chimichurry sauce ever. It had diced onions that just took the flavor to the next level. So good.
To finish, we ordered a bottle of Flowers Pinot Noir (one of my wife's favorites), and just had time with her and I talking about our lives. My wife said she was ready to go, and that she couldn't finish the bottle. We gave it to the patrons next to us, who were very grateful.
It took some time to get our check. We kept trying to flag down our server, who would serve the table next to us but walk away when we tried to get a tab. It took 20 minutes to get the check and another 10 to have her recover it.
Then the valet- there is no way to get the valet to bring your car around unless you are at the stand. We tried. Ended up spending another 10 minutes to get our car and go. All in all, ready to go took 40 minutes. That was the main detriment to our experience.
Food is great. Service is great until you're ready to leave, but a great environment with excellent music (straight yacht rock). You'll dance in your chair, you might sing along, you'll probably close your eyes as you eat. Well worth it. read more