We had afternoon tea for four here with their Christmas menu. LOCATION, PARKING, VIBES Easy to access, and lots of free self parking around the area. There are many electric car charging stations in the lot. The restaurant itself is easy to find and has a nice vibe. It's decorated prettily and the staff is all wearing nice clothes. It's well lit but not harshly lit. The tearoom itself had a large Christmas tree, a fireplace, and mood lighting. We were sat in cushy chairs with low coffee tables-- the tables were small, so it was hard to manage the cups, plates, saucers, teapots, and food dishes on such a small surface. SERVICE My one qualm with this experience is that when we arrived, my service dog was apparently an issue. What happened is first they asked "is that a service dog?" I told them yes. It didn't seem to be an issue. They informed us they needed a few extra minutes to set up a table. Well, it turns out they were setting up a new table for us outside. They told me they were going to seat us outside because I brought a pet. I said "this is not a pet. He's a service dog". They said "yes, I'm sorry, I misspoke. What I meant to say is that you need to sit outside because you are dining with an animal, and they can't dine indoors". Now keep in mind that though their outdoors dining space was covered, it was 50° and raining out, and also I'd reserved an inside table. Those of you who know service dog laws already see what's happening here. I wanted to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding, so I said "just to be clear, you are aware that this is a service dog, and you are telling us that we are required to sit outside because he is an animal?" I said it just like that. They said, "yes, our manager told us that's the case for our restaurant". At this point I was like dang, now I have to fight for my basic rights to be treated like other customers! I informed them that under the ADA they're not permitted to discriminate against me for using a service dog by restricting the area in which we can eat. I asked are you aware of this law? They seemed very uncomfortable. Then one of the staff said, "if you'd prefer to sit inside we can seat you inside. We were just offering another option". Now this was a bananas thing to say because, as youve just read, I CONFIRMED that they were saying we HAD to sit outside. But whatever, it seems like they got the message as they were now deeming it acceptable for us to sit at our original table. After this a server brought my dog water. That was nice of them. FOOD The food was great! As a Celiac I was very impressed. I got all the same sandwiches, just served on fluffy white bread rather than the variety that the gluten ones were on. When dessert came, I got the same number of desserts with great substitutions-- chocolate cake, carrot cake, a chocolate tart, mango sorbet, and a significantly sized bowl of fresh fruit. I also received the same scones, just gluten free. Something unique that I really liked here is that they give you a big jug of hot water so that you can keep refilling your teapot at the table. I've never seen that before at a high tea place. WORTH IT? It's important to note that my gluten free meal was at no extra charge! $85 per person, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The service was very friendly (aside from our service dog/ADA non compliance fiasco at the beginning) and though there weren't many tea options, the tea was good. read more

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Had to ask a couple times to change tables to get the view from the terrace and we were glad we did because most of them were free soon after. So instead of saying no, one should have said that the wait would be 5 minutes. Oh and a biscuit alongside our coffee at the restaurant but not at the bar (although cheaper there). A bit unlike past experiences we had at Madera. But other than that, we had a great time and food was delicious as always. A great place for spontaneous lunch / dinner. read more

The food was decent, they were very quick with service and the ambiance was nice and chill. For what the omelette tasted like, I felt it was a bit overpriced, but the plating was nice. read more

Madera - Latte - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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I went for my birthday celebration dinner. Food was very good and staff was super attentive and kind. They offered to take pictures for us and also gave us a Polaroid to take home. They gave us a complimentary dessert as well. I would definitely return. read more

4.5 stars. We sat inside for dinner on a hot day. Excellent food. The ambience inside was more casual. Branzino was super flavorful. I had plenty of branzino in Greek and Mediterranean restaurants. It's usually pretty good but bland. This one tasted vibrant on the palette with sufficient salt level, with moist tender fish in texture. Phenomenal dish and the best one I had in the Peninsula. I also like the octopus dish (beautifully presented and crispy on the outside. Exactly how octopus dish should come together) and the chicken tender dish on the kids menu (surprisingly delicious for kids meal. Lightly battered exterior and excellent meat quality, which is not an afterthought to the adult dishes to appease the ones). Asparagus was solid but not a standout. The food has significantly improved in the last 3-4 years. Worthy of its Michelin star. read more

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Madera is in such a nice hotel and the view from the restaurant is spectacular. The food and the ambiance was good, but the service was not up to par. The waiters did not know the menu well, they had miscommunication with each other, and just not very nice or attentive in general. When I asked them to take a picture of us, they muttered something under the breath and rolled their eyes... It was to the point where it was bothersome. Such a bummer because the food tasted really good. The oysters were excellent, and I ordered the crab tartine which was also delicious. Their chocolate cake was also really good. Good ambiance, good food, terrible service. So much potential with a lot of room for improvement on customer service. read more

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To be honest, I was feeling kind of down coming here initially as it was only rated 3.5 stars on Yelp (at the time of writing). I was worried that the service/food has degraded even though it still maintained a 1 Michelin star rating. I'm very glad I came here with low expectations since the experience was definitely 1 Michelin star worthy and we had a great time. [[ LOCATION ]] This is probably one of the biggest pro's of the place. It is situated near the 280 freeway which overlooks beautiful tall green trees / hills. The restaurant is also inside a 5-star hotel (Rosewood San Hill) so the ambiance is very nice. We came here for dinner when the sun was already gone but I would love to come again during lunch/brunch so I can enjoy the view outside. Also there is plenty of free parking here so no stress in that area as well. [[ SERVICE ]] As expected of a 1-star Michelin, service was very good. The main waiter was always attentive, knowledgeable about the menu, and was making sure our water was filled and we were taken care of. They will clean off the table each time they replace your dishes so there is no crumbs or sauce. They also pack your food for you if you have leftovers. Overall great service and no issues here. [[ FOOD ]] I'm not sure if this is their normal thing but for dinner, they had set menu for $89 which includes a starter, main, and a dessert. I thought this was a very fair price. I'll mark items with a [[ * ]] if its included in the $89 price and will mention the the dishes I really liked separately. Snacks: Midwife and the Baker Sourdough Deviled Eggs Starters: Grilled Octopus* Beef Tartare* Mains with Sides: 24oz Dry Aged Rib Eye For Two (extra $20 per person)* Celeriac Purée* Wood Oven Roasted Spiced Carrots. Whipped Labne* Pan Roasted Wild Mushrooms* Potatoes* Desserts: Warm Chocolate Cake* White Chocolate Bread Pudding* Special shoutout to both the snacks. I really enjoyed the 4 pieces of bread with the creamy/zesty butter. It was surprisingly very good and was a great star to the meal. The Deviled Eggs were also very flavorful and soft/creamy. I wish they gave more than 3 halves of an egg for the price though. For the main, the 24oz Rib Eye was cooked medium-rare and was very tender and enjoyable as well. If you get the grilled octopus, I thought it was a small piece and over-grilled. You really have to like the charred/grilled taste if you get this starter. The Beef tartare was very generous but I thought it was too much for one person. Luckily I could share it with my wife. [[ CONCLUSION ]] I'll definitely be back to try out their other menu's for brunch/lunch. read more

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Madera used to be my family's go-to 1-star Michelin star restaurant: local, easy parking, fast-paced meal, great food. We returned recently for dinner and it was incredibly disappointing. Bread used to be complimentary, now it's an extra $9. Also, it used to be a bread basket with an assortment of breads. Now it's just one slice per person. With the normal $85 dinner, you have your choice of an appetizer, entree, and a dessert. In the past, you would be able to become decently full after the three course meal (plus the previously complimentary bread), but this time I was left a little hungry to be honest. The portion sizes seem to be smaller than in the past, which is curious because there are a lot more supplement options on the menu now...it's almost as if management knows that people will be hungry if they only limit themselves to the dinner package...sad :/ Small portions aside, the appetizers and entrees tasted good. Dessert, on the other hand, was the worst. I firmly believe that dessert is the most important part of a Michelin restaurant experience because it's the last chance to impact my impression of the establishment. The homemade beignets are basically just two doughnuts served with a caramel (slightly alcoholic) sauce and the almond tart and cheesecake were just okay. I was not blown away with the presentation of dessert, nor the taste. My family and I collectively agreed that the quality of dining at Madera has gone downhill (down Sand Hill if you will, har har) since the pandemic. It's just not worth the money anymore. I only gave them 2 stars instead of 1 because the food is fine if you have lots of money to blow. read more

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This restaurant has a Michelin star. Given that we were super excited when a friend invited us to lunch today. We have not been post Covid. Overall this is five star dining as it should be. Very pricy even by Peninsula standards. Started with drinks before our friends arrived. We asked to cash out the drinks as our friends were taking us as a gift. The manager brought the check and asked if we would like to have lunch as well - was everything ok? We assured her just being polite about the bill! Nice though that she checked in. Lunch service was excellent. Very leisurely even though we stayed well past closing without intending too. (They're not doing dinner right now as they like everyone are short staffed.). We had three appetizers, four sandwiches, a salad and four desserts. We went big as instructed by our friends. I'm guessing the bill was around $125/person. Highlights- kampachi crudo, deviled eggs with caviar (three half's but some delicious), lobster tartine and two desserts- the beignets with a caramel cream (think pot au creme) and the star - warm chocolate cake. A soufflé cake with a chocolate caramel inside. O. M. Gosh. Worth the trip. Everything else was very good but those were the stand outs. Overall very indulgent place with luxurious casual service and excellent quality ingredients and some inspired dishes. read more

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Came here for the nice view and good service. Had the Halibut special. It was well executed. Dessert was disappointing for a restaurant of this caliber. The two desserts we ordered turned out to be just ice-cream on different random pastries. There is much room for improvement in this area. read more

The restaurant is beautiful. We had a table in the patio area overlooking the swimming pool and green mountains. The service was great. The burrata was very good- soft and tasty as it sits in passion fruit and pine nut olive oil? The crab Benedict was ok. The crab was yummy but overall kind of bland. The short rib was so tender that the meet feel off the bone but it's a bit oily/fatty. The fizz (I don't recommend it) tasted like a very strong tequila but that's it. The chocolate cake was super yummy. It was soft and warm with chocolate sauce inside. We also had a side of potatoes. That was very good. It was tasty and crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. read more

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Great ambience and outdoor scenery was beautiful. The food was absolutely delicious and superb service. I love the cocktails and the wine was top notch. Luis was an excellent server and he made our first time a memorable one! The octopus was cooked just right, it definitely was one of my fav. The steak was medium cooked just how we asked. Lastly, the pork chop had a savory juice-y taste to it. Will definitely come back. :) read more

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Today my girls friends and I had lunch at Madera. The place is supposed to be one of the nicest upscale spots for lunch. Our experience was terrible. The service abhorrent. There was no service. Water was served immediately by a bus boy and we waited for our server who never came. Finally we flagged down a staff member who was surprised that no one had come to take our drink order even. We ordered lunch and waited again. Finally lunch showed up with extremely small portions. No one came back to check on us. Then when we went to pay our bill we had to ask for the check and then 15minutes later find someone to take our CC. Again we waited for them to process credit cards and be done. No such luck. Had to go again to find out where our CC went. When I got home and had a moment I decided to call the restaurant and tell the manager about my experience. He apologized and told me to come back and he would "make sure we got good service". I will never go back and if I did what am I suppose to do? Inform the staff that I got terrible service the time before and the manager told me to come back so I would have better service? This restaurant is high priced, fine I knew that going in however the service or lack there of, does not match the prices at all. read more

My mom recently passed away and we chose to have a post memorial service dinner at Madera restaurant. The dinning room can only accommodate a group of 8 or less, but we had 10 so we reserved a private room. I worked with a mediocre event planner. She asked for details already provided once or twice; she didn't tell me when items had been discontinued; she sent me an incorrect contract a few times, etc. We needed to pad the catering menu because it was difficult to reach the $2,000 minimum with only 10 people who are not drinkers. So we added a few canapes (at $120 for 10!). The week before she switched us to being able to order off the menu (which I asked for) and said they would serve the canapes in the bar, but neglected to tell us that they would then NOT count toward our total. The night of the event the server kept telling us we hadn't reached our $2,000 limit so we ordered more sides and an additional canape and a few bottles of wine to go. My dad paid for everything the night of the event (more than $3,000 for 10 people). Then, a week later, my credit card was charged an additional $480 for the canapes! No call, no email, no heads up. And those canapes were supposed to be counted toward the total food amount. If you are planning an event, I would seriously reconsider this venue. Be careful who you work with to plan the event and be prepared to be nickel and dimed ($50 for 10 place cards!). In addition to the stressful planning process and the questionable billing practices, the food was... OK and the services was slow. UPDATED: After reaching out to the event planner multiple times for copies of the invoices of what we were charged for, I wrote a letter to Philip Meyer, Regional Vice President & Managing Director. He never replied. But I did finally hear back from the event planner. She did not send the itemized bills. She sent the contract, which she had ALTERED on 11/3 (the event was 10/11 and I was charged on 10/17). read more

3 stars for their afternoon tea Came here with a few friends for their Mother's Day afternoon tea this year and it was just okay. The afternoon tea was reasonably priced and the set came with a good amount of food. However, most of the things tasted mediocre. I didn't really like the bread that they used for the sandwiches. There was too much cream in the sandwiches; it was hard to taste the salmon, for example. The scones tasted good, but they were really dry. Lastly, the desserts were mostly meh. The only thing I liked was the strawberry tart. The service was excellent and the ambiance was nice, but I don't think I'll be coming back for the afternoon tea again. Maybe I'll try lunch or dinner next time. read more

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It was a fun night there. The setting was perfect for a dressed up night out. The service was awesome. Food and drinks are classic and delicious. Everything was presented so beautifully. Would definitely go again. read more

Madera - Rosé tastes really good! - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

We came here to celebrate my Mother-in-Law's birthday, and we had a great experience! The server was really nice and gave excellent recommendations. The Sunchoke Hummus, Catalina Island Tuna Crudo, Agnolotti, and Mount Lassen Trout were fantastic. The Agnolotti was so good, we ordered a second serving! The Passionfruit Pavlova made for a perfect sweet treat with fun flavors and textures. read more

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Madera delivers a really unique experience. For starters, they let you share dietary restrictions at the time of reservation. Ambiance is polished and cozy. Service was impeccable from the moment I stepped in. Front of the house walks you to your table. And a server brings you a drink shortly after. Every one in the staff was very respectful and delivered a spectacular service experience. I ordered a risotto - hands down, this was the best risotto I've ever had. I got a jasmine tea after the meal - loved it. It was really fragrant and had an immediate soothing effect - really nice and strong. I would definitely visit again! read more

Decent atmosphere, food was fine, not thrilling, but nice... great wine selections and service was also ok.. the bar charging $30 for a glass of $40/bottle Chard seems a bit excessive, and the by the glass selections not so great... read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

Been there a few times, -excellent- each time.... From the Valet Parking to the desert & always worth the time & energy to visit. Recent experience was to one of their Holiday Dinners there, to good to be true! From the first drinks served very quickly, to the appetizers and then the main course each of the items were just tops & tastier that you would dream of everynight. Had the Lobster and have not had one that delicious like theirs... Ever. ---Just when you thought Lobster was just Lobster. While I could go on & on its up to you to try this "Gem" out. Easy to drive to, just off 280, & easy parking when on the property or use Valet. Out all of all the Yelp reviews I have written, this one was no doubt the best one we have been to. read more

I scheduled a private event with Lisa for the Orange Room for a brunch; the restaurant is beautiful & the private terrace in conjunction had a really nice view. In regards to the food, the Benedict had an extremely hard biscuit - no one in the party could eat it. The short rib wasn't that much better, so I definitely wouldn't recommend those two dishes. We also had fresh fruit, pastries, caviar, crispy pork belly, Kumamoto oysters, and fries that were all delicious. The sides included bacon and sausage, which were both pretty good as well. The service was great, Erik was our server & attended to everything. We did have many cocktails as well - the mimosa was made with freshly squeezed orange juice & the rest of the cocktails were strong but still nice to sip on. read more

Madera - Kumamoto Oysters - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Instead of going to a restaurant we decided to celebrate my friend's new job by getting non-alcoholic drinks and bites for dinner at the Madera Bar. Whether you choose to sit on the patio or the indoor lounge (we chose next to the fireplace inside) the ambiance is truly top notch. The zero proof mock-tails are excellent, especially the Pepito. The food was fresh and delicious and beautifully presented - our favorite was the muhammara dip with pomegranate seeds and the raw vegetables (sounds boring but it was exquisite!) Best of all was the service - Jamal was our server and he was knowledgeable, friendly, kind, and exuded great energy that made our evening extra joyful and memorable. read more

We have family dinner at Madera and everyone enjoyed the food here and served Nancy is very good service she is awesome restaurant is nice and clean we will be back again make sure you have to order their organic chicken read more

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Food is consistently great. The service is fantadtic. The menu changes at a good pace too. All their steaks are fantastic, the chicken is amazing, and they have a lot of great appetizers. read more

Closer to 3.5 stars but nonetheless I can't in good conscience provide a solid 4 star or higher review for this 2019 single Michelin star restaurant, after my lone visit here this past August. I was taken here as a surprise for my birthday dinner last month, and I was immediately impressed by the california crafted no nonsense ambiance, as I was guided by the hostess to our table on the balcony, as indoor dining was still prohibited by the county at this time. After glancing over the menu, I noticed it was quite thin in entree choices compared to what I had heard before about their dinner menu. Quite obviously, I can understand the slimmed down menu as these are challenging times for anyone involved in the restaurant business. I decided to go with the Ahi Tuna Bowl(Sesame lime soba noodles, cucumber, jalapeno, miso dressing) and I also ordered the Palm Royal Cocktail(Gin, Boston Bitters, Moet & Chandon champagne). My Tuna Bowl was light, and nicely balanced by the cold soba noodle texture and the light crunchy greens. A solid bowl would be a fair assessment in my opinion. The cocktail was quite fantastic, one in which I would happily re-order upon a future visit. For dessert, we decided to share the warm Beignets, with a berry compote at the bottom. This was a fantastic dessert and recommended if you're a beignet fan. Our waiter was so very well mannered, gracious, and polite, as was the hostess who came to check in on us towards the end of our meal. I would look forward to trying their full menu after we all return to what was once before. read more

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An excuse for everything. They give us table of 6, but 2 of the chairs are ceramic, hard , cold cube with no back! We request to have a regular chair, they first say they will do it, then say they can't move chair. Where in the world you are ask to sit on a cube? There is no appetizers which has meat or seafood. Only bread, grilled avocado?! There is very limited types of food. People there are not helpful. Only dessert is good. Drinks look nice.2 stars. Avoid! read more

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Madera is a single Michelin star restaurant located on Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park. Last week, we celebrated here for a dinner during an intense heatwave. Luckily there was a nice breeze on the upper deck patio and the sun was on its way down. The tables were nicely spaced out on the patio. All of the staff were wearing face masks as they should have. The menu for this weekday dinner seemed far smaller than what I had remembered seeing pre-Covid days. I decided to order the Farmer's Market Bowl(grilled corn, avocado, tomato, cotija, cilantro, lime vinaigrette). I also added shrimp to my bowl, which was light and fresh. The shrimp were meaty and a good size. We also ordered the Bread and Butter, which was good. As we were celebrating, I actually ordered a cocktail. I ordered the Palm Royal(gin, berries,basil, champagne). This is a nice cocktail and I would order this again. For dessert, we ordered the Beignets, which had a light berry sauce at the bottom of the bowl, which added a nice contrast to the doughy beignets. Our waiter was very professional and attentive. The hostess came and checked in on us a few times. She was very pleasant and warm. Overall, Madera provides a solid dining experience with the ambiance and service to the boot. read more

Really nice bar at the Rosewood hotel on Sand Hill Road. The library is a nice spot but kind of dark. I prefer the bar. Very spacious. Drinks are strong but good, a bit on the pricey end. read more

It was great to be able to eat delicious food on a quiet and fantastic terrace. Service, staff were also friendly and great. It was a perfect dinner!! read more

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To save anyone else the trouble of finding out the not so pleasant way if you need to cancel for any emergency reasons: please be aware there is a strict $25 cancellation fee if a reservation has to cancel at the last minute even for medical reasons if the reservation must be cancelled under 24 hours window notice. No exceptions. Even during a pandemic. Friends, colleagues and I have been patrons for years and we have loved coming here for spontaneous meetings throughout the day and evenings. There is truly no nicer setting, a good menu and usually wonderful team. I am writing today so you can avoid a sincere polite curiosity about the cancellation policy over a recent lunch reservation being met with first a rather nice reasonable response and then a pretty impatient one unprompted on how to proceed when we want to reschedule. Unfortunately a few of my small lunch party woke with a sore throat and we thoughtfully cancelled to keep everyone safe. Unfortunately, they have since tested positive for Covid and we as a group are happy to have chosen to be responsible and strive to keep everyone safe and cancelled our reservation made a week in advance first thing. And we have now learned and gotten clarity a rather unnecessarily way that we should only ever see if there is availability at the last minute when everyone is 100% able to attend or face a $25 per person cancellation fee if a reservation is cancelled even to protect everyone in the establishment from getting a "cold." I feel everyone should be treated with respect if everyone is being respectful and just curious and asking for more clarity please and hope this wonderful gorgeous property can treat curiosity with more patience in the future. Thank you. read more

Fancy restaurant inside the Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park. Impeccable service, tasty appetizers and entrees. Had the burrata, scallops, New York strip, and halibut, and they were all delicious. Hope to return soon! read more

Madera - Sourdough - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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When we first arrived, we were quickly seated -- with the option of sitting indoors or outdoors (in which I recommend outside as the view is amazing!) The waiters were all super attentive throughout the service, constantly refilling waters, prompt with clearing the table, ect. The first appetizer we got was the scallops and uni -- uni as in singular, as we only got one piece. It seemed to be the same for the scallop as well, as it was thinly sliced. The dish overall was super salty, dry, and lacked the refreshing taste that I was hoping for. The second appetizer the beef tartare, made up for any sore feelings from the first. It was nicely seasoned and overall delicious! However, for those who expected a crunchy and crisp sourdough bread you will be disappointed. The grill marks are for show, as the bread was not toasted at all. The mushrooms were buttery and delicious, with a nice chew to them. There were also large cloves of garlic that just melted in our mouths -- because it was so well cooked, it did not leave a nasty garlic taste that you might otherwise avoid. And finally the main course. The pork had enough fat to be super tender and delicious, but not enough to make me feel sick -- it was the perfect ratio! The pork was cooked amazingly, it was tender and juicy. However, for the flavor itself, it was the sauce that it came in that stole the show. You must dip each piece you eat into it. The dessert was 10/10 if I had to come again, I'd order this over and over again. It took a bit longer than expected, but it was because they freshly baked the pastry! The ice cream was not too sweet and perfectly balanced the cinnamon apple compote! Overall, I was a bit disappointed, as I knew this place used to have a Michelin Star, so I had high hopes. It was a decent place, and I enjoyed how there was no tasting menu but it was alacarte, but there are better in the area. read more

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Decided to drop in after BMW test-drive event and walked right over. The upscale restaurant is equipped with luxury hotel vibes... also because it is part of a luxury hotel. We brought our furry friend so we requested to sit outside in the shade. They sat us in the bar area and made an exception to also serve lunch on that side as well. Super appreciate their accommodations. We ordered a fried chicken sandwich with fries, salmon Benedict, and also a watermelon heirloom tomatoes. I loved how our server brought our fur baby with some ice in it. SHOUT OUT TO SANDRO! He made the experience that much better. Provided exceptional customer service and was very sweet :) The food is delicious. A little on the expensive side, but the ambiance and vibes were amazing. One of those "I can sit here for several hours" kind of places. We will be back! read more

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I took our group of 6 people to Madera for a Saturday lunch. Things were going well at work, so I wanted treat my friends to something nice. I chose Madera because of the ambience, service, and food. This time, I left feeling a tad underwhelmed. Our small plates were delightful. We got the grilled octopus and kampachi. The grilled octopus was crunchy and smoky, and the kampachi was light, refreshing and had a succulent mouthfeel. We also got the crab tartine which was loaded with fresh crab, although the crab to bread ratio was a bit imbalanced. For the mains, we ordered the flat iron, braised wagyu, burger and ribeye. For those of us that got steak, we all ordered it medium rare. However, there was a lot of inconsistency between the way the meat was cooked. Some were on the much rarer side, and some were closer to medium. For a restaurant of Madera's caliber, I expected more quality control. The meat was also difficult to cut with the knives provided (even the braised wagyu!) For dessert, we got the beignets, the "cheesecake", and the chocolate cake. The beignets came with whisky caramel, which was a little too potent for my taste. The cheesecake was super deconstructed so mostly just piped filling. Dip the beignets into the cheesecake cream, you won't regret it! Some servers wore masks, and others did not. I know the mandate has been lifted etc, but we do feel a lot more comfortable with masks (we tried to keep ours on when we weren't eating or drinking.) I will return, but I might focus my appetit on small plates instead. read more

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2/18/22 It's our anniversary! And since we made a pact a long time ago never to do Valentine's on actually Valentine's we had to do something a bit more special today, right? Well, Madera is basically 1 of 2 Michelin star restaurants open for lunch in the entire Northern area of California (I think--if you know of any others besides Spruce, please PM me!) And so for that, I am grateful to be here, even though this was the 2nd WORST "Michelin star" experience I've ever had. So here's the deal--I heard at one time this place was great, but I think they basically have since given up the excellence, and decided to do Cheesecake Factory, but keep their former prices ($260 for 2 for LUNCH). Some notable things: 1. THERE IS NO FREE TABLE BREAD. Can a Michelin star restaurant be stingy? Apparently so. It'll cost you $8 to get bread. 2. Our water cups were stained with white calcium. 3. The cloth napkins were actually tattered around all the edges. Like SERIOUSLY?--what is this, my grandma's kitchen? 4. When they bring you dishes, they're just thrown on the table (sometimes literally) with ZERO consideration for who ordered it. No words spoken, turn and leave. 5. They brought the bread at the same time as the appetizers. THEN... the waiter even asked if we wanted our main dishes now. LIKE COME ON--IS THAT SERIOUSLY A QUESTION YOU ASK? Your 3 plates are taking up the entire table as it is--you gonna stack plates like they do at big Chinese meals? 6. They give you butter knives to cut meat. Alright... let's get on with the food: 1. Saratoga Sparkling Water $12 2. Midwife & the Baker Grilled Sourdough $8 "citrus butter": That not-free table bread. Well, it was good at least--extremely chewy and elastic, just the right amount of sour, and a nice crunchy and rustic crust. Butter has a heavy lemon taste--remember this... it will come up again. 8/10 3. Smoked Deviled Eggs $18 "horseradish, creme fraiche, trout roe": Tastes good, but the ratio of filling to egg white is far too little--you taste more tasteless egg white than the rest. I do get the smoke though--nice touch. 5/10 4. Grilled Avocado $22 "bellweather sheep's cheese, oro blanco grapefruit": So, there were 2 halves, and mine was VERY unripe. It was really hard to eat. THEY DID NOT GIVE US SPOONS, so we had to scoop with forks. Mine was hard so I basically stabbed it with my fork--my gf's was perfect though. VERY BAD QC at their kitchen. Flavor-wise it was a good idea--good char, and the grapefruit was sweet and sour at the same time... but there's too much salad on top. 4/10 5. Root Down Farms Roasted Half Chicken $38 "pomegranate jus": 38 dollars. 38 dollas. 38 MUTHAT F'IN DOLLAS for half a chicken, cooked like the worst of Thanksgiving--complete with cardboard breast and even a dry dark meat thigh! Skin was nice, but tasted strangely of marshmallow??? Also, my gf who went to chef school said the 1" cut chives is unacceptable for a high end restaurant. (Also note, they used the same chives on the avocado.) 1/10 6. Lobster & Avocado Tartine (in the Sandwich section) $42 "sourdough, brokaw avocado": So, they reused the SAME bread as the table bread. It's served open faced (so not a sandwich). The avocado is HEAVILY seasoned with lemon. So... my gf's like, 2/3rds of this is basically a mix of leftovers of what we already had. (This is unacceptable for an expensive restaurant to be so repetitive.) They also have this salad on top that is waaaaaay too citrusy (same lemon taste), and you can't taste the lobster. Chef, do you taste your own food??? 1/10 7. Spinach a la Catalana $15: Perfectly cooked spinach, spruced up with pine nuts and yellow raisins. 9/10 8. Rose & Son, 'Brioche', White Blend, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Gruner Veltliner 2020 $19 9. Private Property, Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands 2019 $20: Out of space, but it was terrible. Only wine I've ever returned. 1/10 10. Ernest Vineyards, Pinot Noir, Madera Cuvee, Sonoma Coast 2018 $26: Also bad, but better than the PP... 2/10 At this point, the waiter brought the dessert menus and left. Disappeared. After 15min we asked another waiter to find him. He came 5min later. 11. Housemade Beignets $16 "Macallan 18 whiskey caramel pot de creme": Most AMAZING pot de creme--it's EXTREMELY heavy with alcohol, but somehow it was delicious! It's basically scotch made into dessert. I don't really believe that they only used the $350/bottle Macallan 18 though, but it does taste like it! The beignets were different but AMAZING--doughy and moist, and quite chewy--but omg it was good. Crisp crust too. 10/10 Give the pastry chef a raise. Fire the main chef and sommelier. 1/5 #menlopark #michelinstar #michelin1star #michelineonestar #worstever #hotelrestaurant #anniversary2022 #deviledeggs #lobstersandwich read more

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Made ther reservation for 5 people for my birthday dinner on saturday night. It's fairly easy to make online reservation 2 days before and there were plenty of available time slot when i made the reservation. The restaurant located inside a beautiful and elegant rosewood sandhill hotel, Parking is really easy as they have a big free parking lot. They have options to do indoor and outdoor dining but since the weather was chilly we decided to do indoor dining. We are pleased with the food they served. These are the items we ordered: 1. midwife and the baker sourdough - first we thought this was complimentary bread but turns out they charged us $9 for the bread and butter 2. Ora King Salmon Tartare - good 3. Risotto squash - good 4. Root down farms roasted chicken (half) - good 5. Lamb chop - Very Good!! was the highlight of all the dishes we ordered 6. Crispy potato - Good 7. Wood oven roasted carrot - Good 8. Cheese burger and fries - kids menu. It was good gourmet burger!! 9. Peach tart with pistachio ice cream- Not for me, it has stong almond flavor in it 10. Cheese cake made with lamb milk - Good The reason for missing one star is the service. I think the restaurant do not have enough number of server to attend to the number of guest they book for the night, it was really hard to find the server to order more items/ request any condiment/ get a refill of our water/ ask for check. read more

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So good. Hospitality was wonderful - we sat down at 5pm and didn't leave until 10:30pm, and we got zero side eye. Cocktails, oysters, ribeye on point. The ribeye was wonderfully tender, and the potatoes and carrots we got as sides were perfect accompaniments. A wonderful treat meal. read more

Madera - Oysters - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

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Food is good, but a bit pricy Service is excellent Overall good dining experience Minus 1 star for scratched plate read more

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Solid lunch! I'd expect nothing less for a michelin star restaurant. c: We came here for a small Thursday lunch, and while we dined indoors, we were by the corner next to the open air and were the only table dining indoors within the next 100+ feet (or at least it seems - there basically wasn't anyone else except at the opposite corner) so I felt very at ease. Staff took the normal precautions of masks & gloves, so I also appreciate that. To share we had the Grilled Brokaw Farms Avocado which was surprisingly so good! I wasn't sure if I was going to like warm avocado, but it was so delicious over the toasted bread. 4/5 would totally get again and recommend! For my entree, I had the Farmers' Market Bowl with Flat Iron Steak, which was surprisingly so flavorful with such a refreshing taste of citrus, and hints of sweetness of the corn, and just savory from the meat. It was just SO GOOD. I thought I wouldn't be full, but surprisingly it was decently portioned. 4.5/5! Overall, highly recommend for a nice refreshing lunch and would definitely try to come back for their dinner menu! read more

Madera - Flat iron steak + farmers' market bowl - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California

It would be a 5 but for the fact that their price point sets a standard of near perfection. Lovely hotel/resort that carries its pretension quietly like a bespoke Saville Row suit. The restaurant will appeal to almost anyone who can underwrite its hefty prices (and can still be an occasional delight for the rest of us). Brunch on the balcony, with a plethora of floral scents, offers a very pleasing symphony of greenery. The fried chicken sandwich ($30) included a large, pounded, tender breast, lightly crusted but pleasingly crunchy. The bacon was of good provenance and almost crisp, but still less than what was asked. Nonetheless better than most places that seem terrified of that final minute required to achieve CrispHeaven. The promised avocado appeared to be a disappointingly light smear. But it proved very fresh and flavorful. And was the almost right amount; meaningfully more abundant butter fruit would have slipped and slid out of the voluminous sandwich. Like the bacon, French fries were fine but did not achieve the crispy perfection requested. So that you can plan your bank run: The chicken sando was also the least expensive item on the lunch menu and the acceleration curve from there was steep. My own and the tables nearby generally received prompt service and quick amelioration of any concerns. And, blessed be, without the strained smile and pandering plather of "My name is Mort and I will be your server", or "How is everything for you today?". Pleasant and mostly efficient (it slowed meaningfully at the peak of the lunch hour). Best of all, the servers seemed actually to enjoy what they were doing. read more

Madera - New American Near Me - Menlo Park, California