We've been to SO several times since it's literally right down the street from our house. The food has been great in the past, and they had/have a wonderfully curated wine list. Plus Veo mixes the most outstanding cocktails! We were intrigued to hear that they'd changed up the menu to focus on small plates and improved the already fantastic wine list. We're huge fans of the small-plate trend, which allows us to sample several items instead of forcing us to choose a single main course.
We ordered a bottle of Domaine Serene Pinot Noir, which arrived fairly promptly. French onion soup (highly lauded by a local food blogger), mussels and clams, beef brochettes, and blackened seafood fondue were on the food agenda. The soup was just magnificent with a rich, beefy broth full of caramelized onions. The crouton and cheese were perfect toppers. The portion was more than enough for two people, especially for an appetizer and I could have made that my entire meal. We left at least a half-cup of soup in the bowl because we still had three other dishes on the way. SO might consider also offering a cup option.
The three other plates arrived at the same time about 20 minutes later:
I'll start with the beef brochettes since that's what I dug into first. They're described as "Beef Medallions * Cream Cheese * Jalapeño * Bacon * Cilantro Oil" What we received were eight chunks of beef wrapped in bacon, not a lick of cream cheese or jalapeño to be found. I didn't realize those two ingredients were missing until looking over the menu just now to ensure I got everything correct (It was my birthday AND we had lots to talk about). The brochettes were also cooked medium, which, absent the cream cheese, rendered the bites quite dry.
The mussels and clams were quite good, perfectly steamed and served with saffron aioli and a half-loaf of ciabatta.
The blackened seafood fondue was... not what I'd envisioned at all. It's described as "Seared Shrimp * Crab * Blackened Bechamel * Monterrey Jack Cheese * Ciabatta" on the menu. I assumed the seafood would be blackened and dunked in a fondue. What we got, though, was something of a seafood dip/soup hybrid. It had a subtle blackened seasoning but was very thyme heavy. And I like thyme. Again, the portion was enormous, with another accompanying half-loaf of ciabatta.
I'm sure it might sound a little ridiculous to some to hear complaints of a restaurant serving too much food, but seriously, we couldn't even finish half of what we were served. I felt very wasteful when the server collected our dishes. If we'd been a party of four instead of two, the serving sizes would have been a totally different story, but forewarned is forearmed: These are most definitely not what most folks would consider small plates.
Service was efficient and unobtrusive; our wine and water glasses were never left empty. Our bill was less than $175, which I think is a pretty good deal for the amount of food we received. Unfortunately, the quality control in the kitchen just wasn't there on this visit. read more