06/17/07

A hidden gem in Universal City - Deeeelicious!

by margotblack

What a rare treat to find a such a neighborhood gem. I love this place. Extraordinary food and fabulous decor. Reminded me of being in Basque Country with all the Spanish and French influence. Comfortable and stylish without and pompous pretense, it made me feel like I was in a great neighborhood cafe -- in Europe. A delight to the senses and the palate. Has a great feeling for a professional lunch (eclectic, creative) and at night it's both understated and romantic. You would never guess what's inside from the outside, I thought we were going to a burger place when we first stopped by. I highly recommend it, in an age of cookie cutter, copy cat restaurants -- this one is unique.

• Pros: Delicious food, great decor, love the European influence.
• Cons: A little confusing to figure out how to enter the valet at first.

09/07/06

Not unless you like it hairy...

by unoriginalbrand

The sangria here is great. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The ambiance is really cool. Very relaxed, but nice. The food was passable, but 2 of our dishes came with hair in it. Not acceptable for a highly rated restaurant. They were very nice and gave our table an extra dessert, but I would have rather enjoyed my ordered food minus the hair.

• Pros: SANGRIA
• Cons: Hair. Ick. Parking.

08/20/06

Good food, BAD service.

by musey

I have been twice now, one on a weekend night and once on a weekday afternoon. The food is good, and recommendable, but not really anything special with so much else to choose from. I would go back again except that the service, both times, was TERRIBLE. I am a waitress so I know how hard it is--and how hard it ISN'T--to be a good server.

Our waiter today didn't show up to give us menus (ever). We went and got our own after about 10 minutes. He showed up after another 10 minutes or so to take our drink orders and then disappeared again. The good thing is that the food came out very quickly, under 10 minutes. After he brought our food, we never saw him again until 20 minutes after we had FINISHED eating, and he seemed miffed when we asked for the check.

Overall, if you're in a patient mood, I would recommend it for the food. But if you're a person who ever gets annoyed at sub-par service staff, it will happen here... so be forewarned.

...P.S. I had my dog with me (we were sitting on the patio) and imagine my shock when I checked what he was chewing on and pulled a piece of BROKEN GLASS out of his mouth. Yum. He picked it up from the shards that I later found under my chair.

• Pros: Food, cheap valet, ambience
• Cons: Horrible service F-