Native Cafe & Gathering Grounds

12/20/07

Wonderful Holiday Party Location

by donasauras at Citysearch

I was given the task this year of organizing my Law Firms Christmas Party. Without hesitation, I immediately thought of Renee at the Native Cafe. I have eaten at the Native Cafe several times over the past couple of years and have had parties there. From the food to the service and to the attention to detail Renee and her Staff made my office party a huge success. The lawyers, employees and respective spouses wer all in agreement that the food, great wine selection and resturant was spectacular. I highly recommend the Native Cafe and plan on returning in the near future. It's a comfort to know that these types of places exist in my neighborhood. The Native Cafe does not charge for the private wine room which is beautifully decorated. Other local resturants charge a room fee, which can sometimes total more than the cost of food. Therefore, I give a 5 starrating and a definate thumbs up!

Donna Narvaez, Woodland Hills

09/30/07

Wonderful venue for a rehearsal dinner.

by tbagnuolo at Citysearch

I recently hosted a rehearsal dinner for my son and his fiance at Native Cafe. What a pleasant experience. What a cozy and comfortable private room we enjoyed. The attention to detail and the friendly service were much appreciated. The portions of food were quite generous and all the guests seemed to enjoy the ambiance and wine. The service was friendly and efficient. We filled their banquet room with 58 guests (max. is 60) and the set-up was lovely. I was invited to review the setup the night before so I would be comfortable with the room and how and where my quests would be seated. Individual menus were provided with several entree choices for my quests. I always felt that my budget was respected and my permission solicited to serve, clear, open wine, etc. throughout the evening. I was in control of my event and for that am most grateful. It was a memorable evening, with many compliments from guests. Not formal, but friendly and casual just as we had envisioned. Renee and Ron, the owners were personally attentive to our needs. We provided CDs of personally selected music - but the activity in the room (talking and chatting by the guests) drowned out whatever was playing. I would recommend the Native Cafe for events and would love to have one in smaller numbers in their front wine room. That room holds 30 or fewer guests, would be quieter and a little more intimate. It's difficult to get too intimate with nearly 60 quests but we had a lovely time and memorable time.

• Pros: This is a great value for a group event in a special environment
• Cons: Food for 60 took a little long to bring out but we were having such a good time it was not a problem

08/19/07

Fabulous food - friendly service

by crzycook422 at Citysearch

I ate here for the first time and loved it. The decor is nice and cozy. We sat in one of their big booths and stayed for hours they were so comfy. I had the sea bass, it was incredible, by far the best I had ever had. Friends had flank steak, lamb chops and maple salmom...all cooked perfectly. We were celebrating a birthday and asked for a wine recommendation, we ended up trying a bottle of J. Davies, which was yummy...highly recommend. The service was friendly but not intrusive. We even saw a certain 'comedy central' star while we were there, a nice surprise for us since we are fans (no, we did not go fan crazy). I give a thumbs up for this place and will definitely return.

• Pros: Food - Service - Ambiance
• Cons: None.

08/11/07

A mixed experience

by mrsbarsky at Citysearch

We started with their appetizer called "the perfect date," and boy was it delicious! It's a date stuffed with goat cheese, wrapped in bacon, and broiled. I highly recommend it. Our waitress was charming and attentive.... for the first half of the evening. But by the time we were halfway through dinner we saw less and less of her until we found ourselves wondering where she was. When I got up to use the restroom at the end of dinner I found her. She was sitting at the bar chatting. Her neglect and their high prices for wine by the glass ($14 for a small glass of Kendall Jackson chardonnay), and the not-so-good cheesecake, make me rate the experience as only average.

07/22/07

Not so great!

by carmelak at Citysearch

It's not our first tine at this restaurant and we come back because the food usually is good and the atmosphere is nice.

Tonight the food was a disappointment I had the Mahi Mahi with scallops, the fish was O.K. the scallops were bitter, when I told the server that they are bitter he told me that scallops are always bitter????

My husband's dinner was a little better, but not great and it does not justify the price.

Very disappointing!