Cetrella

We have a big group at dinner, but the dinner dish experiment just so so. The food taste okay, but do not have any highlight.Pizza and lamp chop is the most delicious one. Just it...

The 1st night of our Pumpkin Festival staycation found us dining at Cetrella

Located at the far end of Main St - this was a nice quiet diversion & our B&B owner told us that lots of convention-goers from the Ritz usually end up eating here

And I could see that - great ambiance w/ lots of tables & a fireplace in the middle of the room.....made it extremely hot the evening we were there but glad we had donned the short-sleeves

Started w/ the R&R - blueberry vodka, whiskey, 7-Up & sour mix - this drinky was awesome & had a nice sweet-tart-action going on

Shared the Acorn Squash Fritto Misto as a starter.......came deep fried w/ shishito peppers & hen of the woods mushrooms along w/ a dill dipping sauce that I didn't care for but the Mr liked. The pumpkin was nice but I think a light tempura would have been a better batter

Also shared the Truffle & White Cheese Foccacia - this was more like a flatbread pizza w/ just a bit of cheese & the smallest drizzle of truffle oil - you can skip this & save the calories

Entree for us both was the Farro Risotto w/ Leeks & Chanterelles & this was an a-ok dish...once I removed that WHOLE stick of lemon butter that they included. Paula Deen would have been proud!

The farro was cooked very well but didn't have that nice creamy-texture that traditional risotto has....even with the butter & the lemon is a showstopper for me so I was quick to remove as much as I could ( that hadn't already melted into the dish ) We've had farro-risotto before & this was consistent w/ the texture & flavor

Decided to skip dessert since the only pumpkin offering was a panna cotta & that's a veggie no-no due to the gelatin

So overall, have to say it was a nice dinner but we weren't blown away & would probably try somewhere else before coming back

Everything about this place was good, until we got to the entrees. My friend's lamb shank was extremely bland and there were high concentrations of salt in certain parts of the lamb shank. I ordered the filet mignon med rare and it was perfectly cooked. My other friends ordered the pot roast and it was pretty good. Only problem was the lamb shank. The starter was roasted octopus and it was really good. Will not be coming back after that bad entree. Nobody in the restaurant at 8pm. Not sure this place is going to make it. Sad.

It's really a 3.5 for me, but given the destination drive out to Half Moon Bay, I rounded down to 3 stars.

On a chilly Saturday night, we decided to head to downtown Half Moon Bay to check out the pumpkin patches and to also dine in this quiet seaside town.

Downtown Half Moon Bay was surprisingly quiet. By 5 pm, most shops in the downtown area were closed for the weekend and we only saw a handful of people walking along the street. Plenty of cars were visible, but mostly people were in restaurants.

Our reservation wasn't until 7:45, given that the jazz music doesn't start until 8 pm. We decided to make a short drive out to the Half Moon Bay Ritz Carlton (much more lively and crowded) for drinks and return to Cetrella for dinner.

Cetrella has a nice atmosphere. The music isn't overtly loud and when you're sitting in an area other than the bar area, it's easy to forget it's live music. I expected a bit more ambient noise with patrons talking, but noticed that this restaurant gets very quiet.

The space otherwise is open and warm and we quickly chose our selections from the menu. The emphasis seems to be local organic ingredients and seafood. Our choices:

Scallop Crudo - an appetizer, at $14, I was surprised by the single scallop that was presented. It was well done though. Extremely fresh and accompanied by mixed ingredients that I wasn't able to identify but that I enjoyed.

Risotto - a large dish featuring artichokes and other local vegetables. It was accompanied by a foam topping. I personally hate foam, as I neither like the texture or the minimal flavor it adds. This foam was no different. Not as bad as an entirely foam entree (a soup I ordered Xmas eve from Alexander's! I thought it was soap, not soup!), but I didn't like it. I thought the rice of the risotto was a tad undercooked as well as several grains were hard, rather than soft and cooked.

Rib eye - a pricey choice, but clearly the best choice of the night. The 8 ounce ribeye was cooked a perfect medium rare and the bone marrow tot was a decadent addition. Frying bone marrow seems borderline wrong health-wise, but it did renew my desire to find a restaurant that serves great traditional bone marrow. If anyone knows of a Bay Area place, please let me know. (My favorite bone marrow was Bite Me! in Toronto.)

Overall, we had a good meal at Cetrella. The service, despite some contrary reviews, was polite and professional. The atmosphere is warm and classy, albeit a bit too quiet for my tastes even with the jazz music. The food, while good, had a few misses. I liked the use of organic ingredients, but was disappointed in the risotto (ew, foam) and the scallop crudo portion size (it's not an appetizer to share....the calamari is a better choice or the foie gras).

If you're in the Half Moon Bay area, this is a place to check out, but I'm not sure I'd drive all the way from the Peninsula just for dinner. Half Moon Bay was too empty for us and other restaurants which we compared to throughout our meal were even better (Passionfish in Pacific Grove comes to mind).

Cetrella happily accepts American Express.

If you need a special place for dinner in Half Moon Bay, look no further than Cetrella.

The dining room is upscale, but comfortable, with a large fireplace dominating one end: perfect for a blustery Half Moon Bay evening.

Rich and succulent, the crab cakes were awesome. Sweet and delicious, the beet salad was more beets than salad, but refreshing nonetheless. Scallops with Wagyu beef were delicious. Served medium rare (as ordered), the rib eye was moist and tender. The truffle fries are too die for. 'Nuff said.

Service was quick and efficient: dishes arrived with good pacing, and used plates were removed in a timely manner.

While not extensive, the wine list has a sufficient number of selections to pair with most anything on the menu.

Cetrella is a go-to spot for a nice meal in Half Moon Bay.

Super cute and cozy date venue. Very accomodating staff. We had a reservation for 8:30 and when I randomly decided my hungry face wanted food earlier, they moved us to 2 hours ahead.
The food comes in seemingly small portions but is actually very filling. We tried the Cappelletti Filled with Truffle Polenta, the Filet Mignon, the truffle fries and the panna cotta. They're all SO good- especially the fries- that's a must try!!

Cetrella is one of the most beautiful restaurants on the coast; cozy, elegant, and top cuisine. The dining room is comfortable and very upscale, especially for an out of the way coastal community. There is no view, so expect that the ambiance will be all of the dining room. In this case the room makes all of the experience quite satisfying. A large fireplace dominates to one end and perfect for a wintery evening.

I started my meal with a kale salad. All delicious and fresh but a bit overdressed. The vinegar taste was a little overwhelming. I went on to have a scallop entree that was exceptional. The scallops were large, perfectly prepared and tasty. It sat on a bed with high quality beef underneath that turned out to be a perfect compliment, not what I would have expected to accompany it. The dish was definitely something I'd repeat.

The wine list is not extensive, but wide and varied enough for most palates. I found the white selections to be quite good.

The wait staff is friendly, professional, and very helpful.

For a very nice experience I'd highly recommend trying this establishment.

Perfect! Outstanding! Remarkable! Unequaled!

My wife and I came in to celebrate her birthday (and our first wedding anniversary). I was a bit concerned when I noticed a child at the next table; and the restaurant was quite busy on a weekend evening. This is where I was wrong. I'm used to unruly children and adults who come to restaurants to talk instead of eat. Well, Cetrella attracts a much better class of people (well-behaved children and sober adults).

Our meals were cooked to perfection; and our service team was attentive, professional, and easy on the eyes. We were given perfect recommendations, a beautiful celebration, and glass of champagne in the bar on our way out.

Cetrella is a throw back to way restaurants used to be - and can be again. I can't wait to visit again soon!

What a beautiful upscale restaurant at the end of Downtown HMB! I love the chic, rustic interior with the exposed beams and large fireplace in the middle of the main dining room. The large lounge area by the bar is a great spot to have a glass of wine or cocktail while enjoying the live jazz bands that play there nightly (closed on Mondays and open for brunch only on Sundays).

We were excited to end our mini romantic weekend with dinner here; especially after knowing it recently reopened after renovations and now has a new critically acclaimed chef.

We definitely indulged here, starting with the lovely kampachi sashimi and the wild scallop with a generous cut of delicious pork belly and a huitlacoche taquito. Our neighbors had the very rich foie gras which they told us was nearly as good as getting it in France.

For entrees, I had the honey glazed Kurobuta pork tenderloin, and my guy had the "Beautiful Wild Halibut," which was indeed a beautiful fillet. The pork was cooked perfectly - very tender with great flavors.

For dessert, we had the decadent Chocolate Mousse Bar - a flourless chocolate cake with milk chocolate cremeux and dark chocolate mousse. Had I not been so full, I could have gotten another one.

The wine selection was excellent -- we asked our server to pair wines for us. With their 4,000 bottle wine collection, it was too difficult for us to make the selections ourselves!

We had a fantastic meal, and can't wait to return for a special occasion!

I had one of The Best Nights here, Ever! I had made reservations for 6:15pm. We arrived early (a few minutes before 6) but they sat us right away. At this time, the restaurant only had a few patrons but after 6:30/7, more diners arrived and the place was soon filled with conversation, laughter and music.

The food was OutStanding! We started off with the fritto misto appetizer and wow - it was amazing. I think they might have marinated the onions in red wine because when you bite into it you taste a little zap on your tongue. All the other veggies were also cooked to perfection and were not soggy or oily. The halibut was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, seasoned perfectly and moist and the duck breast was also very moist and flavorful. Both entrees were just the right size for a satisfying meal for us even though at first glance at the photos they seemed like small portions.

The ambiance was sexy and sophisticated, laid back, romantic and comfortable - definitely a perfect date night dining spot (if you don't mind things to be a little pricey). The waiters were all very nice and attentive. My water glass was never left empty and we didn't have to wait a ridiculous amount of time for our cocktails - which were Both made Perfectly! Their sidecar is one of the best I've had anywhere - they didn't put too much cognac where it overpowers the whole mix or too little where you don't taste it at all! I was definitely impressed. When I told the waiter we were celebrating my boyfriend's birthday he brought out a cup of sorbet ice cream at the end of our meal with a candle. (It was reeeeeaaaally good sorbet.)

We'll definitely be making Cetrella one of our special occasion hotspots in the future!