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Mon., Wed-Fri. 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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I need to learn to listen to fellow Yelpers. Mixed reviews, such as the ones for this place are indicative that its not to par.
We came in at 230 on Saturday for lunch reservations. We ordered 3 dozen oysters, oysters rockefeller, salads, shrimp cocktails, entrees for the 6 of us. When our food came so did an infestation of flies. It was disgusting. We were all swatting the numerous flies throughout our whole meal . We complained to the waiter, who thought he was ingenius by turning the air on. No avail. That pretty much killed the food experience for me.
Our check came and I was a little shocked... $448, for 6 of us. That didn't hurt too bad, until we walked outside and saw that it was now happy hour, and oysters were now 1/2 off. To pay full price for an oyster ($2.75) hurt that much more knowing that it was now 1/2 off.
I don't think i'd ever come back, just because the food wasn't great, and that fly problem was a huge nuisance.
ok so I know I am being tough on sonoma food...but I am being honest...
The menu here is from some 1980's middle brow cafe. Here is my take...the smell that comes from the dishwashing window is daunting...the food is mediocre at best and the seafood freshness is suspect...the bar is a good place to spend happy hour...
It's all about Gerrard the bartender and his fantastic drinks ( I was particularly inspired by his in-house pineapple-infused tequila margaritas and dessert espresso martini)...
The food will also please- the drinks are nicely paired with the
fried calamari & zucchini- simply delicious!!! The specials will wow you- the star of the evening was the mushroom cream sauce over the house-made gnocchi and for desert the sumptuous meyer lemon pannacotta (this is not something I would generally order, but boy am I glad we did.
The standard menu was enjoyable: the chicken ravioli (also homemade) was good, as was the pesto risotto. The black fresh homemade fettuccine with scallops & shrimp was okay, but the sauce lacked a certain punch that brings it all together.
For dessert- if the meyer lemon special isn't available, I'd recommend the chocolate torte (delicious) and homemade gelato. We found the creme brûlée texture to be a little unusual and apple tart disappointing.
All in all, I would come back in a heart beat for a nice evening.
Made a second visit to Meritage in September & it was not nearly as good as the first time. Service very nice & friendly, but had to refill our own wine glasses. Food mediocre. Don't know if I want to find out if the third time's the charm or not.
Had dinner Saturday night, 3/28. Our server, Caroline, was warm, personable, friendly and gave… Read more »
5 stars for martinis, 2 stars for food, but that evens out to a 3-star rating, so cheers to that.
Lets start with the martinis, since thats why they put "Martini" in their name. They're good and they're cheap. Now you might say $8-$10 isn't cheap for a martini, but I'd disagree. Here, the bartender makes your martini, pours you a full glass then gives you a little metal bucket full of ice to rest the shaker and its remaining martini-potential in. You're getting at least 2 martinis each time you order, so now its more like $4-$5 a martini, so now we're on the same page right? its cheap! Also, any dude who calls you a girl for drinking a martini, is stupid. How does one make a martini? Take multiple kinds of alcohol and shake with a mixer and pour, its like a big shot.
I had two different martinis, one with blood orange in it, which was good, kind of looked like a cosmo but tasted a lot better. Feeling the need to feed my man ego, the second martini I got was one that was grey goose with a macallan 12-year scotch floater. I don't really remember the 3rd or 4th one but they were good too. My brother was drinking the dirty martinis and he loved them too.
the food: is ok. Boring sea food and their best steak is a hanger steak. Come on California, convert some of your happy cows from milk cows to beef cows and you too can offer better cuts of beef. Overall, two of us ordered seafood and the other two had steak and no one was impressed.
See these mixed reviews? That's what made me hesitant about going here but on the other hand I was up for trying a new place.
It's lackluster - plain and simple.
Ambiance, decor, nice.
Wait staff - fairly attentive.
Food - BLAND! I had the hanger steak which was charred on the outside but overall just bland. I split the mushroom soup which was - bland! Others in my party had the lobster salad and that was was "overwhelmed with grapefruit" which made it bitter and the little bit of lobster un-noticable. The sole was "mushy" and forgettable.
I'm guessing this place would be good for lunch, light fare, and drinks but for dinner - skip!
HANDS DOWN BEST Oysters Rockefeller I have ever had.
The rest of the food was pretty damn good.
Gnocchi= excellent.
Clams= excellent.
Caesar salad= ...eh.
Service was friendly.
Pricey in more of a Napa Valley way.
Wine list = great
ooohhhh my god the Oysters Rockefeller was good!
We came here for brunch to celebrate my friend's wedding in Sonoma. We had nearly 2 dozen of kumamoto oysters, oysters Rockefeller, escargot and shrimp cocktails for starter. The oysters were fresh and yummy! For the main entree, our group ordered the bouillabaisse, chicken ravioli and hanger steak. I would tell you more about my dish if I had finished it....instead of enjoying my seafood stew, I spent most of the time stopping the flies from landing on my plate. It was totally disgusting! After a few first bites, I lost my appetite and left the rest for the flies to have. Yuck...
Ambiance. The open-air dining here is nice, though it could use some physical improvements, as the fence surrounding it is falling into disrepair.
Service. While we were there on a holiday, the restaurant needs to do a better job of managing its staffing. We were neglected for quite a while by our waitress, until we finally received water and bread. It took even longer to finally put our order in with her. After that, it was a little better. While it was obvious they had a serious shortage of staff due to the holiday, they need to manage this better.
Food. The food was good, but nothing absolutely outstanding. Both the Little Neck Clams Casino and Ceviche were good. Of note, the Ceviche is served in a giant oyster shell, which is pretty neat by itself.
Randomly decided to indulge in a Sunday "brunch" here, which turned into a feast. The two of us shared the lobster, crab and seafood stew (also had mussels, clams, octopus, squid, salmon...). The broth was a light seafood broth with a touch of tomato, lots of herbs (mostly thyme). Topped with a pile of fried fennel. The broth was kinda lukewarm but very good. The loads of seafood was ridiculous. I was dubious that is was worth $36, but it was plenty for both of us, and with all the hidden seafood treasure, won me over.
My friend also got a cup of clam chowder to start, which was spicy, creamy goodness. Dare I say even better than the lobster stew? According to a winemaker we talked to, the chef here used to be Armani's private chef. But he travels a lot... when he's in town, it's really good. When he's not, it's just ok. No matter what, if you love seafood this is probably the best option in town, and I can tell that it'd be a lively evening option.
We chose this restaurant for our anniversary and won't go back.
We live in Sonoma so are familiar with most of the eating establishments but because I am not an oyster fan we have never gone to Meritage. However, a family member spoke highly of it so we thought we would give it a try.
Lovely restaurant inside and out. But with all the seating possibilities available last night they sat us at the table directly at the end of the bar. Noisy. We asked to be seated at another table and the waiter was very nice and accommodating.
The original woman seating us never smiled and was very cold but was more friendly later in the evening.
Dinner was really mediocre. I had the salmon which couldn't have been less remarkable. Tasteless and pale. Spring salad with strawberries - just okay.
My husband's dinner was a tad better. He had the wild boar.
Dessert was a mistake x2. I had creme brulee which resembled a huge blob of grainy pudding on some tasteless strawberries. My husband didn't really like his dessert either. Although he ate it.
Now the flies which were mentioned in another review, well the funny thing is that there has been a big fly hatching of some sort in Sonoma and I imagine they are fighting them just like we are. In fact a saw a few flies and thought they came in on my coat :-).
So I will cut them slack on that one.
I also realize that their speciality is oysters and martinis both of which I dislike so maybe that would have changed the review.
I have heard good things about them other places but I would only recommend them to folks wanting oysters.
I had a pear martini drink which was really good. They give you the shakers too which I love when they do that. We also had the $5 calamari at the bar, it was a good amount and probably the best calamari I ever had. It was spicy and the perfect amount of breading. Would def. go here again
Bad execution by the chefs. Service by wait staff great. The staff had a fight during the meal. Quite frankly it was unproffessional and the bad food was the nail in the coffin for this "celebrity" chef restaurant for me. Here is what happened.
1) it took 20 minutes for the bar to get us a drink at 5:30p on saturday when the restaurant was slow
2) the seafood was not fresh
3) the gnocchi was the consistency of mashed potatoes.
4) the spinach salad was boring and bland
5) the staff was openly arguing in the middle of the restaraunt
Mmmmmmmmmmmm. I love this place. Spotty service and all! I agree with Chase that the wait staff is not so friendly, but the hostess I see there most often can be almost overly friendly so I guess she makes up for them.
I don't care, really. I think the food makes this place what it is and that's excellent in my book!
The sauces here are amazing. The food is prepared very, very well. My salmon was perfect last time and I'm really picky. The oysters are fresh and the mignotte(sp?) is light and flavorful. I love the spiciness of the cocktail sauce - it's very interesting! Surprisingly, this place makes the best mashed potatoes I think I've ever had a restaurant. The creme brulee here isn't so much my style but good enough to eat and that's all that matters. Another time I came here and had the ravioli and it was so frickin' good I can't even tell you! Yum yum yum! Visit here! I can never remember what any of my companions eat because I'm so focused on eating my own thing. One time I know boyfriend had the lobster but he ate it so fast I never got a taste.
The bread they have here is super fresh and soft and served with an olive tapenade. I was a lifelong olive hater until I tried this stuff and since then I've begun to venture out into the world of olives. All because of Meritage! Thank you!
They have a great deal on oysters for happy hour and someone even told me they have a "stimulus" menu now. I've yet to check into this first hand but will update when I do.
This is a great place for a date or a birthday party or family night out. And by family I mean adults and their grown children and significant others. Not really a place for kids.
I can't remember the last time we had a worse dining experience than this. We rolled in on a Friday night. I guess it's clear we're in a recession because the place was nearly empty. That being said, you think our waiter would have been more accommodating and on the ball, rather than telling us he couldn't do this or couldn't do that and spending the last 30 minutes of our meal hanging out at the bar with the kitchen staff when we were his only table left.
We started with the cream of asparagus soup and while it didn't suck, there was nothing truly amazing about it in the least. It was about as interesting as a dial tone.
Then we ordered the $65 seafood platter. What. A. Misstep. They were out of mussels, so we substituted for oysters casino. They were okay, but the shrimp tasted like they'd been cooked three days ago to keep them from going bad. The lobster was unbelieveably overcooked and tasted like it had been caught three weeks ago in Guam then shipped in. Same with the crab. IT'S CRAB SEASON. How can you not manage to find and serve fresh crab? And in a restaurant this high-end, how is it that the cook can't manage to cook seafood so that it doesn't have the consistency of a racquetball?
We also got the escargot over polenta and, again, the cook had a heavy hand with the heat. I love me some snails, but these felt like eating marbles.
The only thing salvagable about this meal was the wine that we ordered, but given everything else, I'm surprised the restaurant didn't find a way to screw that up as well. The whiskey sour I had before dinner was also one of the worst I've had in ages. It certainly didn't taste like it was made from freshly-squeezed juices.
Sorry if I sound bitter, but this meal cost the two of us nearly $200 and we had food that was mostly inedible and really crappy service. In this economy, I take the times when I eat out and throw down a couple hundred bucks VERY seriously. I came away from this meal pissed off. Even more so when we went to Ubuntu the next night, spent the same amount of money, and had one of the most incredible dining experiences of our lives.
Sonoma is full of dining establishments that offer a sublime eating experience. This is not one of them. Skip it and head down the street to The Girl and the Fig or one of the other quaint restaurant on the square.
I had a very fun evening and dinner here. I didn't appreciate being seated so close to the door since it was a chilly evening and a strong wind would come in and chill us whenever the door opened.
Despite that, we were celebrating a special birthday and had a blast. Our waitress was super friendly although not overly attentive. I had their award winning martini, which was great.
I loved the butternut squash ravioli. It was amazing and delicious. The added almonds made the dish great. I am allergic to shellfish so I could not enjoy all they offer.
My friend absolutely devoured the huge special seafood special and was having fun with the lobster, crabs and scallops. She absolutely loved it.
I made sure they knew we were celebrating a birthday and they brought a beautiful chocolate dessert on the house. Very nice.
We had a great evening and glad we skipped the viagra menu, which did make us laugh.
First of all, Sonoma Valley, please figure out whether you'd like to call this restaurant is called Meritahhhhhge or Meriteeeege, will you? I know, I know. You say potato and so on, but seriously.
Although I've eaten at how-ever-you-pronounce-it on several occasions, I'm seriously twisted about how to review it. So, I must resort to the pro and con list.
Pro: The staff here is among the best in the Valley. They are attentive, accurate and cheerful. Particularly Nima, Molly, and Caroline. They really give Meritage it's charm and are the reason I go back (Well, that and honestly, it's the only place in Sonoma that I can get a bellini.)
Pro: Meritage has seafood. You can't really get seafood anywhere else in town that's not sushi.
Con: The menu is kind of like a beautiful Monet reproduction. It looks like great food, it even tastes like great food, but it never really moves you the way looking at the actual brushstrokes of a master does.
Pro: The decor. Beautiful glass sea creatures hang motionless above you, defusing the light. A rotating collection of great paintings grace the walls. The outdoor dining tent is classy and reminds me of Morocco, which is really a miracle because I've never been there.
Con: The decor. You went to all the trouble of acquiring handmade light fixtures akin to sculpture, lush velvety window seats and then you have a cheesy, cluttered looking back bar with tablecloths pinned to it? There's an opportunity to do something great back there. Do it!
I've had humdinger meals here and I've had forgettable meals here. I love their champagne and shallot dip for oysters, their calamari appetizer, and lobster salad with grapefruit. But I ordered their gnocchi one night and felt truly disappointed -- way to rich and yet sort of bland.
And a lobster stew was so full of thyme that I tasted not much else in each mouthful. I didn't think you could ruin lobster but apparently if you put 20 -- count 'em -- 20 sprigs of thyme, you can.
But then the staff subs mash potatoes for me in dishes where they don't belong and endear themselves to me all over again.
3.5 stars
I was curious as to why this place won so many accolades. So when I found out we were visiting Sonoma, I made reservations.
To no surprise the menu comprised of 98% seafood. The crab cake tasted fresh and the sweetness of the crab was still present. I tried the polenta with escargot even with it not drenched in butter and garlic, it was yummy. The spinach salad with mushrooms, red onions had a savory taste with the pancetta dressing. For the entree I had the ribbon pasta with scallops and prawns in a curry sauce with pernod liqueur that brought out the favor of the seafood. For dessert we shared the warm chocolate torte with vanilla gelato that was decadent from the first bite to the last.
Very impressive wine list that varies in price you can afford to have a glass or two with your meal. Of course, you have to check out the martini menu and try at least one. My favs were the bekatini with prosecco, mint chocotini with raspberry vodka and chocolate liqueur with mint.
The walls are a warm yellow color with white canvas paintings and beautiful blown glass lamps shaped like mushroom heads hung from the ceiling. The warm amber from each give a the area a romantic feel. There's a patio for alfresco dining during warm days and nights. Our server was friendly and cheerful throughout 2 hr dinner. My suggestion would be to make reservations as they do experience a dinner rush.
Went for a girls night out here while we were in Sonoma and was utterly disappointed. All I basically wanted to eat was the escargot with polenta and oysters, but the escargot was sold out : ( The oysters were ok, but oysters can be good anywhere, it's hard to go really wrong on that.
It was dark where we were sat and cold as hell because the back door was open.
When they brought my cocktail over, the glass had a huge crack in it that no one had noticed before serving. I ended up ordering the gnocchi, it was way too rich and creamy, had two bites and had to take the rest of it home cause I felt bad.
Dining experience wasn't that great, but the servers were nice.
I am really surprised at the low ratings this place is getting.
After a long day driving all over the valley wine tasting (its a rough life, I know), my friends had made reservations for the girl and the fig restaurant in i guess downtown Sonoma. We did our last tasting a little earlier then we planned, so we decided to head into town early, so we could walk around and relax before dinner. The guys over at Schug Winery recommended this bar for something different to do, and being a huge fan of Oysters, we headed over here as soon as we could get out of the car.
So the first clue that it was going to be a good start to the evening was the sign out front that said Happy Hour, half price all oysters. just an FYI, happy hour is 4-6pm 7 days a week we were told.
I think we lucked out, as the place was empty since we arrived before the wineries in the area started to shut down. We were able to sit at the bar, which, as it turns out was very lucky.
We started off with a couple of the oyster sampler platters. The oysters were all fresh, all very sweet, not a lot of brine taste. The cocktail sauce was perfect, not overpowering. They also served it with a vinaigrette and a tartar sauce that i didn't try.
We ended up getting more raw oysters, since they were so good, but also moved on to the pan fried oysters. These were not heavily breaded, and lightly fried, and simply melted in your mouth. I would so recommend this dish.
We also got a few orders of the lemon and garlic BBQ'd oysters, which if you like garlic, as we do, were superb. By this time we ended up canceling our other reservations as the food here was too good to pass up.
Their foccacia type bread with the olive tapanade is worth mentioning as very very good as well.
We ended the food portion with an order of the steam clams and the Chef's Whim Whole Crab. The clams were probably the biggest disappointment, as the garlic sauce they were in was really good, the clams were tiny though. Still very tasty indeed. The Chef's Whim whole crab ended up, as the bartender described it, a whole crab cooked like cioppino. The sauce was delish.
All the while we were eating at the bar, the bartender, Brian, was making the best martinis and mojitos we had all weekend, if not in a long while. You could tell he was very passionate about his job, and it really did reflect on the drinks, and he really made the whole dining experience.
If you like oysters and martinis, would definitely recommend this place to anyone.
Carlo's restaurant has become one of the local's hangouts. A nice mod decor accented with beautiful, hard to describe, hand-blown glass light fixtures. I recommend any of the fresh soups. Abalone app is deep fried in batter with nice side sauces. "Off the menu" is a foie gras ravioli. The seafood stew has 5 fresh fish in a tomato base - order is SPICY is best. Fresh crab can be orders chef's whim - excellent. The wild boar baby back ribs have a deep pork flavor (not gamey). Nice wine list - great table service heading by Neema.
Very nice and welcoming hostess.
Competent wait staff but not very personable or friendly.
Fried oysters were overdone
Bread and dip was OK
Crab was decent
Side dishes sucked
Bouillabaisse was sucked down by my bf
Solid 3, 3.5 stars. Decent but I am not itching to go back.
Was highly recommended for dinner by the hospitality staff at St. Francis Winery. Came here for brunch instead since we already had dinner ressies else where. We ordered the angus steak sammie and the crab cake benedict...both items were good but not great. The one thing that did stand out was their homemade foccacia bread with their homemade olive tapenade dipping sauce which they serve when you sit down. We also helped ourselves to the their homemade bread sticks which were sitting on the bar counter...very tasty with a spicy kick to it! I even asked several times if we can buy some to take home but unfortunately the server wouldn't budge :( Guess that means we'll have to go back! Even though there was nothing special about either of our entrees, we will definitely be back to try their dinner seafood specials since that seems to be what they're known for. Oh and I must not forget to mention that the service was outstanding...even though he wouldn't sell us the bread sticks ;) It's family run...a very personable wait staff!
WOW! what a great place this was! We walk in to the quaint little place, the smell when you first walked in was awesome! It was like wave of kitchen goodness that hit my nose like a brick!
We grab a seat at the bar while we wait for our table. I order a cocktail and my friend orders his beer. My cocktail was so damn good. I ordered a Crown and Coke and it was strong and right up my alley!
We get our table and get seated. our wait staff was perfect! they had our drinks out quickly, very attentive service, we never had to ask for anything. anything we wanted just appeared. it was fantastic. The first brought some bread and this olive tapenade. That bread was so good and that olive spread was killer! I wanted to take a jar of that home! next was our appetizer. prosciutto slices topped with white beans, olive oil garlic and some other herbs. SO GOOD!! the richness of the olive oil and the saltyness of the prosciutto was so good. excellent! The Caesar salad was excellent as well. you could tell the dressing was made at the restaurant. so rich and creamy.
Next was the main course. I ordered the prime rib special, my buddy ordered the 1/2 lobster and fillet. My prime rib was cooked and served with the bone on which is what i like. medium rare and cooked to perfection. the meat was perfectly tender and cooked the way i asked. It came with mashed potatoes and a side of carrots, red bell pepper and broccolirab. the mashed potatoes were buttery goodness. the vegetables were were great as well. I couldnt have asked for a better main course.
Dessert was up next with various small scoops of sorbets and ice creams. I had the lemon sorbet, strawberry sorbet cappuccino ice cream and vanilla ice cream. The sorbets were so full of flavor. it was incredible. My favorite of the sorbets was the strawberry. it was just like eating a fresh one. The 2 ice creams i had were so rich, just the way great ice cream should be. The cappuccino scoop was just like drinking one fresh from the barista. The vanilla had was fantastic as well. So much flavor in all of them.
I dont give out many 5 stars, but this restaurant deserves one with the service being up there with some of the best i've had and the food being absolutely incredible. I highly recommend checking this place out for dinner. I doubt you'll be disappointed.
In my early days, when I first moved to the Bay Area, Sonoma was my favorite escape. This is the first restaurant I tried after some initial research in using Yelp for the first time and in search of oysters. I have returned many times.
Great vibe and usually mellow. Off the main square of Sonoma. You can eat alone at the bar and watch a game while chatting to Brian the bartender or make a res and have a nice meal with your spouse or affair du jour.
Meritage offers up all kinds of seafood like oysters, crabs, and the like. You can get a sampler plate or focus in on your favorite seafood. Hog Island Oysters are small, delicious and some of the best with their Champagne/Shallot sauce. The Fried Calamari is so amazing that words fall short. I grew up in Florida and have had this classic, greasy bar dish many, many times. And The Meritage's version is in its own class. The calamari are super tender (they soak them in milk or something), not greasy at all, and they are accompanied by a horseradish loaded cocktail sauce and a creamy garlic sauce.
My favorite meal consists of:
Dozen Hog Island Raw
Foccacia Bread with their signature Pesto (fuggheddabout-it)
Salad (their Caesar version)
Fried Calamari
Prosecco...
Stir, mix, consume and moan...
They have a host of hot food of which I have tried fish dinners, and some Italian food, but I always return to the menu above. If you are in Sonoma don't miss it, kids...
I did not like what I ordered. I had the duck with blood orange sauce and thought the food was gross. The sauce was extremely citrus-y bitter and overpowering where I couldnt taste the duck. Mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables can be found on at any restaurant and this place made it no different. My friend ordered the Gnocchi stuffed potatoes and the creamy sauce was so rich that we got sick of it after a few bites. The only highlight of dinner was our oyster sampler plate. Other than that, we were disappointed in the food and would probably not come back. We really wanted to love this place, but the food did not meet our expectations.
im sad :(
How could I resist 1/2 price oysters? Yes! That is a happy hour I can enjoy every night. Driving by I noticed the sign outside stating this delicious fact and waited the 45 minutes until 4pm to endulge. The prices usually range from 2-2.75 for raw oysters and $14 for cooked. Split that in half and you have a 4-to-6pm happy hour deal. All of the oysters where super fresh and the cooked ones where superb. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. There is a nice bar to sit and and the place was not overly busy for such a great deal. It is a wine bar so there is only one beer on tape (I am not complaining). Sit back and slup up the goodness.
Another weekend getaway with the hubbs lead us to Sonoma. Not knowing the area at all we decided to get "lost" and to our surprise we found this awesome Oyster Bar and Grille.
The pictures of the restaurant speak for itself. An absolutely beautiful hole in the wall restaurant with an artsy-feel to it. We were seated in the bar area where we were kept entertained by the "locals" who told us all of their personal recommendations.
I LOVED the fried calamari and fried zucchini appetizer. The oysters were fresh and delicious and the lobster salad was PERFECT. we didn't order any drinks although tons of people around us did. They also had a great wine selection available!
* Good for big groups
* Service was great
* Price is extremely affordable
* Warm Wilted Spinach salad : 4 stars
* Whole Lobster: YUMMY 5 stars
* Ribs: dry and not enough sauce: 1 star
* Warm chocolate torte w/ caramelized walnuts & Vanilla Gelato: 5 stars
* Creme brulee: 3 stars
3.5 stars
It's about 2pm, a little late for lunch but we needed to eat something. Always wanted to try this place out and they were still open (until 3pm). We walked in and were going to sit at the bar but the hostess suggested a table for us and said the outdoor is quite nice so we headed to the tented patio. It was nice but it was a bit windy - we had to make sure our champagne didn't topple over and the napkin didn't fly away.
The waiter was friendly and helpful. For a light meal, we picked the right place since it's an Oyster Bar and we love oysters.
As mentioned earlier, we had champagne - my husband decided to join me because it was my b-day. We had a platter of fresh oysters to start and shared a bowl of clam chowder and the bouillabaisse. The waiter was very good about it and split them for us.
The oysters were ok. The clam chowder was very good - there is a biteful of clam, potato and bacon (i want to say smoked meat since it was a lot more lean than bacon) with just a hint of smoked flavor and not salty and just the right consistency - not too thick or watery. The bouillabaisse was not bad.
I didn't care for the bread - it was just too dense and doughy for my taste and the spread was too salty and mushy with the grated cheese in it.
Glad I tried it but not sure it warrants a return visit.
What an excellent spot -- we came here one very rainy evening during the days between Christmas and New Years for dinner. After an espresso martini, several glasses of wine and some great appetizers I was sold.
What I really enjoyed about this place was that it's intimate without seeming only date-like -- great for us considering we were with a group. Perhaps thanks to the torrential rains outside, the night we were there was very quiet, but the best part was that as the drinks kept coming, we were consumed by lengthy discussions late into the night without ever feeling like they were giving us those tell-tale signs of "we're closing, get the f--- out."
Christmas Eve... Dec 24 2007
Cold winter night in Sonoma, drove from our hotel the Sonoma Mission Inn (Very Nice), 5 mins away.
Found parking right away, of course it's Sonoma. What was I expecting SF? Our reservation for 2 was at 8:45pm, but we were enjoying the spa and bathing rituals so much we lost track of time. But we finally got there at 9:15pm got seated, was the last table to be served. The setting was sweet, not to overwhelming, but cozy and it felt like Christmas with the music playing in the background and the bartendars siging Silver Bells..
At first, I was a little skeptical because the table next to us didn't enjoy their crab or dinner, bad experience for them, so I was a little worried. But after the martini and a vodka tonic, it was all loosey goosey....
We had our oyster sampler which they had, a plus because David H loves oysters. For our entrees I had the homemade crab ravioli with spicy tomatoe sauce. They weren't kidding about spicy. Very good.
He was craving surf and turf, but they were out of the 6 oz lobster tail, bummer!! So we had Italian Shrimp and porter house steak instead. Not a bad combo, felt like you were eating lobster, but it was a very large shrimp! hahaha
It's nice, but I'm not dying to go back, they do have a nice heated out door patio!
Next time we're in Sonoma, we have to try the BIG 3, I think that's what it's called, near the Hotel too.
Can you say oyster AND martini bars?
The Oyster place of the region. Southern French and Italian cuisine. If you're craving seafood when in the area...everyone will steer you here. Oyster bar, lunch, dinner, martini bar. BRUNCH!
Chef Carlo's menu mixed with the staff and atmosphere make for a great lounging experience. And there are always great cooking classes and events happening to boot. Nice to have around!
We had an absolutely wonderful Saturday brunch. We were the second party there, arriving at 11:40am when they just opened at 11:30am. Service was excellent and perhaps only surpassed by the food. For our party of four, we ordered: applewood bacon scramble, two eggs benedict (one with crab, one with proscuitto), a plate of steamed muscles, a shrimp cocktail, a mahi mahi ceviche appetizer, and a salad topped with steak. Four coffees to drink and it was, hands-down, the best coffee I've ever been served in a restaurant. (The bill was $85!!! Can you say, "STEAL!"?)
The cocktail list looked awesome (they have bellinis and those who know me KNOW how I adore bellinis!) though it was a pre-winetasting brunch and we decided it would be better to pre-hydrate rather than hitting the bottle early.
As silly as this sounds, I have to rave about the paper towels in the bathroom. There's just something to be said about a restaurant droppin' some extra dimes to have quality paper towels. Is anyone with me on this? Hallelujah!
Chef Carlo: Congratulations! Your restaurant is lovely. Good thing you got out of science because you've surely found your niche! Thank you.
I was just there last weekend with a party of 24! I have to give them props for not only accommodating us, a very responsive and helpful chef, and excellently prepared, fresh food! The chef worked with me on creating a great $28 Pre Fixe menu that included:
First course choice of: Oysters (4), shrimp cocktail (6) or eggplant terrine....I tasted all 3 and they were yum yum, yum!
Main course choices of: burger, chicken sandwich or duck salad....I had the burger that came with a choice cheese and a portion of fries and mixed greens. Very generous entree sizes!!!
Dessert - variety of cheeses, fruit and crostinis for the table to share. Very well presented.
When we arrived our table was ready and we were promptly served this delicious dip that was to die for! What was in it??? Feta, olives, oil, herbs....all a mystery - but DELISH!!!
I would definitely go back. Giving 4 stars, rather than 5 as the service was a bit slow - which the point of having a Pre Fixe menu is to have things move more quickly.
We must have hit Meritage on an off night. Too bad. I was looking forward to oysters and martinis.
Upon our arrival, we were informed that due to the New Year holiday, there were no oysters or mussels. No problem, I changed gears.
We sat at a lovely table with a window seat. The couple next to us suddenly engaged us in conversation. They were tourists too. Having been to Meritage twice, they informed us of the good things on the menu and recommended a martini because they come with the shaker.
Of course I ordered a martini and asked for vanilla Stoli. My martini was served to me without the shaker accompaniment and with Skyy vanilla instead. At the risk of sounding like a vodka snob, I can tell you, there is a huge difference in taste. When I inquired about the vodka, the server assured me it was Stoli, when I knew it wasn't. Grrr.
My food was decent. Though I would have liked to have known they were also not serving shrimp that night. I specifically ordered the shrimp and scallop risotto for the shrimp. My husband's food, however, was delicious.
ME: Hello, I was wondering if you had a table for two?
HOSTESS: Stares at us up and down(by the way we were dressed nice, not fancy, but nice) and says maybe if you come back in another hour.
ME: What about those empty tables over there(there were 5 EMPTY TABLES)?
HOSTESS: Those are already occupied.
ME: Honey(Referring to my hubby), I don't feel like eating a place that smells like dirty cooch anyway.
So he smiled, said thank you to the hostess and we walked out to another place.
We had driven past this oyster bar several times in our week-long stay in Sonoma. Finally, this day, we were just walking around the square and decided to pop by and check out this restaurant.
We were a little early to eat dinner (about 4:30 - 5:00 p.m.) We stepped into the restaurant and walked to the bar area to let the lady there know that we would like something to eat. There were 2 or 3 other ladies there drinking. Apparently it was happy hour.
So we got the menu and was explained that the menu choices are limited because it is their happy hour now. But no big deal. We were really all about the oysters and mussels person. :)
We ordered steamed mussels in chardonnay sauce. :) Yum! It was not even $6 and the serving portion was generous. It came with a slice of bread in the middle and was soaking up the juicy yummy broth. :) YUM! Mussels were fresh and delicious. But it would be better if it was slightly warm.
We also ordered the bbq'ed oysters and oyster rockefellar. The oyster rockafellar was decent, but not as good as the other oyster place we frequented the previous day. Just slightly not as good, but still pretty darn good. Their bbq'ed oysters in garlic was yum! Love it.
The deal!? Ha!!!! We thought we struck gold when we found out that oysters were 1/2 off! WOO HOOO!!! SCORED!
It was yummy. Our waiter (forgot his name but he is Asian) was helpful and answered questions and provided us with information about Sonoma and where to find some good wine. He was attentive.
We regretted not finding this place earlier and not having the chance to visit their happy hours time.
BF and I went for a cocktail and ap's. The downside to this place is you leave smelling like the kitchen. So if you're just going home after wards-no problem!
******
We went here with out of town family. The atmosphere is great. The worn terracotta tile floors and great artwork is a plus. Everyone enjoyed their meal.
The fried oyster sandwich was great, my bf had that. And i do not like oysters! It was tender and flavorful. I went with the butternut soup and salad, very tasty. There was also a pasta ordered-I didn't try but it looked and smelled wonderful. We will be back for sure. Great spot for lunch! Its small so I imagine it is packed on weekends and evenings.
I hate to say anything bad about this place since the staff was soooo nice, but...the food just wasn't that good. We had the seafood stew and it was just almost tasteless. I also had several different martinis and none of them were that good.
It seemed like the seating was bad too since one person gets to sit on the cushy seat while the other person sits in a little bony chair.
Sonoma, CA
Category: American (New)
Sonoma, CA
Category: Italian
Sonoma, CA
Category: Italian
Napa, CA
Category: Seafood
Sonoma, CA
Category: American (New)
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