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Mon-Tue. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Wed. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Wed. 5:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Thu. 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I highly recommend this place. They have a great tapas menu. THE BEST PART is their wine list has gone down in price. Its much more reasonable. Also i would recommend their chocolate molten cake.
It's my favorite wine stop on the peninsula.
Oh yeah. Try their Monday night tasting menu.
Stopped by here on a Friday evening around 6:45pm en route to a production at Broadway By the Bay down the street to get some grub and perhaps a drop of vino.
I was worried the place would be packed, but there was plenty of room for my party of two. We were seated promptly and offered menus and, of course, the infamous wine list that tries a little to hard to *not* take itself seriously (I must admit a wine described as duck blood, or whatever their menu said along those lines, as funny as it may be, does not sound appetizing).
I liked the overall ambiance of this place. It felt very cozy. The lighting was perfect, and decorations were charming - though our seat next to the wall of wine, while giving us more privacy, was a little less classy than the other spots in the restaurant. Above our head hung a paper sign that said bottles were on sale and explaining how they retail for cheaper than you'd find at the store. It didn't really bother me, but also kind of hurt the overall feel of this place just a little.
As far as service goes, I'm torn on this one. Our waitress was really friendly and very enthusiastic. But there were times when she disappeared and didn't come back for a bit too long, like when we were waiting to pay for the check. She also didn't seem too knowledgeable about the wine list, which is kind of a must for a wine bar, isn't it? The menu actually had suggested wines listed with each meal, but then it turned out some of those wines weren't even available any more. This was not the waitress' fault at all, but if this is going to happen, she should at least be ready to suggest something similar without pause. I have high expectations for wine service at a wine bar, is all.
For wise, I'd give this place 4.5 stars. My chicken meal was delicious. My boyfriend's chilled squash soup was also quite tasty. And my peaches and cream on shortcake ("olive oil cake") was delicious. The wines were also good, not that I know much about wine. My first 1/2 glass choice was a French Pinot that was a bit "wet" for my tastes (I think?) but then I had another red (that the waitress actually recommended as her fav) which was a mix of two reds (I forget which) that was very good.
What I really liked about this place was how you could order 1/2 glasses of wine, which is GREAT for putting together your own flight. Or just having 2 1/2 glasses and getting to try two wines instead of just one with your meal.
My boyfriend doesn't drink alcohol so going to a wine bar maybe isn't ideal, but I love learning about wine so it's very nice to be able to try different types without having to down an entire bottle myself (not that I'd do this... just saying.)
I kind of want to give this place 3 stars because service was not as good as it should be for the price, but I'm going with 4 stars because I did really like the food and the wine selection for single & 1/2 glasses.
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A lengthy wine list filled with variety, and the option to create your own flights!
I felt like having a sweet, so I chose a glass of moscato d' Asti. We were heading to the East Bay YEE afterward and decided not to get food, but ordered a tomato and mozzarella appetizer just to get a sample of what the menu offered. Specifically, it was heirloom Early Girl tomatoes with fresh mozzarella and gazpacho. When the plate came out we were a little shocked at the presentation. I was too polite to say what it looked like but we both agreed that it did not look good. Especially because I was hungover earlier that day and it just reminded me of that.
In spite of the appearance, we dug in. It was edible, strangely salty for what I expected to be simply sliced fresh tomatoes and mozz. The tomatoes almost had a stewed quality. Appetizer eaten and wine glasses empty, we were eager to head to Berkeley for the Chabot Center party.
Service was excruciatingly slow, it took another 15 minutes to get the check, pay it and leave.
People thought this was:
I'd never been to Nectar previously but had seen it on several occasions so last night seemed like a perfect opportunity to try it out.
Nectar is located on Lorton Ave, along the main Burlingame drag of restaurants, with ample parking (both on-street and parking lots). I lucked out and found a parking meter right outside the restaurant.
~ 4 stars for parking and location/accessibility
I arrived first and waited for a while at the bar where I was mightily ignored for about 10 minutes until I decided to move to a table near the street and wait. The waiter did come on over with water and some menus at that time. Service overall was a little sketchy - had to gesture several times to catch the waiter's attention and the restaurant was not even a quarter full. Well, it was a slow Sunday night but still, service left a bit to be desired - including waiting for almost 15 minutes for our check to arrive (which was aggravating since we were on our way to an event and were getting late!! - Grrrr!!)
~ 2 stars for service
I had a glass of the 2005 HdV, Belle Cousine (Cabernet/Merlot) Hyde Vineyard from Napa, California. At $16 a glass, this was pricey but it was really excellent - from the menu, here is the description...
"a perfect morsel of sage and tarragon braised pork belly nestled in a warm earthen bowl of smoked dashi, sprinkled with aromatic rose-petals and punchy pomegranate pips"
Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking! ;p
~ 5 stars for the wine - excellent wine, pricey but good value
Ah, the food! Since we knew there would be food at the Yelp event, we decided to get an appetizer to share - the mozzarella/tomato salad sounded rather good. It was good. Not excellent, not different, just good. Their online menu describes it as: Heirlooms and Burratta - heirloom tomatoes and melons tossed with cucumbers, epazote and sea salt served with burratta cheese and a dash of fresh gazpacho. I could have sworn that the menu we saw had mozzarella on it - I doubt both of us misread it!!!
But the presentation was horrendous!!! It's been described adequately in Vy's review so I will not attempt to relive that again LOL. Needless to say, this was one ugly salad but it tasted quite good. Maybe the consistency of the tomatoes and the cheese cause them to be runny but I wish the chef had come up with a creative solution to that (if that was indeed the problem) rather than plonking it down on a plate and sending it out! Personally, I'd have liked some more fresh basil (but I'm a basil freak so that does not necessarily mean it was lacking in that!!!)
And the quantity was measly - check out the picture. For $15, you'd expect a bit more - perhaps the heirloom tomatoes are expensive, I don't know. As it turned out, it was the right size since we didn't want to eat too much but I'd question the value of this appetizer ordinarily.
~ 3 stars for the food - mainly for taste.
~ 1 star for presentation and quantity!!!
Overall charming place, nice decor, easy to carry on a conversation in privacy even with tables next to each other. Decent wine selection (some of the bottle selections were actually quite impressive) and some creative wine flight options. Nice leisurely service can make it a fun place for a nice quiet evening but don't go here if you're on a tight schedule!
~ 3 stars overall.
# 140
People thought this was:
I was recently invited to a small cocktail party here after work and had a great time. It's always nice to get out of SF sometimes and Burlingame is so cute and not far away. This place is very comfortable with a slightly modern flair. Their were several appetizers we had, in addition to great wines.
Seared duck with figs - Super tasty! Great balance of flavors.
Puff pastry filled with mushrooms - Addictive!
Country pate - Great texture; not too mushy and not too chunky either.
Tuna tartare - Super fresh!
Pork rillette - Luscious texture and so flavorful!
Assorted cheeses - Great selection! Not your boring regulars.
If I'm in the area, I would definitely stop by again.
I had a good experience here. I take off one star because the salad I had was no good at all.
I came here without a big appetite but I was looking forward to some complementing wine and food. My eating partner and I shared one prix fixed menu ($29) and had a custom wine flight to go with the three course meal.
From the prix fixed menu, the customer is allowed to choose between two dishes for each court.
We ordered:
1) Salad (as opposed to the soup)
2) Fish (as opposed to the steak)
3) Peaches & Cream (I forgot what the other choice was)
The salad, was TERRIBLE. The small tomatoes in it were very good but it seemed that there was too much sea salt on the salad leaves. They were unbearable. I couldn't eat them, I felt like I was getting hypertension.
The salmon was cooked very well. The skin was crunchy and tasty. The actual meat melting in your mouth. It was served with spinach and some good brown sauce.
Lastly, the Peaches & Cream was incredible. I highly recommend getting it. It's small, but it's a good presentation and the taste is spectacular.
The fixed price menu didn't have complementary wines listed, but we inquired to the expert wine person at the restaurant and he helped us out. He wrote out three different wines on "wine-flight-paper" and it was a good presentation. The wines definitely complemented our meal. Too bad that salad was awful. The first dish should be at least edible.
I'm not sure if it was pricey since my eating partner paid the bill! =D
Great atmosphere and location! Worth checking out at least once.
Stopped here after work. It's right in the middle of downtown Burlingame - the space is beautiful. At 6PM, it was basically empty. The wine menu is extensive and well-priced - $13 for a 3-glass flight! I had the salumi & charcuterie plate. Very tasty. My colleague ordered the mussels, which looked good as well. Service is knowledgeable and attentive. As we left at 7PM, the crowd seemed to be picking up and the room was much more noisy. Solid spot for after-work drinks.
This place is awesome!
Did not have the food, but got set up in the private room yesterday with a bunch of my friends .Me and another of my friends did the 16 dollar bubble tasting menu and wow all three sparkling wines were lovely.Decor is on point.Relaxing atmosphere.I want to go back the next time I'm home
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After everything in downtown San Mateo shutdown around 10, we escaped here for a couple glasses of wine.
It was a nice cool night on the peninsula, although a little too cool as we later had to put on our jackets. I made up my own flight: two pinot noirs, a merlot, and a cab. Was not too impressed with the pinots, the merlot was alright, and the cab was a little too light/dry for my tastes.
Service was excellent though and I like how you can get a "taste" or a half glass of various wines. Their menu didn't seem too extensive for a place that focuses on wine. Still, the atmosphere was nice and there were not many other options nearby to get drinks and chat for a couple hours. They bring our the wines in these really cool mini-rack things to hold four wine glasses at a time.
The kitchen closed early since they weren't that busy, so we couldn't order any desserts. boo :(
Nectar is definitely one of the best spots in Burlingame for fine wine or dining. Monday nights are wine tasting, representatives from various vineyards and wine companies bring wine offered at a discounted price with a $20 flight (4 wines) for tasting.
Scott is usually behind the bar and is really an amazing wine-tender, knowing exactly what I'm in the mood for and what I would like based on what I have ordered and liked in the past. Chris E. is a great Somalier, who always keeps Nectar's cellar well stocked and fresh. If you get there for happy hour, ask about their specials. Well worth skipping out of work a little early.
If I'm sitting for dinner or with a group of friends, Lerin, Julianna and Joe take good care of us. The owners/partners definitely know the meaning of good, courteous service. I would give this place 6 stars if I could.
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Needless to say, I frequent this place alot. In fact, if you look under the description of Xingu… Read more »
Wow, where do I begin in describing how BAD the trip was.
1) So my gf and I arrive and check in with the hostess, who basically says "Ok" and nothing else. Zip. She just went back to looking at the electronic screen. How about a "Oh, it'll be a few minutes" or 'You can have a drink at the bar and I'll let you know when the table is ready."?
We must have looked confused...enough that one of the waiters came over and asked if we had even been helped yet. (and no, the place wasn't extremely busy either)
2) So we get seated at the table along the main wall, across from the bar, near the hostess. We must have waited about 15-20 minutes before anyone came to take our order. Oh, we already had the menus down and stacked on the table and were doing the 'look around and try to get someone's attention' thing.
And where the hell was the Risotto that was on the web menu? That was actually one of the reasons we came in the first place!
3) We order our appetizers and each try a different set of the wine flights (which are 3 tastings of either whites or reds). The waiter brings over the 6 glasses and puts them on the piece of paper they have specially for the tastings, to describe the wine, but doesn't say a SINGLE word to us. Literally just puts the wine glasses down and walks away. Well, at least the wine was tasty.
4) Appetizers come...finally! We're starving! The salad greens and ahi poke were actually not bad. And right about when we were thinking, 'Hey, maybe this night will turn out ok..."
5) Another 20+ minutes goes by... where the hell are our entreés? (Again, the place was NOT busy. The back dining room was less than half full. I would know since I actually went to the restroom twice because we waiting so long.
6) Finally, main course arrives: Ribeye for me, Swordfish for the gf. Not impressed by the taste or quality of the ribeye. Plus, they give you (what looks like) a butter knife to cut with. You can imagine how awkward it was when I asked for a steak knife...and the waiter says "Oh, that IS the steak knife". Yikes. (Last time I checked, a steak knife's metal teeth actually protrude from the edge of the blade). The swordfish was dry, not flavorful, and neither of us even wanted to try and finish it.
Summary: So how bad could it really have been? The gf and I hit up Jack-in-the-crack on the way home to pick up a chicken sandwich and curly fries, which were delicious btw.
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A few years back I met some friends at Benihana. I wasn't very hungry so I just drank my way through the evening. I also have a confession, I was drinking girlie mai tai's. Yes, I was sipping on girlie drinks and slurring my way though some conversations that I barely even remember. Well anyway along the way I think I may have gotten a little inebriated and figured I should have someone drive me home.
The next thing I remember I crawled over to a bench in front of the Burlingame City Hall and kinda got a little sick. One of my friends started to rub my back while I was removing anything and everything from my stomach. At one point I turned and yelled at her 'Please leave me alone!!". I am one of those when I am not feeling 100 percent it's just best to leave me be.
These days I am much more careful and am a much more responsible drinker....well sometimes and now am a wine fan.
We are fortunate here in Burlingame to have Nectar. They have an awesome wine list and servers who know their stuff. Nectar also serves up some delicious food. This is the perfect place for a single girlie drinkin' cant hold his liquor kind of guy.
I am under an insane amount of stress right now - both work and well, no it is all work! ::laughing:: Enter my friend's great suggestion for a leisurely lunch in the sunshine: Nectar Wine Lounge.
Larin was our cheery server who gave us the low down on all the fabulous wine flights, the delicious lunch entree options and the fabulous sweet finishes (desserts you perverts!). Here is the proof in the pudding:
BAD ASSED RED FLIGHT : 3 beautiful red wines that made me smile. The impressive one was (yes, again) a Malbec from Argentina. WOW, that was really nice indeed!
STEAK FRITES: Ribeye Steak and french fries with all the accoutrements. My friend enjoyed theperfectly friend (non greasy) fries while I enjoyed every bite of that steak and washed it down with beautiful red wine.
Aaaaah, heaven!
Desert was not memorable - it was a strawberry cobbler thing that did not float my boat. I think it is because it was not your standard pastry crust on top, and liquid fruity middle that I am used to but, what was memorable was the cold, gorgeous glass of Moscato de Asti. I loved it so much, I bought a bottle to take home ::smile::
I had some of my all time FAVORITE things for lunch today while sitting inside the restaurant so that I could enjoy the air conditioning but close enough to where the walls break open to be lunching "al fresco".
Thank you Larin for your great service and thank you Nectar for being the bright spot in an otherwise extremely challenging day! I will return to this sexy venue with great wine, great food, and great service!
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How can Nectar Burlingame only have 3.5 stars on Yelp!? I am here to tell you it deserves 5 stars!!
Nectar is a wine bar. If you go here for something other than appetizers or wine, realize that you are eating at a wine BAR. If you go for wine and appetizers, you will not be disappointed.
My fiance and I headed down to Burlingame this weekend for some sunshine and wine from Nectar. It was perfect! The weather was great, so we sat on the patio. A word to the wise, their "flights" only actually save you like 50 cents. So, might as well pick your own 3 wines and order "tastes" of them, which is exactly what we did. First of all, the wines were delicious. Second of all, we had some heavy pourers, and wound up with quite a bit more than 3 tastes each. It was awesome!! The wait staff was around when we needed them, but stayed out of our way as we chit chatted, drank, and wedding planned. We ordered a cheese plate--not on the menu for Sunday/lunch, but available nonetheless... DELICIOUS! They got major points for having "truffle tremor"--the best cheese EVER. We get it at Whole Foods more than we should.
Overall, the day was perfect, Nectar is awesome, and I would highly recommend them... especially on a quiet, warm, Sunday afternoon!
People thought this was:
Visited for the first time last week. With it's intriguing honeycomb inspired fixtures and lounge style seating I will definitely be visiting again.
As the evening went on the lights casually were dimmed creating an intimate and calming environment.
There are 4 flights for those looking to find their next favorite nectar. I opted for the anything but chard flight which almost everyone at our table did as well. (dang, I forgot to get the name of my favorite.)
They have outdoor seating, a lounge area, and traditional seating.
I ordered the apricot salad and was very disappointed. However, they quickly took it off of our final bill and replaced it with something else better suited to my liking. I opted for the lamb... wise choice. it was excellent, but not for those that are HUNGRY. All of their portions are on the delicate side. However, I was there for 1. the great company and 2. to experience new nectar's not yet discovered.
The service was great and he even had a sense of humor. I caught him laughing at a few of my crude jokes ( I don't know how to behave in public.) :)
the rest of the staff present at the time of our visit were pleasant and welcoming.
Definitely worth a visit even with the less than positive reviews on here. The staff mentioned during their visit may have been "dealt with" by now. ;)
Oh i almost forgot... finish off your night with a cup of their wonderful Americano! Excellent
Pretty good spot to hang out over a glass of wine and some munchies. I think ambience is Nectar's main selling point -- whether you want to snag an intimate outdoor table for two, lounge-type seating for four, a private table for ten or something in between, the smallish but well-appointed space has got it.
The wine list and menu seem very democratic and strive to offer something for every taste and price point. Although you might not make any life-changing discoveries, you'll be able to find at least one wine (or even beer!) that piques your interest. And, although the tapas menu isn't the most original, chances are you can't choose a bad dish.
But if Nectar's STILL too boring for you...try to count the number of times the honeycomb motif occurs in the decor. That, at the very least, will keep you occupied!
I have not tried the food at Nectar, but we recently took my CEO, who was visiting from Boulder, here for drinks. My wife had the dog with her, and the hostess gave her a table on the sidewalk, brought a water bowl, and filled it with a water bottle and ice cubes. The waitress, who was studying for her sommeliers exam, made exceptional recommendations for the wine, offering a free taster before we committed, and being quite patient and making it all about the experience. Fantastic.
My wife had a few glasses of Pinot Grigio, I enjoyed a nice Pinot Noir, and my CEO tried a Belgian brown stout that he can't stop raving about. After his fourth (this guy never has more than one) exclaimed, "I have found my new favorite beer. I will return for this." We also shared a plate of the roasted peppers with sea salt. Very nice.
I've always had such positive experiences at Nectar in the past, until recently that is.....
Food - Great!
Wine - Love the champagne flight
Service - I'm not impressed.
The server that helped us was short, distant, & cold to us. I brought in my agent who flew in from Los Angeles and we had always had great service so we decided to take him to Nectar. The girl is blond, very curly hair and cute but, her attitude made her unattractive and she rolled her eyes at me when I asked questions about the wine. She didn't really know the menu and when we asked if you catered to vegetarians she said no. I thought she was joking so I laughed and she rolled her eyes again. I don't think she should be allowed to stay....as this doesn't pertain to the service. We saw her out at a pub later that evening close by and she was doing shots and complaining about her job. Not cool!
People thought this was:
Rotten, people are not friendly or helpful in the menu nor the wines, snotty attitude, and way over priced. Come on......, and the food is soooo medioche and WAY over priced, at least the staff, the servers, the host can be nice to you
Take my advice and do not go there, go to Bonarda and be
People thought this was:
Nectar probably has the best service I have ever experienced in a restaurant. The waitress was entertaining, patient, informative, and attentive.
The presentation of the cheese plate was fabulous. It was also thoroughly delicious.
The presentation of the wine flights was amazing. The glasses were placed on top of cards that provided details about the wines.
A really cool home-made invention was used to deliver the flights. I hope to buy this thing someday. It was a metallic device with 3 rings/slots for carrying multiple wine glasses with one hand.
Also, and I usually don't notice this, the decor was great.
I am DEFINITELY a repeat customer. I can't wait to go back for dinner instead of just wines and cheeses.
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We started with the steamed clams and mussels that are prepared with artichokes, sausage and del fino cilantro. Incredibly tasty and I only wish it had come with some bread to soak up the remaining broth, but maybe that's just me being greedy.
We also had the burrata/tomato dish. Not only was it very tasty, but it was a fun presentation with a layer of burrata across the middle of the plate, surrounded by a moat of thick gazpacho with wedges of heirloom tomatoes and melon balls artfully placed around the plate. It looked lovely and the flavors combined wonderfully.
I wasn't sure if pork belly could meet my expectations, let alone exceed them, but with perfect accompaniments - in this case chanterelles, watercress and a cocoa sauce, the combination blew me away. I want to fly back down there just to eat another order of this.
We had two fish dishes, the black cod with dungeness crab porridge and the tombo tuna with prosciutto and fennel sauce. They were both incredibly good, cooked to perfection, and just melted on the tongue. My only complaint about the meal is that both fish dishes should've had more sauce.
For our meat course, we had the ribeye and the lamb. The lamb was another great example of beautiful presentation as well as being delicious. Somehow, the ribeye even managed to be better, accented with oyster mushrooms and black mission figs. I never would've thought to add figs, but I can't wait to try that myself. Plus, I'm a pushover for gnocchi, which also came with the ribeye.
We were all blown away by the meal and I look forward to my next trip to San Francisco and a side trip down to Burlingame to hit Nectar again.
Cute and inviting during happy hour especially on a nice day ... tables outside for the people watching. Decent selection of wine and 4 different flights to chose from for the flighty and indecisive. I had the all but chards flight and enjoyed the entire selection. Munched on some ahi poke and shared a pizza ... not bad for a place that markets itself as a wine lounge.
Service was great and I was there for several hours making a new friend and I never felt rushed or ignored. Ample seating and looks like there are some big tables in the back for larger groups. Table service, bar service or lounging on the coaches in the middle.
People thought this was:
Very nice ambience with great service. Wine list is extensive with descriptions that are really unique and simply irresistable. Whoever is the script writer for that is a genius..and must of taken a lit class or something..LOL.
A great place to bring a date after dinner to chat. In fact, hooked up my two good friends here o_O
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If wine is your personal nectar, then I suggest you order one the flights here. I'm a sucker for wine tastings of about 3oz. I guess it's because my alcohol tolerance is so low (although others may argue I'm a cheap date).
When driving around the cute neighborhood of Burlingame in search of our next meal, my coworker and I happened upon this little wine bar. We sat down and ordered some appetizers, the calamari and the mussels in a white wine - both were delicious and we savored each bite.
For our entree, I had the rib-eye that had a savory wine reduction sauce. The portion was generous and plated beautifully. We had coffee and a chocolate dessert. I'd yelp it, but we finished it so fast that I don't remember what it was.
I look forward to future visits to this little honeycombed wine bar with members of my firm.
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It kills me to drop this place down to three stars but, I gotta keep it real people.
Nectar's wine list is awesome, and because you can buy any of the wines retail to take home it makes it all the more tempting to taste a whole flight. My first time there with my wife we met Joe. Joe was a very friendly, and as we would subsequently learn VERY knowledgable bartender who helped us along in designing our own wine flight. As a general rule, the many times we've been we sat at the bar. You're there for the wine, right? Stick with the people who are going to know it the best.
Joe has left Nectar which is where it lost one of its stars to me. The people that I've met there since are all nice but its not quite the same. We'd go a few months without being in there but Joe would recognize us and it would be friendly and fun. Not quite the same without him there.
The second star comes off when you look at the food menu. I'm not saying the food isn't good. The food is very good. But not excellent. Usually when we go we stick to wine and the appetizer menu. Their cheese plate hasn't changed in a while but the cheeses are good and their paired with some good garnishes. So even though the food is very good, its not great and it feels overpriced for what you get.
As a wine bar, Nectar gets five stars, it loses me at the food. Joe! If you're out there...come back to Nectar, it sorely misses you.
The Burlingame location has great ambience. Most of the reviews here seem to concentrate on wine and perhaps appetizers, but we went for dinner and were very pleased. We had their new prix fixe menu for two, which meant that we were able to order the entire prix fixe selection and try everything. All of the dishes were excellent--soup, salad, entrees, desserts. Beautifully presented and prepared.
I also had the 3-wine Pinot flight, which complemented the meal nicely. I liked all three wines but wasn't bowled over by them. The price was reasonable.
Some reviews say that the service is condescending or snooty--we didn't find that at all. Though perhaps that's because restaurants in this price range are all over the Peninsula so it's not a rare occasion for us. Actually I found the service very nice. Our waitress did have enough poise and presentation so that M and I were wondering whether she was "really an actress" and just moonlighting as a waiter (though the commute from L.A. would be a bit much!).
We'll definitely go back.
People thought this was:
The place was very nice as the decor looked well with the number of wine bottles on the wall. You knew people came to enjoy the wines. There were like 50 different wines by the glass you could choose from.
We got the prix fixe meal and the Grilled rib-eye. The prix fixe came with the crab cake, the scallops and the chocolate 'molten' cake..... The rib-eye was good and it came with potato scallops and tomatos.
I would come here again simply because it's a great place to enjoy a glass of wine during happy hour... 4-6 PM.
Recommend.....
This place has a wonderful selection of wines, beers and champagne. Last time I went, I had a sample of the best cheese I have ever had!!! Just thinking about it... I'm salivating! It was some kind of sheep's milk cheese with fenugreek. Ask your server!!! The only draw back is sometimes lengthy wait for service.
Maybe all the trips to Napa and Sonoma, and the restaurants in San Francisco have snobbified me. But for being a "wine bar," the wine list is not that extensive and lacks diversity.
I am a sucker for flights, and do appreciate that Nectar Lounge has these. The downside is that there were a lot of not-so-good wines in the flights...but this is mitigated by my expectation that not every wine is supposed to be a 100 according to Wine Spectator.
The staff was okay. Never had a full meal, but the snacky stuff was okay. I recall a cheese selection that was pretty tasty.
Nice atmosphere, and I would come back because the wines change, and I am feeling optimistic as I write this.
People thought this was:
This place fits the overpriced feel of Burlingame. The wines per glass are a bit pricey and the desserts fair the same and are very small in size. The size does not bother me so much as the desserts were really good.
We came here after having sushi down the street so a small drink (we went with a black muscat) and some dessert was all we were in for.
The service was really good as the the server was well educated and the server was also the house Sommelier so that made selecting our wine a good experience.
The place was very clean and upscale and hip so it was nice to enjoy some dessert and wine. My main gribe was the lack of affordable wine selection.
I'll be honest. I was really skeptical after reading some of these reviews. I am picky about my food, and I'm very easily offended with bad/slow service.
Let me tell you straight up, we had a magical evening. We were seated quickly, and had very attentive service. We brought our own bottle of wine (A Rafanelli Zinfandel 2006). Our waitress was training to become a sommelier, so we poured her a half glass of our wine. We were excited for her to try it. She, our waitress, was so awesome. She brought over a book of wine regions, and showed us where each of our wines (bottle+wine flight we ordered) was from.
All of the food we ordered was superb. Here's a breakdown:
1. Cheese plate: Cypress Grove truffle tremor (omg, org*sm in your mouth), Manchengo, and a blue cheese. Each one to die for.
2. Mussels and clams in a wonderful broth. YUM.
3. Mini filet - medium rare. omg, i would order this again and again.
4. Chicken dish - very good. the mac and cheese side dish was a bit watery, but still good.
5. Green tea creme brulee. are you KIDDING ME!!!! this was so good!
We had a magical evening. Perhaps it was our charm, but they waived the corkage fee, and even gave us a glass of their dessert wine free. They were so kind, attentive, and generous.
Again, I am very picky with food. this place is worth it. I'd be just as happy going here, versus driving another 30min to SF and eating in the city. Definitely give Nectar a try. We hope you like it as much as we do!
It's pretty much one of our favorite restaurants in the Bay Area now.
Nectar in Burlingame is a beautifully appointed wine bar with take out prices akin to retail. Wines by the glass are in the 9 - 12 range. And they have many small plates with wine pairing suggestions.
I had the prosciutto arugula salad with fried asparagus. Fresh mozzerella and shaved Parmiggiano Reggiano made the dish a brilliant and healthy late afternoon snack. I was pretty hungry, it being 4:30 and not having eaten that day. The fact that a couple glasses of wine and this small salad completely sated my hunger serves as a reminder that I usually eat too much. At $15, the salad sounds expensive (compared to a giant, gut-busting enchilada at some taqueria, for example), but the vegetables were very fresh, the cheese amazing and the prosciutto absolutely succulent.
The table next to me knew nothing about wine and their very knowledgeable waitress (i think she was also manager or owner) brought them three completely different wine tastes to better guage their preferences. That was a really nice touch and confirms Nectar's commitment to wine appreciation and that their customers enjoy what they order.
They also serve beer, for those with an aversion to fermented grapes -or just allergic to sulfites- and the descriptions for both beer and wine are humorous and unexpected. One beer was descibed as "anise... with honey smacks".
Service was a bit on the slow side. Well, let's not call it slow. Service was relaxed in an it's-Sunday-there-is-no-need-to-rush kind of way. I was able to pay my check in time to make the train, and that's all that really mattered.
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This is hard for me to write. Nectar was a special place for bf and I, as we both love to try new wines, we like different and seasonal food, and we always went as a couple.
However, having been there 5 or 6 times now, the service is what's dropping the rating. And that's really unfortunate.
The Good:
- The wine list is variable enough to please most anyone (unless all you drink is white zin) and they offer two serving sizes - taste and glass, as well as by the bottle. This means that if you like, you can try a handful of new wines without worrying about getting trashed. It also means you can do the same without breaking the bank.
- The food is fresh and almost everything is, at least, tasty. Highly recommend the roast chicken and mac-n-cheese, which is homefood turned up to 11. The pan roasted swordfish is also very good, as is the petit filet. Oh, and the cheese plate? Amazing.
- The location is adorable. All of the windows open out onto the city, so you can people watch from either indoors or out. The tables aren't overly crowded, either, which is nice in a bistro-style place.
The Bad:
- Service is completely unpredictable. The first two times that we went, we had an amazing woman who knew the wines, knew the food, and was attentive without being overbearing. However, the last three times we've been there, the waitress was unable to (a) remember our order without coming back to check several times; (b) brought us the wrong food anyway; (c) brought us the wrong wine and/or couldn't tell us anything about it; (d) made us wait for the check for easily an hour.
- The wine list doesn't turn over as frequently as we'd like. For regulars, you can work through the by-the-glass offerings pretty quickly, and that's disappointing seeing as the point of going to a wine bar (in my opinion) is to try new things.
- The portions are quite small. I'm not looking for gargantuan portions by any means, but when my bf ordered the petit filet, it was roughly the size of a standard-issue baseball. When served with 6 spears of baby asparagus and a quarter cup of mashed potatoes, he ended up hungry at the end of his dinner.
- It's pricey, and that's hard to swallow when the service is mediocre.
There are a few things you can do in order to make your experience better:
1. Ask for bread. They won't bring it to you by default, but its very nice and its a good palate cleanser for your wine if you aren't getting an appetizer.
2. Come during the happy hour. They have a reduced-price menu and the wine is also on sale.
3. Ask what's fresh. We've found that the stuff that's new/fresh is what usually turns out the best.
4. Make a reservation. Walk-ins aren't treated as well as reservations, and its not so slammed that getting a reservation is a hard thing to do.
My hope is that Nectar will manage to even out the service so that I can up my rating to 4. But for now, know going in that, from that perspective, its a bit of a crapshoot.
Decided to try Nectar out on Friday evening to have some wine and cheese with my hubby, brother, and good friend. And I would really like to give Nectar a higher rating, as they have a fun atmosphere, detailed wine list with hilarious tongue-in-cheek descriptions, and a delicious tomato jam on their cheese plate that oozes with the sweet essence of tomato at the height of summer. What's the problem? The service, alas, was sadly lacking. We enjoyed our first cheese plate so much that we decided to order a second cheese plate with three different cheese selections. Upon the second plate's arrival, our server aptly noted that our morbier was missing and in its place was a cheese we had not ordered. She offered to bring us the morbier we had ordered, and we gratefully accepted. My hubby paid the bill, and unlike me, does not check bills carefully. The next morning, when I looked over the bill, I realized that our server had charged us an extra $5 for the incorrect cheese! That just shows a real lack of gracious service, and for the prices Nectar charges, gracious service should be included. Bummer - added a sour taste to an otherwise nice evening.
I have never been to this restaurant and my review is more about their customer service.
My boss asked me at 430, to make reservations for 6 people in the private dining room, with a catch. He called them and the private dining room was already booked. DOH!
I called and spoke to the host and he was very helpful and accommodating. He was able to figure out how to tell the party who reserved the room, to have dinner in the main dining room, called me back within 15 minutes of our phone conversation and booked the private room for my boss.
I know, I know, some of you are saying "you asshole! what do you want, the entire world to stop and do whatever you want, when you want??" Fair question and I will answer emphatically NO, I don't expect the world to stop just for me. BUT I am always grateful when a restaurant pulls rabbit out of a hat and I get to deliver good news to people, especially good news to the boss.
Thank you again
Totally random walk-in from the street and we were seated.. Yeah.. the place does have an air of pretentiousness.
Gold star for our server who treated as well even though she had a thousand things going on.
The wine was excellent and the food was great except for one lil culinary faux pas.. One too many bones in the cod.. Yes, we know you'll find a bone or two.. But 5longs ones and one that was caught in my wife's throat?
They did take the plate off our bill.. I dug the ambiance of the place, the service.. Jus a misstep on the fish.. (and please don't try to explain away bones in a fish in a higher end restaurant.. just take the plate away.. )
I didn't try the food, I just enjoyed the wine and the ambiance here. My friend saw this place after we'd had dinner down the street, liked what he saw, and wanted to come in. I hadn't had a proper dessert, so I decided to have a dessert wine. My friend had the "bad-assed red" flight. I had a port.
The menu was good reading material. All of the wines were described in corny mixtures of hyperbole, simile and metaphor. I really liked my $15 glass of port, which is a very good thing, considering that the menu said it would "linger on the palate forever."
I'd hate to have bad wine lingering on my palate forever.
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I've been to this place about 3 times, mostly with big groups.
The ambiance is nice. As the name indicates they do have a wide selection of wines and every time I have been there, the staff, has taken the time to suggest wines by asking if we like red or white, sweet or dry, pissed off at the world/happy, etc.
The service is very slow though which hasn't bothered us since as a big group we are entertaining ourselves with stories, etc. I can see it would be annoying if I was by myself or with another person.
The food is not very spectacular. In fact you'll do better just ordering a bunch of the appetizers. The little pizzette and the cheese platter are very good. Expect a hefty bill, this place is not cheap. Overall it was a pleasant experience.
Booooo......where did this place come from? The staff are completely pretentious and so random for Burlingame. I have been here a couple of times hoping to have a better experience without success. I have only had the wine and appetizers so maybe the food is better, but it is a huge disappointment.
It's a no go.
Trendified wine bar that makes you feel like a bumblebee... or Winnie the Pooh.
Cost to worth it ratio: 3
Highlights:
- Unique theme: honeycomb theme all around. Seriously
hexagons everywhere--even the pillar seats close to the floor.
- Wine list: nicely segmented so easy to choose by the type you like. Has flights as well as glasses which I always appreciate. Had a good Hess cab.
- Beer available: there's something for your dudes who may not be into the wine revolution.
Lowlights (my flip side to highlights):
- Can be pretty crowded and hard to grab a spot.
I didn't immediately feel the place, but I didn't spend too much time here. I may be back to try some more wines and hang out a bit more.
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