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Went here with a group of 8 people last night during Restaurant Week. We had to ask for the special menu, but the menu was great, and they threw in free champagne - how nice! Our three course dinner ended up taking almost a full four hours, so service was slow, but very, very friendly. Valentin and another server were great at interacting with our somewhat rowdy group. They claimed that part of the delay was due to problems with their computer. The grand marnier souffle that was supposed to take 20 minutes, took 45, however. I had the gnocchi, which was good. Also had the salad, tri tip, and profiteroles for dessert, as well as the aforementioned grand marnier souffle.
This place is in the ghetto, just so you know. Valet parking only. The restaurant, indoors, is decorated like a bad donald trump 1980s wedding (hence the lack of a star). But generally good dishes here, with a few exception. (May you never experience their horrible Julia Child dishes featured in August, 2009 again).
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I visited the Anaheim White House to try their Julia Child specials. Had the Coq a vin and the… Read more »
This restaurant catered for a wedding that I went to recently. I had the vegetarian meal... so I can't say much about the meat dishes. The food was not buffet style and instead, everyone got an individually served plate. The vegetarian meal was plain vegetable and plain couscous. All of us vegetarians felt like we were given leftovers that had been simply cooked in water and thrown on our plates.
The only good thing about the food was the salad... it was pretty and had a flower in it. However, this did not make up for the horrible entree.
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I used to love this place. 6 years ago, I would've given this place 4 stars, but the food and decor has really fallen to below average over the last several years.
My fav dish used to be the prawns, and even though this is still one of their better dishes, I now consider this dish to be very average. I've also ordered the surf and turf special on a couple of occasions, but this order was significantly below average. I spent over $200 for a party of 3 and we found ourselves having dry steak and dry lobster.
On the decor, there used to be an open candle on each table, but it's been replaced with an unclassy looking battery operated candle.
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Had dinner here with another couple during the World Series (mistake). Food was great! Just not somewhere you want to be if you want to keep up with the game. Granted, our waiter and maitre d' made every effort to keep us informed of the latest updates, but we really shouldn't have went to dinner that night!
The game aside, the food was great! My filet was perfectly cooked prepared with polenta and a gorgonzola sauce... It was pretty tasty! Wife had the Sea Bass that she loved!
To keep this short and simple, I made reservations here for my boyfriend's birthday and our experience was phenomenal. The decor was exquisite, and the food was delicious. The service could have been a little bit faster, but that's okay, we were kept busy with the gold and white decorations of the Lincoln room.
We ordered the Ravioli Gwen Stefani which came with 2 lobster filled raviolis with a light sweet citrus sauce... definetly worth it. We also got the house salad that came with a passionfruit-mango dressing over mixed greens... also very good. As for our entrees, my boyfriend opted for the red snapper that was cooked to perfection and I got the salmon w/white chocolate mashed potatoes that everyone raves about on yelp. lol. Both our entrees were very good. They even gave us a complimentary plate of cream filled puff pastry drizzed in dark melted Godiva chocolate and rasberry.... mmm... That made me happy.
I highly recommend this place for a special occassion or a special date or something... it definetly won't dissapoint!...
(I dreamnt that my wedding reception was here last night... ahaha...thats how beautiful it is inside).
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Beautiful house in Anaheim. I felt like a princess on my birthday.
I ordered the Linguine Tartufo Raul Bova (simple but if you like truffles it was excellent!)
and the Ravioli Walter Nudo (a little too cream filled for my taste)
They were both great dishes with very creative presentation and the sous chef was very hospitable. He came around to visit and was very funny. He hit on my boyfriend which was entertaining.
You must check out the recipe book - it's like porn for women ;)
When We first arrived here It looked like an old house that was turned into a restaurant, hence, Anaheim White house! lol
The receptionist was Bruno, who had the cutest accent, I thought he was faking at first, but nope! All the waiters seemed to have an accent, which made it a fun night.
Anyways... it was quite small, and pretty empty. My first observation was that there were a lot of older folks, not trying to be mean, but Its not really a place for people in their twenties, unless I just came on the wrong night.
The chairs felt like they were ready for a wedding with white covers and a cute bow tie around them. The napkins were SO cute & were folded like a tux with a bow tie business card attached!
The service was prompt and I LOVED our waiter! I ordered Champagne & got a lot of refills and he asked me "Is there a crack in your glass?" I was so confused at first and giggled, but had no idea what he was talking about. Then my friend told me & I laughed cause this was definitely a blond moment for me! lol*
FOOD:
We ordered the Cesar salad & lobster ravioli to start off with, the salad was placed in a crisp edible bowl that was delicious and different. We were only give 2 pieces of lobster ravioli, but that had a lot of flavor and was present with flare.
Next came our entrees, He ordered the Rack of Lambs that came with mashed potatoes and was very tasteful! I liked his meal better than mine! I recommend it to all! I ordered the Beckham meal only because I love David Beckham! haha just kidding. But it was like a pot roast and was very flaky and had a nice gravy & mashed potatoes that came with it. It was good, but pot roast isn't my favorite.
FINALE!: my favorite part of the whole night was waiting for our souffle! I had many souffle's before and if its a true souffle you have to wait 20-30 min for it to be prepared. Also, you usually get to choose if you want a chocolate souffle or a grand marnier one, but this place only had one choice.
I was skeptical at first because it came with a chocolate sauce, vanilla sauce, and Chantilly cream, but the waiter assured me that I would not be disappointed. It looked so soft and fluffy when he was cutting into it to add the 3 types of sauce, which isn't like the normal souffle's I've had before. I tried it and scarfed the whole thing down within seconds it felt like! haha*
BEST SOUFFLE I'VE EVER HAD IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!
Lets just leave it at that. I will for sure be going back especially for that!
Good service, & good food.
1.Gotta get the gnocchi appetizer (and / or make it into an entree). This dish alone will satisfy any vegetarian you come with. Otherwise, the vegetarian options aren't all that great and are usually way too oily.
2. GRAND marinier souffle. Just do it.
3. White chocolate mashed potatoes - avoid these. To sweet and odd - not in a good way. The first bite seems good, but the second makes you realize you might just throw up.
The atmosphere / waiters can be a little MUCH & over the top, but as long as you laugh about it later its all worth it. Once in a while it's a nice romantic escapade though.
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You could easily drive by this building during the day and not notice it. But at night, its beautifully lit up with white lights that make the building look magical and out of place. The ambiance inside was very romantic and serene. The service was excellent and the dinner experience was great.
I had the vegetable pasta cavalli (I was recovering from stomach bug) and it was delicious even without any protein! The pasta was cooked very well and the portion was adequate.
My boyfriend had the Salmon with white chocolate mashed potatoes...yes, white chocolate mashed potatoes. I frowned upon that side item, but when we finally got our food, my fork couldn't stop sampling those potatoes! They were out of this world delish; not too sweet, not too salty...just perfect.
Unfortunately we didn't leave room for the souffle....but we will be back!
Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for the Anaheim White House.
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I have only eaten there 4 times, however each has been a good experience. The food has always been warm, and cooked appropriately.
The food has always been delicious.
The atmosphere is a love it or hate it white and gold in your face deal maker/breaker.
If they still have it, order the lamb salad with vinaigrette side dish.
I had heard good things about this place and was excited to finally go. Subpar although it would be romantic for a date.
Service - Good but slightly slow.
Reservations - Highly recommended
Parking - Valet
Location - Random location in the middle of a busy street lined with liquor stores and mechanical shops.
Ambiance - A converted house that is what else but white? Columns and stairs lead you inside the house which is adorn with flowers on the wall. The place smelled really old and funky. Not sure if this is normal since the others said they don't remember it smelling like that when they've been here before.
Food - Not worth the price. Subpar flavors.
1. Escargot Dior- Fresh and nice soft garlic taste.
2. Carpaccio di Manzo Madame Sisi - Skip it. Sliced too thick and wrapped around greens and parmesan. I like my carpaccio lying flat on the plate and scraped off.
3. Insalata Caprese Juventus - Decent. Thick cuts of fresh mozzarella. However, the tomatoes were sliced too thin and tasted old.
4. Veal Armani - Friend seemed to enjoy.
5. Filetto di Romeo and Juliette- Friend loved. I don't know if I would like a gorgonzola cheese sauce topping although I didn't try it.
6. Sole Special of the Day - Looked like it was cooked well.
7. Manzo Brasato Beckham (Their signature dish) - The meat was only semi tender and a bit salty. I liked the horseradish which broke up the flavor. However, I thought that the dish could use some vegetable. Two pieces of meat, mash potatoes and a huge swan cracker made the dish feel very blah and dry.
What's up with the big cracker presentation?
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My husband I has such a wonderful time when we went to the white house. Everyone that we encountered was so nice and made our experience wonderful. The food was delicious, I had the short ribs and they were seriously cooked to perfection! The ambiance was so wonderful, the restaurant is in a 100 year old house, it was amazing. We had the banana tart for dessert, wow it was so good. I highly recommend this restaurant to everyone I know.
Amor
The first time I came here It was with a very special guy named Davey. We went here to celebrate my 19th birthday back in 2007. Both Davey and I got all dolled up and took a taxi there. "Our hotel had recommended it" (since i was craving Italian badly) lol I was stunned from the second we drove up to the very last bite. Not only was this place magnificent when lit up (that's they way i felt that night being around him) I gulped when i saw the prices but Davey took care of me. The service was amazing and the dishes (food) were to die for.The chef even made me a one of a kind desert for the occasion! When we left Davey and I returned to Disneyland And at the stroke of midnight we Magically had our first kiss!!! The entire trip was amazing and loved the Anaheim White House! We have been several times and still every time the spark is still there from the first night we arrived. It will always be a found memory of ours to forever cherish!
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Known as "Anaheim most famous hidden treasure" The White house was actually a home built in the 1909's and belonged to a Doctor and his family sometime later. Then many years after that the home was then sold to another couple and they turned it into a restaurant. The land was supposed to be built into condos but the wife did not want to destroy the beautiful property that's how it became a restaurant. That's just a quick history on The White house but the history behind the house and the people who had once lived there is really beautiful and the house itself holds a lot of remarkable history. Read the whole story on their website. On the website you can also find...Menus (in English, Spanish and French) lovely pictures and information on special events and catering can be found on the website.
I went here awhile back for Valentines Day dinner, the place was packed but I did not have to wait too long. Guests at the White House dressed nicely; men in their dress shirts, some with ties and women in little black dresses or nice blouse. Place itself is absolutely unique and beautiful. Each room is designed a little different with its own unique touch...there are a total of 12 private dining rooms. Each room is named after a president and some are smaller than others. I was in a room that was fairly small; it fits about 5 tables (2 couples per table) the name of this room is now changed to the Barack Obana Room.
I ordered the Ravioli Gwen Stefani as an appetizer and had Ahi Coco Chanel as my entrée. So I went from sassy Gwen to classy Chanel all in one evening. I love all the creative names on the menu, most of the entrees items are named after some type of brand-names, like Rack of Lamb Prada, Sand Dabs Dolce Gabbana, Pollo Ripieno Gucci and so on. The Ravioli Gwen Stefani was super delicious...it's a lobster filled ravioli with basil and topped off with a ginger and citrus sauce, very rich in taste with very tasteful presentation. The Ahi Coco Chanel was seared rare in a citrus vinaigrette with red onions and presented with a beautiful tower of pisa...almost looked too pretty to eat. The chef even brought out our entrée for us, very service oriented!
I guess people come here for the delightful experience, the unforgettable food, the top notch customer service, for me its all of the above added the rich and meaningful history...like icing on a cake. The White House is also a perfect venue for special events such as wedding rehearsal dinners, receptions, engagement parties and so on.
I love this place because its not just a restaurant that someone built but the people who once lived here were amazing people and what they have left behind is truly a hidden treasure for the rest of the community to enjoy for years to come...and I believe it will continue to make history here in Anaheim and it will continue to be not only Anaheim...but Orange County's little treasure.
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First let me say that I have frequented this restaurant a lot in the past years and have had an enjoyable experiences; however, that has changed in the last twelve months.
The food quality has definitely changed and the attitude of the manager is really bad. He treated us like an inconvenience for having a party of 20 on a Saturday afternoon because after a wedding party had cancelled for that date we would be the only patrons there. I had booked my party two months in advance. The two weeks that approached my party date, he was absolutely clear, and extremely rude, that it was a burdon. I received calls and emails from him and his staff making statements to that effect. Also, the night before the event I was introduced to the owner and pointed out that it was "I" who was having that afternoon luncheon. He didn't even stop to greet me but walked away with a scoff!
I had pre-scheduled a $42.95 menu with a champaigne toast and the addition of drinks (Let me add here that a cup of coffee was $3.50 and the champaigne toast was going to be $4.00 a glass!!). So he made a pretty over priced penny over it. I spent a wad of cash for this luncheon/birthday party.
The waiter and his assistant gave us excellent service but we had some issues with the food. Three beef dishes were over cooked when it was asked to be medium! It took 25 more minutes before those dishes came back out again. A few of us had the salmon and apparantly they had one fish to split up between us as we received a very small portions and for some reason they ran out of vegetables on my plate because trying to describe to you that I had a "sprinkle" of vegetables is an understatement! I was still hungry after eating.
You should know that the party went really well. My Mom and her friends really had no idea of some of the chaos that went on behind the scenes. We were there for 4 hours and had a great time! I paid my tab and left. I don't feel confident that my excellent waiter got that tip because it was truly for him and no one else but that owner seems shady and wouldn't stop "luring" at us during our meal.
Since it's typically me who treats my family and friends to what I use to think was a special place for special meals, I will no longer return back there for quite some time. I need to get over these sore feelings. There are so many other restaurants like The Cellar or The Hobbit where they are much more accommodating and genuinely friendly.
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Initial feeling: like the 4of us gfs stumbled onto cheesy beefy blonde Fabio's hideaway, thinking he'll appear any minute w/bread & "...I can't believe it's not 'buddah'" line. Even Danielle Steele herself, the romance novelist might gag by this absurd rendition.
Settled feeling: Mix of sadness & irritation.
Sad - Trying too hard.
Food lavishly presented but not great.
Eerie white & gold ornate, outdated decor.
Too many maitre'ds floating by our table.
Irritated - Fluffy theme Valentine Day's menu.
Overpriced for so-so food.
Charged valet & unused heat lamps
while waiting in the freezing cold.
Uncomfy seating in cramped rooms.
Pimping products/services when not
requested like the chef's cookbook &
venue space rental.
Saving grace: desserts esp. the useless tower of spunned sugar speckled beneath powdered sugar w/various nibble-size creme brulee, custard tarts, white & dark choco-covered strawberries, & so forth. Wish we took a photo: too comical to enjoy sincerely.
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Great atmosphere and service.
Appetizer was wonderful, a great combination of cheeses inside a squash blossom.
The veal left a little wanting. I was expecting something a little more exotic than the average breading and simple mushroom sauce. My friend had the braised beef. It lived up to it's claim of being the "house specialty"
The dessert menu was wonderful. We desperately wanted to try the pink sugar tower, but it served 4+, and we were only a party of 2. We settled for the souffle, which did not disappoint.
Overall, a very nice experience with food ranging from good (veal with mushroom sauce) to amazing (butternut squash blossoms).
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Jen and I had both hear of the Anaheim White House, but hadn't gotten around to trying it until we saw coupons for them on http://Restaurant.com. With deals like $25 off of a bill of $35 or more, we couldn't pass it up.
Jen had been preparing a Date Night for us and it started off here. You wouldn't expect to find this great restaurant in this historic home, but don't let looks or location deceive you. The whole place is very elegant, fun and comfortable. White linens with white chair covers all highlighted with gold accents. It almost goes overboard, but not to the point of gaudy. Service was impeccable. We never wanted for anything or felt rushed. We loved that we were seated in a room by ourselves - although by the time we left it had filled up.
Food was amazing. We started off with squash blossoms stuffed with fontina cheese and prosciutto. These were excellent and filled with flavor. For entrees, Jen had the Sea Bass Versace and I had the Calamari Cartier. The sea bass came sealed in a parchment envelope where it had steamed in a saffron and seafood infusion. The portion of fish was very good size. My calamari was stuffed with crab. The calamari was tender and flavored perfectly. We ordered a side of their famous white chocolate mashed potatoes and the asparagus. The white chocolate mashed potatoes were a bit much on their own, but when mixed with the plain mashed potatoes we got with our order they were great - although nothing I would go out of my way to order in the future. The asparagus was cooked perfectly for me - al dente.
They are known for their Grand Marnier Souffle, but we opted out of dessert since we were going to the movies.
The prices were a bit on the high side, but the experience and the quality of the food well justified it. They have a lot of larger tables that would be perfect for a special family occasion. Parking is deceptive. It looks like valet only, but you can actually park on your own and save $4.
The best food I've had in Anaheim...so far...which isn't saying too much. :-P
I scratch my head and wonder about the low ratings people give this place. Yes, it's expensive but you get what you pay for.
The best deal is the "Lunch Express Menu". You can be in and out within 45 minutes for $21.95, comes with soup or salad, main course and dessert.
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I am not much of a romantic soul. I am so glad the days of getting all dressed up and made up to go on a date are over. Yeah, been there done that, thus, why I was here at The Anaheim White House!
From the darn review I read somewhere, I thought this would be a nice place to go, a cute little place for a cute little me (the younger days). We arrived and handed the key to valet. The 'house' was lit with lights and looked quite pretty at night. Upon entering, my first thought was 'Oh my, is this a doll house?'
We were led to the second floor via the very narrow stairways. The house is decorated (as the name implies) in all white and gold. I find it overdone and boring. The seating arrangement is tight and cramped. I almost think this place would have been better as a Bed and Breafast Inn than a real restaurant.
It's been a LONG time so I can't remember all that we ordered. I do remember the entree was Filetto di Romeo and Juliette - a 10 oz. Filet mignon, oven roasted served atop baked polenta over a sauce of Gorgonzola cheese. The beef was so gamy that I was only able to force myself to eat about 1/3 of it. My boyfriend (now fiance) took 1 bite and said 'Sorry sweetie, I don't think I like it, either'. He had a chicken dish and said it was just OK. Service was nice as you'd expect from a fine-dining restaurant.
We left the restaurant that night and have not looked back.
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Beatiful place! The service was great, the owner himself came to say hello and ask how we found out about the place. The food was exquisite. I ordered this chicken stuffed with some kind of cheese and it was very, very yummy! My boyfriend ordered the salmon with white chocolate mashed potatoes, which was also very good. Since we were there for his birthday, we both received a glass of their champagne (instead of the usual cake with a candle on it). Overall, everything was great, I will probably return on another special occasion.
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I went on a date here this past summer and already I don't even remember what I ate. I think I ordered the fish and my date ordered steak. Overall the food was adequate, not meeting the quality of fine dining I expected. The only thing I remember that was mentionable was the white chocolate mashed potatoes. It was interesting union of 2 flavors I thought would not go together.
The only reason that I gave 2 stars were for the great plating of the entrees. Every entree had a huge fried bread thing that were made in shapes (I think i got the leaning tower of piza and my date got an eagle). The restaurant itself is beautiful but very overrated. I would not go to this place again. I'm sure you can find many alternatives that are better and more forgiving to your wallet.
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Proprieter Bruno Serato's Anaheim gem serves excellent Northern Italian cuisine inside a beautifully restored manor house. The opulent setting and celebrity clientele bring raves, but the slow pace of dinner can put even the most avid fan asleep. Try the Italian sushi, ravioli sampler, and the Surf N Turf (lobster tail and braised beef ribs off the bone), and especially the decadent desert platter with all its edible treasures.
$$$$
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My boo & i went here because we had a http://restaurant.com certificate...
park on the street or $4 for valet
It is in a white house and looks nice...it is a bit like a wedding with the chair covers. We were seated by the banquet coordinator which i thought was a nice touch & i loved that our napkin looked like a suit (so kute!) which was promptly taken apart and put on my lap by the banquet coordinator
start out with free bread while you look at the menu...their water has cucumber in it which taste delicious...also got Salmon Chocolat Romeo Gigli & a side of Au Gratin Potatoes...everything taste ok...the white chocolate mashed potatoes had a unique flavor but not orgasmicly good
be warned! crowd...50+ yrs old
service was good..not excellent but not bad
also there is a split fee for sharing dishes of about $5
My 1st review, because I want everyone to know what kind of restaurant this is.
I made a reservation for this place 3 weeks ago because my gf had heard about this place and always wanted to go. Each of us ordered the Centennial dinner, so I am not sure if that was it. However, the only thing that was ok was the salad. I had the beef and my gf had the fish. The beef was not tender at all, very chewy. The fish was better, but not by much. Both of our plates were lukewarm. The desert had refrigeration smell to it.
Worst part of the night was valet damaging one of my wheels. He called his manager and filed a report for me, and promised a call within 2 business days. Never heard back from him. The card he gave me has the number of the restaurant, but the restaurant manager Franco told me that the valet is actually a different company. I left messages 4 times and still never 4 times. By the 5th time, I asked for the valet manager's number, so I can call him directly. Franco replied by saying that he's too busy and the best he can do is to leave another message for me for the valet manager.
Just stay away from this restaurant, or at least park the car yourself.
If you are looking for a romantic dinner, or special place for a special occasion - look no further. The location is the only negative I can think of - but once inside, everything is truly exceptional. Customer service is a priority, this is more than obvious from arrival to departure.
The food is exceptional! I strongly recommend the short ribs (amazing!) and the white chocolate mashed potato's as a side. Very reasonably priced for a nice night out - we always expect it to be more.
After having a very good meal upon my first visit I was deeply embarrassed a few months later when I took my folks there for dinner. The quality control of the food is all over the place - some dishes were indeed good, others were amazingly inept. Given the price I would definitely pass!
I wish I could give it a better rating as their menu and concepts are fine, but the execution can be piss poor and the risk just isn't worth it.
A friend of mine also had a very bad meal there (for his anniversary) and blogged about it titled "Anaheim White House of Flies".
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went once and will never go back again. This place isn't exactly an easy place to find. Had to drive by it once to find it. When we arrived, the the valet attendant was nonexistent so we parked our car ourselves. After we parked, an attendant popped up and told us we still had to pay valet. wtf? we parked our own car and still have to pay?!
we had a party of about 15 people and they seated us in our own room. this place has some history, but nothing to really rave about. Its just some old rich persons house that's been able to avoid the wrecking ball throughout the years.
our waiter was very attentive, polite, and courteous. the food was freakin expensive. alot of money for small portions. the price is high, but the food was really good. I give them A+ for taste. we had the coco chanel pacific ahi and the romeo gigli salmon chocolate and loved it. the grand marnier souffle was delicious.
when i throw down alot of money, i expect excellent food with excellent ambiance. This place has A+ for food and D- for ambiance. The carpet is worn and the place looks run down behind the christmas lights engulfing the entire building. probably why they did it. i wouldn't be surprised that's its haunted.
the night we had dinner there, a wedding reception was taking place and there was just a bunch of drunk obnoxious people loitering around the front lawn and parking lot. our valet attendant was nice enough to park our car near the exit, and sooper nice enough to just hand us the key so we can walk to our car. perhaps I should reread what the minimum requirements to be considered valet.
if it wasn't for the food, i would have given this place a one star. for less price, good food and actual valet service, try the summit house 10 minutes north.
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I have been to The Anaheim White House twice in my life. I have no real memory of "Thee White House Restaurant" from my childhood, but after my recent visit, I can understand why.
Actually, let me correct myself; I will never forget my most recent visit to "The Anaheim White House" because I have never been treated so poorly in all my years of dining.
The problem was not speed of service, or even the food (which was not all that memorable, aside from giant, almost inedible garnishes), it was attitude from our server.
I suppose the reason for my servers frequent snide remarks were due to the fact that my party were the youngest 3 covers of the night. I can only assume that my server figured I would not be tipping well because of my age. We were dressed better than most of the other patrons, so I'm sure the server must have had an issue with our age.
I am always a very patient and appreciative patron, and would they have given me average service, I would have given my normal 20% tip, but because of this outrageous treatment, I uncharacteristically lowered my tip to 15%, which is probably more than they were expecting anyway, and in hindsight, more than I should have tipped.
The ambience is the best thing this place has going for it. It is a handsome old house, with elegant decor, but it also comes with that old house musty smell. At least I hope that's what the smell was.
Bruno Serato may be a renowned chef to Danny De Vito, but to me, the food was only slightly above average. The ridiculous garnishes were completely unnecessary, and are only used to trick the uneducated palate into thinking that you're getting something for the $$$ you're dishing out.
Bruno was present on that night, so there is no excuse for my food to come out cold. The portion of fish was generous, but no where near worth the money I paid. My overall thought of the food was that I could have done better at home, and for 1/8 the price.
I will never return to "The Anaheim White House".
People thought this was:
Service: Good.
Food: I am a huge fan of lamb, I believe having it on your menu and making it delicious are essential to a great restaurant. It was okay. The variety was sad, I hate veggies, I can live with a potato but damn. Mashed had to do, and it was good. My girlfriend loved the escargot which she is picky about so that was a good sign...I guess.
Wait: None, reservations baby.
Atmosphere: Outside amazing, we were in the RR room, and it was pretty dead which made it borderline creepy. I would give it 2 stars if it didn't make my girlfriend smile.
Overall: Has so much potential, but it fails.
People thought this was:
My wife and I had a fairly good meal at the Anaheim White House. I left feeling that I didn't have to go back, however if someone brought me there again, I wouldn't complain.
Our appetizer was very very good. We had a sampler of ravioli for 2. This consisted of 4 ravioli each with a different stuffing and served in a different shaped and flavored pasta. Each one also had a different sauce on top. They were eggplant, lobster, cheese (gorgonzola was in the mix of cheeses for sure), and mushroom. After sampling all those, I would say ordering any main course ravioli dish on the menu would be a hit.
For our main course, I had the rack of lamb and my wife had the chicken stuffed with ham and mozzarella. My lamb was very tasty although a little bit tough. I ordered it medium rare. It was very well seasoned and the sauce that it was presented with also very flavorful. The mashed potatoes were fairly plain and nondescript. Some kind of green vegetable on the plate would have added some nice color to the dish.
My wife's meal was where our dinner fell short. While it wasn't bad, it was very plain. It tasted like something you could easily make at home. Perhaps they should have used a more savory cheese than mozzarella. The mushroom sauce that it is was served with, seemed like something anyone could come up with using a can of mushroom soup. It came with the same ordinary mashed potatoes and had mixed vegetables. Again nothing special with those either. It also had a flatbread tower, that was nice and flaky. It is more for decoration than anything else, I couldn't see someone eating the whole thing. We also ordered the roasted potatoes on the side. Which somehow came out as potatoes au gratin. A mistake I assume. We didn't ask. They were pretty good, although nothing special.
I read that the food presentation at the Anaheim White House is amazing, however there really wasn't anything that special with ours. My wife's chicken dish wasn't quite as pretty as the one they present on their website. There was nothing unique about mine either. At least nothing more than you would get at any fine dining restaurant. Perhaps this is because we were eating at 9:00 pm and were the last to order our food for the night.
For dessert we ordered the tiramisu. Neither of us liked it as it was very bitter. Which I know tiramisu can be sometimes. It would have been nice if our waiter noticed that we barely touched it and asked us he could bring us something else. You rarely find that in service anymore.
Overall the service was very good and since we were the only ones dining at 9pm, I will give them compliments on not making us feel rushed through our meal.
Last but definitely not least, the decor. WOW it's hideous , over-the-top and completely fake looking. I usually could care less about such things, but this was a distraction (or conversation piece if you want to look at it that way) from the fairly good food. Everything is white and gold. Problem is that it makes the restaurant so bright that you almost need sunglasses. The gold ropes and tapestries look old and like they need a good cleaning. The white Christmas string lights twisted around fake vines is real cheesy. The fake half of a white piano playing itself, looks like a toy piano. I couldn't imagine it sounding good when someone is really playing it. For some reason there were fake 99 cent store plastic candles on the table. Please someone nominate the Anaheim White House for one of those Bravo TV makeover shows. Because right now it looks like what your 6 year old daughter's vision of a romantic restaurant would be.
The bottom line - 1 appetizer, 2 main courses, 1 side of potatoes, 1 dessert, 2 martini's - $138.00 (not including tip)
I signed up for Yelp because I love the way that real people speak candidly about their experiences dining, shopping, etc. I wasn't planning on doing any reviews personally, but when I ran across this review for the White House I could not resist throwing my two cents in.
The restaurant is barely visible from the street and is located in a questionable area of Anaheim. I had driven by this establishment many times and had absolutely no interest in going inside because it looked as if the food lacked flavor. The decision to go there was my moms. It was her birthday and she had been reading about this restaurant for quite some time. A lot of preparation went into this excursion. She had to go out and buy a special outfit (so did I per her request) and we had to make a dinner reservation (something I am usually to lazy to do unless prompted).
The night of the dinner arrived. My mom, best-friend and I carpooled. It was early evening on a weekday. Up close I was no more impressed than from the street. It was just a regular old house painted white with way to many Christmas lights. Upon entering the restaurant I was unpleasantly surprised. The lighting was dim, the tables were haphazardly placed making the trip to our table an obstacle course and the walls and fixtures were in need of some serious TLC. Even if I were able to look past these issues, after looking around at other patrons I realized that we were severely overdressed. At a restaurant as expensive as this one there is no reason why I should be dining amongst people in flip-flops, polo shorts and tank tops. I won't bore you with every detail of this trip, so i will list the pros and cons.
Cons:
1.The food was okay but not extraordinary. I have had better and for cheaper.
2.Service seemed forced (as opposed to a genuine appreciation of our patronage) and was slow.
3.The food over all was bland. My friend had a vegetable dish and the presentation was good but the taste was forgettable.
4.Please refer to preceding paragraph for more cons.
Pros:
1.I am normally not a fan of wine but I had the most delicious desert wine that night.
2.?
All in all a waste of 250.00 dollars. Too bad my first review had to be so negative :(
People thought this was:
Pros:
Superb Presentation
Awesome Decor
Cons:
Terrible Food
Overpriced
I could see what once was a treasure unfortunately with the neighborhood and staff now it is an empty shell of it's former glory
People thought this was:
We went here for our anniversary dinner a few years back. Now that I have been thinking of re-visiting this place, I just decided to write my review and to compare it to my next visit. The restaurant is a beautiful historic home, all white with many rooms. i remember the service being very attentive and very friendly. There was a pianist that was playing when we were there and it added to the charm of the whole evening. At first glance I thought the menu was pricey but the description of the food seemed delectable. I ordered the ravioli gwen stefani for dinner which is an appetizer but I asked for them to make it an entree size for me. My husband had a meat dish which I don't remember but what I do remember is that he liked it although he thought the serving size was small. For dessert we ordered this creation with spun sugar on top which looked like a tall crown. all I remebered was that it was fun to eat and made me smile. That was one of our first more expensive meals and we thought it was worth it. I left there feeling very special and I have been wanting to go back to see if the place will still hold a magical aura for me. I have the chance to go back with the help of http://restaurant.com. I purchased a certificate which lets me save $25 off a $35 meal. Not bad at all...and it definitely gives me a chance to go back for a date night with the hubby.
People thought this was:
Yes the food was mostly good but I thought the portions were awfully small. The decor made you feel like you were at your wealthy friend's wedding reception. Prices are high, everything was extra to go with your entree. Very fancy schmancy type of place. Personally, I think there are better places to go in Anaheim.
My girlfriend and I went here primarily because one of my friends was raving about this place, and she pointed me to a http://Restaurant.com gift certificate I could buy for about 2 dollars during a special promotion. When you walk in there are these greco-roman(?) statues that line the path to the entrance, and all the tables look like they set for a wedding. I absolutely hoped that it was just the outside, but unfortunately the interior also looked like a wedding reception was about to start, there were large streams of dead flowers on the walls, and the golden drapes looked so gaudy that the whole atmosphere made me want to almost throw up.
The menus were quite large, I would say 16x12 size paper. This gave us that menu-movie-like feel of completely covering your face and whispering to each other. We even slowly moved our menu's downward until only our eyes can be seen, as we pretend to spy around.
The food itself was not very impressive. I had the ravioli with mushroom sauce, and my girlfriend had the calamari with broccoli. The best part were actually the bread, and the edible artwork. The bread rolls are fresh baked, and the flat bread tower and swam were quite tasty. The flat bread has a fried wonton-like taste, except it's baked! For dessert the tower of crafted melted sugar was very fun to pick apart. Their creme brulee was good, but it did not make up for the decor.
Service: Excellent
Food: Sub-par (breads were the best)
Cost: Average of $30+ per entree, $14+ for appetizers
Decor: I felt like I was in a Mortuary
People thought this was:
Went here for my friends banquet thing. The place itself is quite nice and cozy or small depending on how you want to look at it. The bathrooms only have 1 stall, though they have one downstairs and upstairs.
We started out with some excellent bread, probably some of the best bread I've had in a while. Had the contemporary greens salad with the delicious passion fruit vinaigrette. Then there was this chicken and salmon thing. That came with a huge cracker that looked like the leaning tower of pisa and some mashed potatoes. The portions were small but you did get a piece of salmon and chicken. Though the chicken and potatoes weren't spectacular. The salmon however was superb though it was probably due to that yummy sauce on it. The cream puffs we had for desert were ok.
Overally ok food with a nice presentation.
People thought this was:
I rarely ever give 5 stars because you really need to be that much better to deserve it (Michellin catagory). But the white is atleast deserving of 4.5
I find it sad to see such low reviews of this place. I've only been twice and both times around christmas for our office dinner party. I know other reviewers have pointed this out but dining here at christmas is really fun. I admit, it has the appearence as if x-mas threw up but it really is elegant and makes you feel like a kid again. There is a sense that you are dining in a rich friends house but I think that adds and makes you feel comfortable. You can expect a trio of carrolers to sing to you as well. The White House really prides themselves on providing an experience in a very professional manner.
The majority of the menu items are all named after designers like Dulce and Gabana sand dabs, Prada prawns, etc... It really is hokey but cool at the same time. Everytime I've eaten here my boss really goes all out in ordering tons of food and drinks (very good wine). Which I think makes my review biased because I get the privledge of experiencing more of what this restaurant has to offer than the average person or even myself if I were to pay.
The Surf and turf with bone in filet is top notch. The appitzer ravoli is amazing as well. It consists of like 5 single and seperated ravolis on a plate each with their own distinct sauce. Each one was very good and the texture was right on. We also always do the desert "platter". By "platter" I mean a magnanamous mirrored tray with tons of small samples of their signature deserts (creme brulee woweee!). The presention of everything is a piece of art. In the center of the desert tray is this home made golden sugared cotton candy thing (for lack of better word). It looks very elegant.
I've never left the place sober either which just adds to the psychological feeling of the food being so good. I'm sure i'm not the only one that believes food just tastes that much better when you're a bit drunk. This is a special occasion type of place and I hope I go back next year.
People thought this was:
I felt like I was going to a friend's house but with tables, chairs, and a staff running around instead of a sofa, tv, and snacks. This how I felt looking at the restaurant. My friend's rehearsal dinner took place here, and our party took up the entire second floor.
The rooms (opened up) and tables were set up nicely, and the staff was ready to serve drinks before we even sat down. I was thinking...ok bring 'em! I ordered a chocolate martini and was expecting something similar to a mudslide. It was a colorless martini with cocoa powder all around the rim of the martini glass, and boy was it s-t-r-o-n-g! Holy chocolate martini batman! I definitely should not have had that before dinner, and at some point I was getting impatient for the food. I had the chickedn, and it was eh, good. Some of the other dinner guests had steak which tasted better. Overall, it was a nice evening to celebrate with friends and family before the couple's big day.
People thought this was:
I like to be positive . . . . but . . . . as in Washington, the White House is over sold, over blown, over priced. This place is full of pretense and attitude. You can almost feeeeeeeel the pressure to act like a big shot. And what's with asking if we want water and then delivering $8 bottled water to the table? The food was good, not great, but with 2 glasses of wine, two starters and two meals, the bill was over $200. Add tip and valet . . . . well, you get the picture.
People thought this was:
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