Hugh "Texas Yankee" D.'s Profile

This restaurant is precisely on-point for what it presents itself as: home-style Italian cooking. OK, Italian-American. Whatever. It's what most Americans expect when thinking "Italian" -- various pastas, chicken and veal dishes. We had the hot artichoke appetizer, the lasagne and the chicken parm (which came with spaghetti -- choice of sauce or butter & garlic). Added a bottle of wine and had ourselves a grand old time. Everything was yummy. Will definitely go back.

Serena C. nails it in her review. Nothing overtly offensive or disgusting, but definitely makes you think twice about spending more time in the room than you have to. I also booked via Hotwire, which meant that my three night stay was prepaid and non-refundable. If not for that, I would have left and gone elsewhere.

First day I complained of no hot water, then they told me the secret. Takes a full 10-minutes of running the shower or the tap to bring up the hot water. Seems like they should tell you that on check-in so you know.

"High-speed" internet isn't; ended up using my mobile hotspot instead.

Free "breakfast" will send you elsewhere for a morning meal.

TV remote didn't match the TV and therefore didn't provide full functionality. Most importantly, could not activate closed captioning, without which the TV is useless for me.

A place to lay your head down that, despite all red flags, doesn't appear to be infested with bedbugs or anything else.

Definitely a port of last-resort. Show owner comment »

Had a lovely beef couscous dish. I had never had couscous like that before! Light and fluffy, much more like a fine-grained rice than the small pearls you get in packaged couscous from the grocery store.

The stewed beef was fork tender and flavorful, and the grilled vegetables that topped the dish were crisp and fresh.

My dining companion and I split a beet and potato salad, which was delicious and different. She very much enjoyed her Imperial couscous.

I was disappointed that my first choice of entree was unavailable: the lamb tagine. Perhaps next time.

The ambience is warm and inviting, though the live music was loud enough to make conversation a bit challenging.

One particular annoyance: what's up with an automatic 15% gratuity regardless of the size of the party? Not cool. I usually tip 20%, and sometimes more for good service. But if you're going to nickel and dime me by automatically adding the 15%, that's all you get.

Note to Steakout staff: when you advertise breakfast on your website, don't laugh at the customer who walks in looking for breakfast at 9 a.m. Say "Sorry, we don't serve breakfast anymore," don't act like you've never served it at all. And update your website, which still lists breakfast as I write this review a few days later.

As for the burgers and fries at lunch, the stars say it all: "Meh. I've experienced better." Much better, actually.

First two times I came here, I walked out after being seated and then ignored for 20 minutes! Third time must be the charm. Had both lunch and dinner here this week and enjoyed both meals. The fish in the Fish 'N Chips at lunch is among the best fried fish I've ever had -- crispy/crunchy on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside without a hint of grease. Loved their take on the tartar sauce, too. The chips were unremarkable.

Scratch strives for a homey comfort food vibe and the meatloaf dinner entree does nail that. Split the mac 'n cheese side with my dining companion and enjoyed that, too. The pork belly starter was ok, but I'm probably spoiled by how we do pork belly in Texas! :)

The cocktail program here looks interesting. You won't find the mass-market liquors here. The focus is on American made, much of it small-production product. Had a serviceable mint julep. A little light on the mint, though, and it was served in a glass rather than the traditional julep cup. Note: the julep cup isn't simply ornamental -- it serves an important function in the enjoyment of that cocktail.

Overall, Scratch is a nice addition to Castro Street, bringing some much-needed diversity to what is a stellar collection of restaurants otherwise heavily oriented to various ethnic cuisines.

If I still lived in Mountain View, I'm sure I'd be back on occasion, just to vary the dining experience on Castro. As an occasional visitor to the city, it's not at the top of my list when I have limited time to re-visit favorite places.

Wow. Such a disappointing addition to Southtown.

I don't have a word for the decor, but I felt like I was one of the dolls in a six-year old girl's "tea party." Or maybe inside Cinderella's pumpkin. Not sure. Definitely over the top and off-putting.

I do have a word for the ambience: LOUD. As in unacceptably loud. As in the person three feet away from you starts talking and you see lips moving but can't hear a word they're saying. And the staff's answer to this? "Yeah, we don't know what do to about that." Figure it out, girls!

I won't comment on the service too much, seeing as it was their first week of operation. But clearly more effort went in to selecting the staff based on appearance than ability. Our server couldn't put a sentence together to save his life, let alone describe the restaurant's concept or its menu. But he was pretty!

Now for the most important component: the food. Meh. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't good. Tomato salad featuring campari tomatoes I can buy at Central Market. Beet salad that lacked any real flavor. Barbacoa wraps served cold? Bland sweet corn croquettes. Fried (not grilled) pork tenderloin served with a grey, mushy rice pilaf. If they're going for "How was your meal, sir?" "It was fine." then they've hit the mark. But "fine" isn't worth $70+. I can do "fine" at home for a whole lot less.

We ended up down the street at the Monterey afterwards, where our tastebuds finally got a workout.

This review is so overdue it's not funny. We discovered the Monty back in March, when we went for Sunday brunch. We went back three more times in the first week! Since then we've become regulars, showing up there about once or twice a week. Luckily, it's only a few blocks from our house.

For the most part, reviewing the actual dishes is pointless, because the menu is ever changing and evolving. A new menu is published every Wednesday. The dishes are very creative, with surprising combinations offering sensational taste experiences!

I should note that the entire menu does not change every week. Popular dishes hang around for as long as customers seem to want them, or until the ingredients are out of season or otherwise unavailable.

Which brings up another point. Ingredients are locally sourced, fresh and of absolutely stellar quality. Sausages are painstakingly made in house. Well worth the cost.

Regular menu items include the fries sprinkled with crack -- no wait, that's salt! -- served with a side of flavored mayo. The flavor changes, and has included charred leek, green garlic, among others. Another regular item is the grilled cheese sandwich, available plain, with Benton's bacon, or with another filling, such as roasted tomatoes, broccoli, or other vegetable -- selections rotate. Richly decadent, it takes "grilled cheese" to a whole new level!

Rotating menu items have included:

- pork belly served nigiri-style with a miso caramel glaze (!)
- house-made short-rib hot dog on a bun
- hangar steak served with chicken-fried gravy (yes, fried gravy!)
- beef heart tartare
- watermelon rind & heirloom tomato salad

And many more fabulous dishes too numerous to remember, let alone list here.

This is not a place to skip dessert. Inventive, seasonal and fun, current selections include a chocolate pudding topped with lime curd and caramel corn. The pudding is so dense as to be more like a chocolate truffle you eat with a spoon! The blackberry granita with black pepper cream is also yummy.

The Monty puts on a great Sunday brunch, too. The eggs are cooked sous-vide and served in a number of ways. Don't miss the house-made sausage patties or Benton's bacon. Cava mimosas top off brunch nicely.

A recently-introduced late-night menu starts at 10:30 p.m. and includes a fantastic over-the-top 8oz Kobe-beef hamburger and two other rotating selections. Last night included curried pork egg rolls and brisket steam buns.

The wine and beer lists are great, with a wide range of selections, reasonable prices. The lists always offer something new to try.

The Monterey is on my all-time favorites list that includes some of the finest dining establishments in California's Bay Area, as well as here in my new hometown of San Antonio.

O. M. G. One of the best meals I have ever eaten. Do sit at the bar and enjoy the show. The parsnip ravioli were divine! The positive reviews here are largely on point, and the negative reviews -- well, some people wouldn't be satisfied with the meal served by Jesus on his second coming. Which just might be the meal they serve at F&D.

Overpriced, overly crowded, pandering to the masses on the Riverwalk.

Sadly, my honey and I are leaving Mountain View to move to Texas, of all places. Gotta go where the career takes you, right?

Anyway, this gave us the occasion to rent out the entire establishment for a private going away party. (Note to those with babies who want to bring them to a wine bar, this is how you do it. Children may attend a private party.)

I've reviewed Savvy before, so this will focus on the private party hosting experience. Which was amazing, and actually quite affordable. By hiring out the entire place, you can have the interior configured to your liking -- and invite your friends with kids. We had all the chairs removed, and some of the tables, because our guest list was large enough that the place was standing room only some of the time.

Staff was great: Joel, Winston and Monika were on duty for us. They kept the food and wine flowing and our guests very happy.

Wine was great: We selected four wines for our hosted bar and paid the bottle price for the number of bottles we served. If guests wanted something different, they were free to purchase that on their own. People loved the wine and some were buying bottles to take home.

Food was great: Monika kept the tables filled with cheese boards and dips, and lined the bar with bowls of nuts and olives.

The service, the food, the wine and the ambiance all came together and mixed with the crowd to create a really epic party experience! So much so, that we're seriously considering hosting another party here when we come back to the area to visit! Show owner comment »