Laurie and Ed invited us to this relatively new wine bar/restaurant in Los Gatos over the weekend. After viewing the menu online, I was excited to go! The dishes sounded very tasty while the wine seemed a little pricey. The meal turned out pretty much as expected. Ed was nice enough to bring a very nice Pinot to start with (‘05 Windy Oaks) and it went well with the small plates and sampler platters we ordered. We did order another bottle of Pinot, a “06 Elk Cove from the Willamette Valley, but it wasn’t nearly as good as the first. (Too earthy for me!) As for the entrees, they were merely good. Laurie and Beth both got the Steak Frites and while being a good plate of food, it really wasn’t something to rave about. Ed and I both ordered the Griddled “Diver” Sea Scallops. The scallops were good, not as big as I would have liked, and although the dish was certainly unique considering the addition of crumbled Italian sausage to the scallops, squid ink pasta, manila clams, broccoli rabe and saffron butter, the sausage did sort of overpower the dish. Maybe a good, spicy zin would have helped.
Overall, I was a little disappointed with the entrees, but pleasantly surprised by the appetizers and small plates. The Wild Mushroom Empanadas were very good and the sampler plate and Charcuterie Plate were delicious and lots of fun to share and taste! There were some creative dishes and fun presentations too. With one $50 bottle of wine and one corkage, out tab came to about $150 per couple including the tip. A fun, lively (if slightly noisy) place to share a bite with friends.
